Pirelli Rider Matt Goerke Emerges Victorious in the Sand of Gopher Dunes

ROME, Ga. (July 11, 2016) – The fifth round of the 2016 CMRC Canadian Nationals was held this past Sunday on July 10 at the world-famous Gopher Dunes Raceway in Courtland, Ontario. The track is notorious for its technical, deep sand, perhaps making it the most challenging track on the Canadian circuit for rider fitness and equipment. Defending MX1 Champion Matt Goerke, equipped with Pirelli’s SCOPRION™ MX32™ PRO hard front and MX Soft 410 rear tires, emerged victorious for his first win of the season aboard an OTSFF Yamaha.

“It’s a great feeling to get the monkey off of my back and take my first win of the season today here in Gopher Dunes,” said Matt Goerke. “I’m a huge fan of racing in the sand and the entire team nailed the bike setup. Forward momentum is crucial when racing on sandy soil, which my Pirelli MX32™ and MX Soft 410 tires did a great job of doing.”

After starting just inside of the top five during 450 Class Moto 1, Goerke rode like a man possessed, making several passes through the star-studded field in the opening laps. While hot on the rear fender of the race leader, he capitalized on a mistake to takeover the lead and pull away to victory. OTSFF Yamaha teammate Brett Metcalfe, who used Pirelli’s MX32™ soft-mid front and MX Soft 410 rear tires, charged hard the entire moto and crossed the checkered flag in fourth. As the gate dropped for 450 Moto 2, Metcalfe and Goerke rounded the first corner running second and third, respectively. Goerke quickly went to work and moved into the number one position, but he would suffer a crash and handover the lead to his teammate. The Australian Metcalfe never looked back and claimed his first moto win of the season. Despite a crash that shuffled him well outside of the top five, Goerke remounted to take an impressive third place in Moto 2.

The 450 Class overall victory went to Goerke, who scored his first win of the season via 1-3 moto scores, narrowly edging out his teammate Metcalfe in second overall (4-1). Pirelli riders finished in the top two positions and further proved the company’s commitment to racing on North American territory with their wide-range SCORPION™ MX tire lineup.

To learn more about the complete line of Pirelli motorcycle tires, please visit Gopher Dunes – MX1 Results:

1. Matt Goerke (Yam) 1-3

2. Brett Metcalfe (Yam) 4-1

3. Davi Millsaps (KTM) 3-2

4. Colton Facciotti (Hon) 2-6

5. Kaven Benoit (KTM) 5-4

6. Mike Alessi, USA (Kaw) 6-5

7. Tyler Medaglia (Husq) 8-7

8. Cade Clason (KTM) 7-8

9. Shawn Robinson (KTM) 9-9

10. Morgan Burger (Yam) 10-10

MX1 Championship Point Standings: