Arenacross Practice | Friday Afternoon | Gopher Dunes
By Billy Rainford
As if Fridays aren’t busy enough around Direct Motocross, when we heard Rockstar OTSFF Yamaha rider, Matt Goerke, was going to be testing at the newly-built Arenacross track at Gopher Dunes, we had to be there to check it out. Yes, that’s why the Update was a tad on the ‘brief’ side this week.
Not only was Matt there with Adam ‘Stu’ Robinson and Donk, but young up-and-comer #46 Marco Cannella and #2 Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing’s Colton Facciotti were also going to ride.
Matt is getting ready for his run at the Amsoil AMA Arenacross series that starts in January (and maybe a couple rounds of the Canada AX Tour), Marco is getting ready for either the Canada AX Tour or the Mini O’s, and Colton is just getting back on the bike after his injury suffered in a crash at Pleasant Valley. With only three riders, there was still a lot going on.
Here are a few shots from Friday afternoon in Courtland, Ontario.
The present met the future at the Arenacross practice track at Gopher Dunes Friday afternoon.
Donk made another appearance to help the team with their testing.
Matt hopped in the dozer and made another little section with some sandy rollers to lengthen lap times a little.
Marco recently turned 16, so watch for him behind the wheel coming to a practice track near you!
‘Stu’ gets into some suspension work in the trailer.
The track noise is somewhat muffled for the neighbours by high mounds of dirt.
Marco watches as Matt finishes up the new section.
Moto Mom Extraordinaire, Salina Cannella, is always there for Marco. I heard Marco’s dad is actually going to line up for the Barrelman Half Ironman in Niagara Falls next weekend, too. Good luck!
Adam gets the measurements just right.
Artsy vice/fork shot.
Marco hit the track on his outdoor suspension.
Matt was impressed with Marco’s tenacity to give the whoops a try with his set up.
Marco looked great out there.
I’m sure his mind was already on the following section…
Marco enters the whoops.
Matt skims the whoops as Adam keeps a close watch on how the suspension reacts.
Supercross/Arenacross whoops is an art form.
Don’t worry about Colton, he’s got lots of indoor track experience.
Matt gets his nose out over the front.
Look at that technique.
Classic Colton corner form.
Matt was getting used to being back on the Yamaha 250F.
Derek Schuster built the track. Here he is with his trusty cell phone and Hit Case.
Eyes forward. Matt commented that Colton came in and just shredded all the ruts on his 450 that he’d been working on.
Derek gets a higher POV.
Colton blitzes the whoops.
Marco sponged up as much technique from these two as he could. It will pay off. Thanks for allowing us media types on the track Friday, guys. We did a ‘Tailgating with…’ Matt Goerke, too, so watch for that one on Monday.
