Last week, the 2011 Canadian National Motocross championships got underway in Kamloops, B.C. This week, the series travelled west to Nanaimo, B.C. on Vancouver Island for Round 2 at the scenic and historic Wastelands MX Park.
MX2 Nanaimo
In the MX2 class, the same 5 riders that were up front at Round 1 were again at the head of the field. Kaven Benoit took the first moto victory, overcoming a strong challenge by his KTM teammate and first moto winner last weekend, Jeremy Medaglia. His strongest challenge, though, came from Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki rider, Tyler Sjoberg. Sjoberg turned an average start into a top 4 position early on, and began closing on the leaders. With 2 laps left, Sjoberg began putting the pressure on Benoit for the lead, but was ultimately unable to make the pass.
Photos from Blackfootmotosports.com
Defending champ Tyler Medaglia didn’t have the greatest of starts, but he was able to take 3rd at the checkers just ahead of his brother, Jeremy. It was later announced that Sjoberg would be docked 10 positions for jumping on a red cross flag near a downed rider in need of assistance. This allowed Tyler Medaglia to claim 2nd, and Jeremy 3rd. Kawasaki teammates Spencer Knowles and Austin Politelli would record 4th and 5th place finishes. Sjoberg, meanwhile, would be relegated to 12th.
MX2 Moto 2 saw Tyler Medaglia grab the holeshot before being quickly passed by Austin Politelli. Moto 1 winner Benoit found himself in the top 5 along with Jeremy Medaglia and Tyler Sjoberg. T. Medaglia would re-take the lead only a couple of laps in and begin checking out. Jeremy was quick in moving himself into 2nd behind his brother, while Sjoberg–likely disappointed about being docked in Moto 1–put on a charge to get into 3rd. Jeremy, with his head down, began charging and eating into his brother’s lead. Just as he got into striking distance, disaster struck and his bike let go. In the end, Tyler Medaglia held on to win the moto ahead of Tyler Sjoberg in 2nd, Kaven Benoit in 3rd, Austin Politelli in 4th and Spencer Knowles in 5th. Tyler Medaglia would claim the overall with 2-1, Kaven Benoit would take 2nd with 1-3, and Politelli took 3rd with 5-4.
In MX1, the first moto saw the big #1 of Dusty Klatt take the early lead after passing holeshot winner Brock Hoyer. Klatt’s teammate, Colton Facciotti was in 6th early on, but had already worked his way into 2nd after 1 lap, with Bobby Kiniry on his Rockstar Suzuki in 3rd. The Blackfoot Yamaha duo of Klatt and Facciotti began to check out, while the days top qualifier Teddy Maier worked his way up from a start just inside the top 10 on his Monster Energy Kawasaki to challenge Kiniry for 3rd. Maier would eventually make the pass and put some distance on Kiniry.
Photo from Blackfootmotorsports.com
Around the halfway mark, an intense battle was underway at the front between Klatt and Facciotti. They exchanged the lead multiple times, with Facciotti ultimately coming out on top when Klatt was held up briefly by a lapper. Facciotti, Klatt, Maier and Kiniry would hold onto their positions at the finish, with KTM rider Robby Marshall rounding out the top 5 on his 350SXF in a great ride.
In Moto 2, it was Teddy Maier getting a good start this time and grabbing the holeshot. Klatt and Facciotti didn’t waste any time getting to the front as they held down 2nd and 3rd early. It wasn’t easy for Facciotti, though, as he tangled with Kiniry and stalled his bike. He was able to restart it easily and work his way back into the top 3. Kiniry wasn’t so fortunate. He was forced to pull into the mechanics area to fix a bent brake rotor and re-join the race more than a whole lap down.
Photo from Blackfootmotorsports.com
Klatt and Facciotti joined up and were both able to get around Maier on the same lap. Klatt would lead until just past the halfway point, when a good line choice for Facciotti allowed him to get by. It was a great effort for Klatt, who didn’t seem to have anything for Facciotti just one week ago. When the checkered flag flew, it was Facciotti with another double-moto victory for the overall and Klatt again in 2nd. Maier finished 3rd both in the moto and the overall. Perhaps the most impressive ride was Mason Phillips, who charged from way back to finish 4th in Moto 2 on his KTM 350.
