Photos by: CMRC

The Wild Rose MX Park just outside Calgary played host to Round 3 of the 2016 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan this weekend amid perfect weather conditions and record breaking crowds.

The Calgary stop on the calendar always draws big crowds as the Wild Rose track is one of the best in the country, and its urban setting with the Calgary skyline in the background is unique. The track provides great spectator viewing with its big jumps, severe elevation changes, and loamy soil.
Once again race fans were treated to some epic racing as our early season winners are proving that all the work and preparation put in coming into the series is what is required if you want to become a National Champion. KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Davi Millsaps and Cole Thompson are piling up the race wins and in the process building a lot of momentum that the rest of the field are going to have to figure out how to stop as the series leaves Western Canada and heads off to Regina, Saskatchewan.

MX1

It didn’t take KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Davi Millsaps very long to take the Red Plate back after he was forced to give it up following last weekend’s penalty. Davi didn’t holeshot either moto in Calgary but led every lap after grabbing the lead in the first few corners of each moto and running away from the field. Millsaps was in complete control this weekend and looked like he had an extra gear that the rest of the field was lacking. His 1-1 performance put him back into the series lead and has his fellow competitors wondering when and how they are going to beat him.

KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Davi Millsaps waves to crowd in Calgary after going 1-1 for the win.
KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Davi Millsaps waves to crowd in Calgary after going 1-1 for the win.

Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mike Alessi had another good weekend, finishing 2-2 for second overall. Mike was never further back than third all day and spent most of both motos riding all alone in second. On the podium after the race Alessi said he is 0 for 6 on holeshots and has to figure out the starts if he wants to challenge Millsaps.

After admitting that it took him half the first moto to get going, Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Brett Metcalfe scored 6-3 finishes and landed on the last step of the podium for the second weekend in a row. After the race Metty said, “I always love coming to Calgary,” and although he was satisfied with his results feels that he still has a little bit to go with his new team until he tops the box again.

KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Rookie Kaven Benoit finished 5-4 for fourth overall, missing out on his first overall podium finish in the MX1 class by only a single point. Kaven pulled his first Royal Distributing Holeshot of the season in the second moto before being passed by teammate Davi Millsaps on the opening lap. An excited Benoit on the podium after the race said, “It feels awesome to finally get a holeshot in this class. I am going to get better and better as we head east.”

Rounding out the top 5 was Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Vince Friese who after having a rough time in the first two rounds in BC came back with 4-6 moto finishes in Calgary. Friese got the Royal Distributing Holeshot in the first moto and after being passed by a few riders early settled into fourth where he finished. In Moto 2, Vince got a top 5 start and ran the entire moto in sixth place.

Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Matt Goerke had a strong first moto where he finished third after being in seventh position on the first lap. In the second moto Matt was scored in the thirty-fifth position after lap 1 but charged up to eighth by the end of the moto. Honda Canada Racing Fox GDR’s Colton Facciotti was running strong in the first moto until he went off the track trying to get by Friese and into third. Colton ended up seventh in the first moto and spent almost all of Moto 2 in fifth place on a day where the former champion looked like he was struggling.

KTM’s Cole Thompson and Shawn Maffenbeier battling for the lead at the Wild Rose MX Park.
KTM’s Cole Thompson and Shawn Maffenbeier battling for the lead at the Wild Rose MX Park.

MX2

It was déjà vu in the first MX2 moto as KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Cole Thompson found himself in second place on the opening lap behind Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mark Worth just like he did last weekend in Nanaimo. And as he did last weekend Cole waited patiently, stalking Worth until making his move into the lead and then staying there for the rest of the day, including the second moto which he won by thirty seconds. “I made sure to get out front right away and ride my own race,” Cole said of his second moto victory. Thompson has won every moto since the opener, and will keep the Red Plate going into Round 4, and hopes to “keep the ball rolling.”

The only rider more consistent than Cole Thompson is Redemption Racing Big Steel Box KTM’s Shawn Maffenbeier who has finished second in every MX2 moto this season. Maff rode really well in Calgary and passed a lot of fast riders, coming from as far back as ninth in the second moto. Shawn’s physical conditioning is second to none and he is only eleven points back in the standings, but he still must figure out a way to beat Cole Thompson if he wants to be champion.

Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mark Worth finished on the podium in Calgary.
Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mark Worth finished on the podium in Calgary.

Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mark Worth is proving to be a good pick to replace the injured Jacob Hayes as he grabbed the last spot on the podium in Calgary with 3-4 moto finishes. Worth was the fastest qualifier this weekend and grabbed the Royal Distributing Holeshot in the first moto. He led half the race until Cole Thompson made a pass on the inside, and then held on to second place until Shawn Maffenbeier got by on the last lap of the moto. Mark was running a strong second in Moto 2 in a race he called “eventful,” before getting cross rutted and cartwheeling off the track.
calgary leith

Triple Effect/Strikt/Stewarts Kawasaki rider Brandon Leith has finished in the top 4 overall in all three rounds of the series in 2016 and went 6-3 this weekend for fourth overall. Brandon battled hard in the second moto first with Shawn Maffenbeier, who eventually got by on lap 12, and then in holding off Mark Worth. Leith sits comfortably in third place in the series standings and has been one of the most consistent riders in the MX2 Class this year.

Triple Effect/Strikt/Stewarts Kawasaki rider Brandon Leith sits third in the MX2 class.
Triple Effect/Strikt/Stewarts Kawasaki rider Brandon Leith sits third in the MX2 class.

MX101 FXR Yamaha’s Dylan Wright rounded out the top 5 with 4-7 moto finishes. Wright didn’t get the starts he needed to run at the front of the pack but did manage his best overall result of the season and sits fifth in the series standings.

Round 4 of The Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals will take place next weekend, June 26th, at Moto Valley Raceway in Regina, Saskatchewan. If you haven’t already purchased your tickets you can buy them online easily at the mxnationals.ca website. If you are in another part of the country and are unable to attend the race you can see all the action live by downloading the free Conx2share app and live stream every moto on your mobile phone or computer.

MX1 Wild Rose MX Park, Calgary – June 19, 2016

  1. Davi Millsaps (KTM) 1-1 60pts
  2. Mike Alessi (Kaw) 2-2 54pts
  3. Brett Metcalfe (Yam) 6-3 45pts
  4. Kaven Benoit (KTM) 5-4 44pts
  5. Vince Friese (Kaw) 4-6 43pts
  6. Matt Goerke (Yam) 3-8 43pts
  7. Colton Facciotti (Honda) 7-5 40pts
  8. Tyler Medaglia (Husq) 8-7 37pts
  9. Cade Clason (KTM) 9-9 34pts
  10. Keylan Meston (Yam) 9-9 34pts

MX2 Wild Rose MX Park, Calgary – June 19, 2016

  1. Cole Thompson (KTM) 1-1 60pts
  2. Shawn Maffenbeier (KTM) 2-2 54pts
  3. Mark Worth (Kaw) 3-4 48pts
  4. Brandan Leith (Kaw) 6-3 45pts
  5. Dylan Wright (Yam) 4-7 42pts
  6. Jess Pettis (Yam) 7-6 39pts
  7. Tallon La Fountaine (KTM) 5-9 38pts
  8. Brad Nauditt (Hon) 10-5 37pts
  9. Casey Keast (Yam) 8-8 36pts

MX1 Point Standings 2016

  1. Davi Millsaps (KTM) 162pts
  2. Mike Alessi (Kaw) 148pts
  3. Colton Facciotti (Hon) 146pts
  4. Brett Metcalfe (Yam) 137pts
  5. Matt Goerke (Yam) 134pts
  6. Cade Clason (KTM) 110pts
  7. Kaven Benoit (KTM) 106pts
  8. Tyler Medaglia (Husq) 101pts
  9. Keylan Meston (Yam) 94pts
  10. Morgan Burger (Yam) 89pts

 MX2 Point Standings 2016

  1. Cole Thompson (KTM) 173pts
  2. Shawn Maffenbeier (KTM) 162pts
  3. Brandon Leith (Kaw) 131pts
  4. Brad Nauditt (Hon) 103pts
  5. Dylan Wright (Yam) 97pts
  6. Casey Keast (Yam) 97pts
  7. Jess Pettis (Yam) 87pts
  8. Mark Worth (Kaw) 85pts
  9. Mc Cough Brough (KTM) 83pts
  10. Tallon La Fountaine (KTM) 77pts
Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.