Motocross Des Nations Photo Report

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By James Lissimore

Beginning just shortly after WWII, The Motocross of Nations has grown from an event that had only three nations (Belgium, The Netherlands 
and Great Britain) to a venue that now hosts upwards of thirty countries from all around the world. This year’s race hosted at Thunder Valley Motocross Park in the picturesque Lakewood, Colorado marks the 64th year in existence. With Lakewood being the closest Des Nats race to be held in regards to my home in British Columbia I knew that I had to be there. As my second trip to the world's biggest motocross race, it certainly didn't dissapoint. The Thunder Valley facility was in great shape and the air definitely lets you know that you're at 6000ft while you're there. Seeing all the cultures from around the world come together to celebrate the sport that we all love has got to be on the bucket list for any diehard moto fan and I'm already working on my plans to take in next year's event in France.

Though the Canadian team didn't field either of our 2010 Champions or last year's team member, Dean Wilson, the team of Kyle Keast, Jeremy Medaglia and Kaven Benoit who stepped up to answer the call didn't want to hear any talk of a "B" team and all three rode with their hearts on their sleeves all weekend long. Everyone involved with the Canadian effort should be proud of their day and hopefully we'll see them representing the red and white again in the future.

Here's a few photos from an exciting day in Colorado

As always, click on the first image if you want to view as a slideshow....
 

Sunrise in the Thunder Valley pits and the flags were already waving in anticipation of an exciting day of racing.

A lot of fans went to great lengths to show off their country's pride.

Kyle Keast's custom painted Team Canada knee braces.

The team's custom helmets.

Brett Metcalfe's Australian compound.

A Belgian fan

Ben Townley's custom painted Team New Zealand helmet.

The FIM's double decker mechanic's row is super cool. All the countries had their own boxes.

Old school Americana outfit for this US fan.

The swedes were in the house.

Crystal Keast's custom shirt in support of her bro.

The Red Bull Air Force dropped in on the opening ceremonies, along with a flyover from a pair of F-18 Hornets. Things certainly started off with a bang.

Johnny O'Hannah represents his country.

Our own Steve Matthes had the honors of introducing Team Canada during the Opening Ceremonies.

British fans

The Red Bull girls get ready to kick things off.

The MX1/MX2 moto blasts off the line.

Things didn't look good for Team USA early, as Trey Canard(2) and Zach Osborne of Team Puerto Rico went down in the first turn.

Kaven Benoit finished 25th in the MX1/MX2 moto.

Reigning MX2 World Champion, Marvin Musquin, of Team France had a horrible day. Mechanical problems left him with DNF's in both motos.

Gautier Paulin had a better day than his teammate, Musquin, as he finished 5-9 on the day.

Despite suffering from severe heat exhaustion, Jeremy Medaglia managed to hold on for a solid 21st in moto one. Unfortunately he'd be unable to start the second moto.

Dean Wilson went 8-6 for second best of the MX2 bunch.

Kaven battles with several riders during the opening moto at Lakewood.

Trey Canard battled all the way back from his first turn crash to finish 12th.

Another thing the GP's do differently is that they have a wash bay area set up where everyone washes their bikes instead of the usual way we do it here of washing behind the team trucks.

After the first moto, Kaven had to quickly get cleaned up and ready for the MX2/Open moto.

Many of the usual US based teams had their rigs their in support of the various other countries who were racing. The Valli Motorsports Yamaha team had members of the Australian, Portugese and Japanese teams under their tent.

The Jagermeister KTM team was fielding the Factory KTM's of Marvin Musquin, Max Nagl and Tony Cairoli.

USA flags were a popular cape accessory at Thunder Valley.

Kyle Keast and his dad, Jamey, get ready for his first moto.

Team Belgium's Clement DeSalle, who finished second overall at Unadilla earlier in the year was impressive again at the Des Nats. He finished 4-3 on the day, ensuring that Belgium would finish second overall to the US for the millionth time.

Ben Townley and MX2 rider, Ken Roczen, battled it out during the early going of the MX2_Open moto.

Team Germany's Ken Roczen was definitely one of the most impressive riders in Colorado. The 16 year old phenom lead the MX2_Open moto and won the MX2 class with 6-3 moto scores on the day.

Canard was again forced to work his way through the pack after a first lap crash. He charged hard and made it all the way to 7th by moto's end.

Kyle Keast didn't get the best start but he put his head down and charged hard the whole moto, passing a lot of riders on his way to a solid 17th.

Benoit finished 33rd in the MX2_Open moto.

After a questionable move to get by Andrew Short that sent him to the ground, Ben Townley took the win in the MX2_Open moto.

Mom's love Ryan Dungey.

Ben Townley had his own flag at Lakewood.

Andrew Short recovered from his first moto mishap to grab the early lead in the MX1_Open moto.

Another of the "Team Puerto Rico" American's, Kyle Regal rode to an impressive second in the MX2_Open moto but twisted his ankle and had to drop out of the final moto.

Another cool thing about a race like the Des Nations is the cool bikes you don't get to see in North America. Team New Zealand's Josh Coppins rode his twin cylinder Aprilia to 11-14 moto scores.

Former World Champion, Steve Ramon was another member of the always dangerous Belgian team. He finished with 6-7 moto scores.

Keast again put in hard charge in the final moto, working his way up to 23rd by the checkered flag.

Happy times for "Boogie" or Team France's Xavier Boog.

One of the biggest story lines of the weekend was the matchup between AMA Champion, Ryan Dungey and World Champion, Antonio Cairoli. Cairoli drew first blood with the MX1 qualifying win on Saturday but Dungey got the best of him on Sunday as Cairoli could only muster 2-4 moto scores on the day.

After leading the opening going, Andrew Short, would finish the final moto in second place behind his teammate, Dungey, to ensure the US team another overall victory.

Ryan Dungey left no doubt that he's currently the fastest rider around as he won both his motos and capped off one of the most dominant rookie seasons in history.

Surrounded by a sea of press, Dungey and Short celebrate their overall victory.

Trey Canard gets a hug from his mom as the team prepares to take their 21st Peter Chamberlain trophy.

Somewhere, Andrew Short is in there as Team USA collects their awards.

Champagne time

There were a lot of flags representing all the various countries who competed this weekend.

This guy had the best airhorn going. You could hear this thing from anywhere on the track.