While terrible weather was a large part of the story in rounds 3 and 4, round 5 of the 2011 Monster Energy Motocross Nationals sported spectacular sunshine and warm temperatures that made sure keeping hydrated was a major priority for riders and fans alike. The hot, humid weather would mix with the deep beach-like sand of Gopher Dunes in Courtland, Ontario to create a physically exhausting day for the racers.
The MX2 suffered a loss when KTM’s Jeremy Medaglia decided, after the first practice session, that he would sit out the day’s action. Jeremy crashed during the week and wasn’t feeling fit enough to endure the grueling punishment the Dunes is known for putting out.
The first moto of the day, MX2 moto 1, saw Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki teammates, Tyler Sjoberg and Austin Politelli, get out front together off the start while series leader and defending champ, Blackfoot Yamaha’s Tyler Medaglia, suffered a near last-place start and was forced to pick his way into the top 10 in the first few laps. KTM’s Kaven Benoit was up in the top 3 early on and even managed to put a pass on Sjoberg for 2nd place when he made a mistake and went down. The French-Canadian, Benoit, was able to remount still inside the top 10. Politelli was on a mission at the front of the field, turning lap times nearly 3 seconds faster than the next closest competitor.
With the moto beginning to wind down, Medaglia was able to use his great fitness and smart riding to work his way into the top 3. As Medaglia was working his way forward, Sjoberg seemed to hit a wall and lose some precious time, allowing the #1 Blackfoot Yamaha to get past him for 2nd. In the end, Politelli took a dominating win, with Tyler Medaglia a solid 2nd, Tyler Sjoberg 3rd and Kaven Benoit regrouping for 4th.
Moto 2 featured a similar complexion early on, with Politelli, Benoit and Sjoberg up front. Medaglia was running around 10th on the first lap when he got it all wrong in one of the many large sand whoops sections. By the time he remounted and got his bike started, he was 2nd to last. Clearly this day wasn’t going to get any easier for the champ. Politelli seemed determined to back-up his impressive first moto win, but Benoit wasn’t going to make it easy. The two distanced themselves rapidly from Gopher Dunes Suzuki’s Topher Ingalls, who had inherited 3rd place after Sjoberg went down.
By the halfway point, Tyler Medaglia had already worked his way up to 6th, running laptimes that were nearly 10 seconds faster than those around him as he made the gnarly Gopher Dunes track look much too easy. As the end of the race approached, it was becoming apparent that Medaglia would have an opportunity to make the podium, as he was only a few seconds behind Ingalls who, in turn, was over half a lap behind the leader. As for the leader, Benoit was still within striking distance, although it was looking more unlikely that an opportunity for a pass could be made without a mistake by Politelli. Ultimately, Politelli would hold on to take a clean sweep 1-1 finish, while Benoit would finish the moto in 2nd. Tyler Medaglia made a late-race pass on Ingalls for the final podium spot in the moto.
The overall MX2 podium was Austin Politelli (1-1), Tyler Medaglia (2-3) and Kaven Benoit (4-2). Tyler Medaglia maintains a 35 point lead over 2nd place Benoit in the championship standings.
The first MX1 moto saw points-leader Colton Facciotti take the lead for the first couple of laps before another Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki rider took the lead. This time it was Matt Goerke, who had topped the morning’s qualifying by nearly a full second and looked determined to get a win over the Blackfoot juggernaut. Behind the top 2 of Goerke and Facciotti were KTM’s Robby Marshall, Blackfoot’s Dusty Klatt, Orange Motorsports KTM’s Liam O’Farrell and KTM’s Kyle Keast. Keast looked to be the fastest and most aggressive of those behind the lead duo, and within a couple of laps, had made his way into 3rd. Meanwhile, O’Farrell was able to get around defending champ Klatt, who seemed to be struggling to find any sort of rhythm early. As if being relegated to 6th wasn’t bad enough for Klatt, Rockstar Suzuki’s Bobby Kiniry made the pass also, pushing the defending champ to 7th.
At the front, Goerke had began distancing himself from Facciotti to the tune of about 5 seconds. Marshall also appeared to be slipping back a little into the clutches of a group that now included Keast—who had tipped over while running third—O’Farrell, Kiniry—who was moving up—and Klatt. This group of riders was very close together for a number of laps, before Keast finally seemed to break free and settle in to 3rd. The battle behind was on, however, and Kiniry and a now rejuvanted Klatt looked to be the most aggressive and fresh of the group. The rough track seemed to be getting to the KTM duo of Marshall and O’Farrell, both who were returning from recent injury, as Kiniry was able to sneak into 4th with Klatt 5th. Matt Goerke would take the win, making Facciotti—who finished runner-up—look not so invulnerable after all. Keast would take a hard-earned 3rd.
Moto 2 saw KTM’s Michael Willard grab the holeshot on his 350SXF, ahead of Teddy Maier, Kiniry and Goerke. Marshall and Klatt were near the front, as were Facciotti and Keast, looking eager to make sure Goerke, no doubt fueled by his first moto win, didn’t get too far ahead of them. Willard led the first lap until he was passed by Goerke. Keast was the biggest mover early on, quickly passing Facciotti and Klatt. Willard, at this point, began to fall backwards to about 7th place as he didn’t seem to be used to the lead pace.
While Goerke tried to give himself some breathing room in the lead, Keast was getting past Maier for 2nd and began to make time up on Goerke. Facciotti had also just worked his way by Maier into 3rd, when Klatt—who was keeping him in sight and looking much better than he did in moto 1—suffered a huge crash just before the finish line. It took him a while to get himself up, as both he and his bike took some punishment. He was eventually able to get going again, but he was dead last and nearly a lap down. The running order continued to be Goerke, Keast, Facciotti and Maier, with Goerke and Keast being the closest of the group.
As Klatt went a lap down, Facciotti began to sink his teeth into Keast, appearing to have found some lines that were really working for him. Once Facciotti was able to make the pass, Keast seemed to lay off and settle for 3rd. As Goerke worked his way through the thick pack of lapped riders, he seemed to be losing a little time here and there to the hard-charging Facciotti. With only two laps to go, Facciotti was only about 4 seconds behind. Just when it appeared a battle may yet be on, Goerke opened it up, perhaps seeing that Facciotti had made it a race. Goerke was able to record the second clean sweep on the day for his team, while Facciotti, Keast, Kiniry, Marshall and Maier finished in the top 6 in moto 2.
Matt Goerke (1-1) was 1st overall followed by Facciotti (2-2) and Keast (3-3). Facciotti still enjoys a 37-point lead over 2nd place in the championship, Klatt. Klatt finished 5-10 at Gopher Dunes for 6th overall. 3rd in the championship is Kyle Keast, another 33 points behind Klatt.
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Thanks to MXPmagazine.com and Ryan Gauld for Photo’s and Videos from Gopher Dunes
