Round 6 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals at Sand Del Lee in Richmond, ON this past Sunday was one of trials and tribulations for Team Rockstar Energy Drink OTSFF Yamaha.
But despite bad starts, crashes, and general misfortune Bobby Kiniry, Kyle Chisholm, and Shawn Maffenbeier soldiered on this weekend to contain the damage and remain in contention for top-five finishes in the MX1 and MX2 Championships.
With a first MX1 moto DNF, Bobby Kiniry was hit with the biggest setback of the weekend. A tenth place in moto gave the veteran a tepid 14th overall and just a handful of points for his efforts.
Chisholm managed to save the day in MX1 thanks to 10-5 motos that netted him seventh overall.
Maffenbeier, meanwhile, corralled the top score for the team, snaring fifth overall in MX2 on the strength of 9-3 motos.
The first MX2 moto start saw Maffenbeier with a start that put him around ninth place going into turn one. As the top-ten riders battled tooth-and-nail for positions he would run as high as seventh, but dropped back to ninth towards the end of the moto, where he would finish.
The start of the second moto saw Maffenbeier dive into turn one around seventh place, a position he would turn into a noteworthy third by the closing laps.
“The first moto didn’t quite go my way. It took me a while to get things dialled in, but in the second moto I had found my groove and was able to make some amends,” Maffenbeier said.
In MX1 action, the first moto start proved disastrous for Kiniry and Chisholm who were caught up in a first turn pileup, finding themselves dead last by the time they got back into the fray. By midpoint of the moto they had sliced their way into the top-15, staying on the gas to break into the top-ten.
Three-quarters of the way through the moto a mechanical gremlin unfortunately sidelined Kiniry while running in 12th place. Chisholm occupied tenth place by this time and he would hold that position to the checkered flag.
A much better start in the second moto put Kiniry in sixth place going into the first turn while Chisholm trailed behind just outside the top-ten. A bobble by Kiniry on lap five saw him drop to tenth place, where he would finish when the checkered was waved.
“It was another one of those days when you wonder if you got out of bed on the wrong side. It seems that whatever could go wrong basically did and all I could do was pick up the pieces and start focusing on the next round,” Kiniry said.
Meanwhile, Chisholm stayed the course and systematically clawed his way forward to claim a fifth place finish in the closing laps of the moto.
“After finishing second overall last weekend, it’s a bit of a downer not making the podium today. But considering everything I rode well today, even though my results don’t necessarily reflect that,” Chisholm said.
The 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals continue on Sunday, July 27th at Deschambault in Quebec.