Photo Report: Rockstar MX Nationals|Calgary Round 3
By Billy Rainford
Round 3 of the Rockstar Energy MX Nationals headed back to Wild Rose MX Park in downtown Calgary this past weekend. They call this round the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the series and the action Sunday lived up to the billing. They ran the track backwards and incorporated a ton of changes since last June. There were mixed feelings about the flow of the track in this direction and configuration, but they all had to ride the same track and the cream rose to the top again, despite the grumblings.
It was great to have Jeff McConkey at the races this weekend and you have him to thank if you were forced to follow the action via Twitter. Great job, Jeff!
Here’s a little closer look at some of the action on a day that threatened rain, but didn’t follow through.
MX2
The track was reversed and changed which made for some new chances to get the city of Calgary in the shots. #97 Kyle Springman made the trek from the coast and finished in 26th spot.
#47 Dylan Delaplace was up in the mix in the first moto but troubles in the second put him back in 36th spot for 23rd.
#50 Alex Jeffery was a consistent 21-23 for 22nd.
#90 Todd Sewell always seems to be having a good time and finished 21st.
Washingtonian #767 Mason Wharton had a very solid 2nd moto run in 15th and finished 18th.
#67 Kyle Biro was able to put 2 solid motos together in Calgary and finished 16th. I’m sure he’s looking forward to this weekend at his home-ish race in Regina.
#35 Hayden Halstead had no back brake and was forced to work his way forward and finished 15th overall.
#71 McCoy Brough is trying to find some of that round 1 magic again. He was up in 11th spot in moto 2 and took 14th. Check out this aggressive and confident style here!
We thought #81 Jared Stock had grabbed the first moto Royal Distributing Holeshot Award but he missed it by the size of his enduro bike’s front knobby. He was a very impressive 13th (11-16).
#36 Davey Fraser’s was up near the front in moto 1 but lost his rear brake. He then got caught in the 2nd moto pile up but came from almost last to 17th for 12th overall.
Victoria’s #171 Ryan Lalonde has been impressive so far and finished 12-13 for 11th in Calgary.
#24 Marcus Nilsen was in some heated battles all day and finished 10th with 13-10 motos.
Young Intermediate rider #217 Casey Keast has become a staple inside the top 10 with his yellow plates. 8-8 gave him 9th, but will we see any more of him?
#18 Brad Nauditt went through an engine in Calgary. They got him ready and he finished 10-5 (8th) after almost getting the 2nd moto holeshot. He was way back after 2 laps in the first moto.
If you weren’t familiar with Redlands, California, rider #259 Tallon LaFountaine, you should be by now. Tallon has had a great first 3 rounds and finished 5-9 for 7th.
#20 Jess Pettis was in a tight battle with Nauditt and Keast in the 2nd moto and finished 6th overall (7-6).
Teammate #17 Dylan Wright finished one spot ahead of him in 5th while still nursing his sore foot from Nanaimo.
#70 Brandan Leith kept things interesting up front all day and ended up 4th. He was in some heated battles, like this one with Wright.
#101 Mark Worth led #4 Cole Thompson for a while in the first after getting the holeshot.
He had a solid day and took 3rd with 3-4 motos.
#15 Shawn Maffenbeier has shown a ton of heart and speed so far. His 2-2 motos gave him 2nd.
He had to come from well back in the pack in the second moto to get that 2nd place.
Mark collecting his 1st moto Royal Distributing money.
This guy is on a roll. #4 Cole Thompson had to work hard to stay out front in the first moto, but when the other top riders struggled early in the second, he got way out front.
Cole finished 30 seconds out front in the 2nd moto. MX2 podium: Cole Thompson, Shawn Maffenbeier, Mark Worth.
MX1
I’m giving #717 Broc Shury top honours for whips of the day. He was well off the pace in 36th but looked the best off the International Jump.
#32 Michael DaSilva does not like Calgary. He just hasn’t had any luck here and it happened again this year. When he knifed the front end and went down in a heap, he tried to keep riding but couldn’t really feel his left hand. He has had it looked at and he will have to sit out 8-12 weeks while his nasty scaphoid heals. Good luck, Michael.
#210 Scotty Miller didn’t make the motos but he sure is fun to watch ride!
#245 Skyler Archer is getting his feet wet in the competitive MX1 class this season. He finished 29-31 for 32nd.
We know #352 Alex Harvill definitely isn’t afraid of the big Calgary jumps! 21-19 put him 21st.
#73 Cody Matechuk is also putting together a solid western swing. 15-15 put him 15th.
#21 Kyle Swanson is looking for some support as the series heads east. 14-14 put him 14th. He was in a good battle with #468 Austin Kouba in the 2nd.
Idahoan, #468 Kouba finished just ahead of him in 13th (13-12).
I always look for #19 Morgan Burger in Calgary and Ulverton – he’s fun to watch on the big showcase jumps. Morgan had a solid 10th in the first and then had a great early-moto battle with Meston and Clason. He finished 10-13 for 11th.
#26 Riley Brough is quietly clicking off good results and finds himself 12th in points after 11-11 put him 11th.
The best battle on the track in the 2nd moto was between #28 Keylan Meston and #6 Cade Clason. Keylan finished 12-10 10th.
His rival #6 Cade Clason finally made a pass stick and went on to take 9-9 motos to 9th overall.
I made #5 Tyler Medaglia look lonely in this photo because that’s how he was in the 2nd moto…alone. 8-7 motos put him 8th. I heard rumblings of a possible 450?
It just doesn’t seem right, watching #2 Colton Facciotti race around in 7th spot, but that’s how it went in the first moto. He had a solid 2nd going but would stall the bike with about 5 minutes to go and take 5th for 7th overall. He also gives up the red plates for Regina.
#1 Matt Goerke is going to have luck go his way soon. He got caught up in the 2nd moto first turn pile up and took off in around 40th. He made it all the way up to 8th for 6th (3-8).
#55 Vince Friese had a strong 1st moto up in 4th and then rode all alone late for 6th in the 2nd. 4-6 gave him 5th. They’re still working to get the bike set up for him, so watch for improvements as we head east.
Vince getting his 1st moto holeshot money.
#11 Kaven Benoit got what he wanted and grabbed the 2nd moto Royal Distributing Holeshot Award. He ran with the top guys and finished an impressive 5-4 4th. His podium is coming…
Kaven collecting his Royal Distributing Holeshot Award.
When #3 Brett Metcalfe is having fun like this, you know he’s getting the bike where he wants it. He looked better again in Calgary and rode to 6-3 motos for 3rd.
#800 Mike Alessi may be the friendliest, most-enthusiastic rider at the track. He was picking rocks before an MX2 moto, giving tips at the starting line, and having a blast on the track.
We’re 2 for 3 on look-over shots. He was the 2nd fastest rider in Calgary and his 2-2 motos proved that.
Other riders should start to worry. #118 Davi Millsaps is proving why he’s Davi Millsaps. Remember when we weren’t sure how he’d fair on our tracks?
Davi can put his bike wherever he wants and is actually making this look easy. The red plates will clash once more with orange. 1-1.
MX1 podium: Davi Millsaps, Mike Alessi, Brett Metcalfe.
A rainbow appeared as were set off to do our Wrap Up Show. Now it’s time to edit that video and have it up Tuesday. Thanks for reading, and see you at the races…
