Press Release

Monster Energy Motocross Nationals Kick Off In Kamloops



CMRC Racing News



The 2010 Monster Energy Motocross
Nationals are set to kick off on June 6th at Whispering Pines
Raceway in Kamloops, British Columbia. Situated on native reserve land 25km
north of Kamloops along the North Thompson River, the facility has been in
operation since 1999 and is one of the premiere motocross tracks in Canada.












To keep the Canadian contenders
on their toes, and infuse some additional drama into the both the MX1 and MX2
Championship, an impressive roster of foreign riders will again be on hand this
year. In addition to the usual strong American presence, this season the
international field of competitors includes riders from Germany, Hungary, New
Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Botswana. Last minute entries from other
countries are expected at some of the rounds.
 
“We’ve had a
contingent of foreign riders for the past ten seasons but this year the series
is attracting a record number of them. I think we could be in for some
surprises this year.  The calibre of the Monster Energy Motocross
Nationals keeps stepping up year after year and there is a lot more prestige
attached to winning a championship here than in the past,” said CMRC
President Mark Stallybrass. “We’re on television and the series
receives a lot of attention on various motocross websites, which creates
international interest, as well as extensive coverage in the Canadian
motorsport media. ”



As has been the case since 2001,
Calgary-based Blackfoot Racing will be the team to beat, especially in the MX1
class. Their Factory Yamaha effort currently owns the No.1 plate with Colt
Facciotti and No.2 with Dusty Klatt. Facciotti will be gunning for his third
consecutive title while Klatt will attempt to regain the crown he first won in
2006.







Although the MX2 National
Championship has eluded the powerhouse Blackfoot team thus far, they’re
counting on a returning Kyle Beaton, No.5, and newcomer Tyler Medaglia, who has
ranked as high as No.3 in the MX1 title chase, to have their say in the title
chase.


The all-American, Billy Whitley
managed team, Monster Energy Cernics Kawasaki, will feature Josh Demuth and
Troy Adams in MX1. Demuth, who won the 2010 AMA Arenacross Championship, is no
stranger to Canadian motocross. He has campaigned a number of series over the
years with impressive results. Adams will be contesting his first full season
in The Great White North.





The Hungarian, Kornel Nemeth, who
is ranked No.18 despite riding only three rounds in ’09, scoring top
three in each moto, will be contesting the full MX1 series this season. Nemeth,
a successful GP rider in Europe, will be looking to become the first Euro to
hammer down a Canadian national title. He will be riding for the Royal
Distributing KTM Canada team. Seventeen-year-old Manitoba native Ryan Millar
has been re-signed to the KTM factory team as well. Last year the up-and-comer
claimed several top 10 finishes in his rookie pro MX 1 season earning national
plate No.28.





Meanwhile, New Zealand’s
Mason Phillips, the only rider besides Facciotti, Klatt and Paul Carpenter to
win a national round last season, has left his long time KTM Canada factory
ride for a new Kawasaki team, Redemption Racing.





South Africa’s Liam
O’Farrell, another veteran of the Canadian MX wars and ranked No.8, will
contest the series for Team Gopher Dunes Suzuki this year. Kyle Keast, No.9,
has returned to Machine Racing Honda while his former Rockstar Suzuki OTSFF
teammate Tyler Medaglia has migrated to Blackfoot Yamaha. Replacing them under
the Rockstar OTSFF Racing tent will be Bobby Kiniry, No.3, and Mitch Cooke,
No.7. Cooke, who has raced for OTSFF in the past, will have his sister Heidi
Cooke to keep him company on the team. Heidi will defend her 2009 No.1 ranking
in the Women’s Nationals.









Defending MX2 Champion Teddy Maier returns to the fray for
Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki. The team has also brought aboard fellow
American Shawn Rife, a new up-and-comer looking to test his mettle on Canadian
soil.

Former MX2 Champion Eric Nye, who
grabbed a runner-up ranking in ’09, returns for his fifth consecutive
season with Team Royal Distributing KTM Canada. He’ll have Kyle McGlynn,
who re-signed with the factory team for 2010, as his MX2 teammate.  Jeremy
Medaglia will also be racing a KTM Canada machine via Team Orange Motorsports.
Medaglia campaigned a controversial season last year that saw him finish
with a No.17 overall ranking. For the first half of the season, he rode an
OTSFF Suzuki in MX1; during the second half he was mounted on a Murphy
Motorsports Suzuki in the MX2 division. Look for 18-year-old Jeremy to make
2010 his breakthrough season. 





New this year is a slight shuffle
in the western schedule. Instead of heading from Kamloops to Calgary for Round
2 of the series and then to Edmonton for Round 3, the order is being reversed.
There will also be no pro practice on Saturday. That day is now being
exclusively dedicated to the amateur classes. At some of the rounds, starting
in Alberta, the races will count towards the provincial championship.





 
“Amateur racing is the
future of motocross in Canada and we continually strive to grow that segment of
our exciting sport,” said CMRC Amateur Motocross Director Brett Lee.
“A full-day amateur schedule at a national event not only helps to raise
the profile of amateur racing, it gives the kids a chance to rub shoulders with
the current crop of pro riders, many of whom are role models and heroes to
them.”





 
The formula for the CMRC
Women’s Nationals presented by Honda has also been revamped. The series
goes from five national rounds to a total of seven. These consist of three
western rounds, three eastern rounds and an east/west shootout that will be
held in conjunction with Walton’s TransCan Grand National Championships
at the end of the season.



 




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