Matt Goerke and Shawn Maffenbeier were on top of their game at Round 7 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals in Deschambault, QC on Sunday. Goerke, with hard fought for 2-1 moto finishes, grabbed the overall win, extending his lead in the MX1 title hunt to 22 points. Maffenbeier recorded second overall in MX2 on the strength of 5-2 results. It was Maffenbeier’s second consecutive second overall finish; he currently sits fourth on the MX2 points scoreboard.
Although some rain fell on Deschambault in the morning during qualifiers, the track, Motocross Deschambault, held up nicely all day and by early afternoon sunshine had replaced the grey skies. With temperatures that reached a high of only 23°C, it was perfect racing weather compared to a week ago at a hot and humid Sand Del Lee in Ontario.
The battle for MX1 supremacy continued in Deschambault with the top three contenders, Goerke, Brett Metcalfe, and Colton Facciotti providing most of the upfront action. Cole Thompson, who sits fourth in the current points ranking, kept things interesting by staying in the mix, taking home fourth overall on the day on the strength of 4-3 motos.
Goerke’s Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha MX1 teammate Bobby Kiniry logged another solid weekend with 6-6 moto finishes, which gave him sixth overall on the day. Thanks to his consistent riding all afternoon, the New Yorker strengthened his hold on sixth in the current points ranking.
Goerke nailed the first moto holeshot aboard his explosive YZ450F directly ahead of Kyle Swanson, Thompson, Facciotti and Tyler Medaglia. Despite the blistering pace Goerke was laying down up front the main chase group stuck with him till past the halfway point of the moto. Around that time Facciotti stuck a pass on Thompson for second. In short order, Metcalfe, who had started in eighth place, relegated Thompson to fourth.
With less than two laps to go, Goerke, who had finally put some eight seconds on Facciotti by the end of lap 10, got caught up in heavy lapper traffic. This turn of events worked to the advantage of Facciotti, who was able to grab the lead and take the moto win. Metcalfe was also able to capitalize on the lappers situation and drag-raced Goerke to the checkered flag. Goerke prevailed, however, with Metcalfe crossing the finish line in Goerke’s rear wheel.
Facciotti snared the second moto holeshot with Thompson, Goerke, Metcalfe and Medaglia following in close proximity into turn one. By the halfway point of the moto Facciotti had a four-second lead on Metcalfe, who had passed Thompson on lap five. Goerke, who also stuck a pass on Thompson on the same lap, stayed on the gas to keep the two frontrunners in his crosshairs. On lap 10, with a rerun of lapper traffic in the mix, Facciotti and Metcalfe connected, which resulted in the defending champ going down.
This time it was Goerke’s turn to benefit from lapper chaos. He managed to deftly navigate past the lappers, a downed Facciotti, and a regrouping Metcalfe, to take the lead. At this point of the race Goerke was on his way to the moto victory and overall win of the day. Metcalfe finished second a few bike lengths back, with Thompson cementing the podium positions in third. Facciotti, who had remounted in fifth, finished there behind fourth-running Medaglia.
“It was a crazy day all around. Winning never seems easy, even when you have a big lead, because anything can happen and it’s not over until you cross the finish line. But I’ll remember Deschambault as one of the toughest races of the season,” Goerke said. “I had to fight for every inch of ground with Brett and Colt, who have no intention of just handing me a win anymore than I do when I’m chasing them. The lappers obviously played a key role in both moto finishes. But that’s part and parcel of motocross and it’s something you know you have to deal with.”
Meanwhile, Kiniry got fairly decent starts in both motos; both times inside the top 10. In the first moto, he found himself around eighth place, which he parlayed into sixth by the halfway point on the physically and technically demanding Deschambault track. In moto two, he dove into turn one in sixth place and held that position until the end.
“I didn’t quite get the starts I wanted and was off the pace with the guys I should have been. But I took it for what it was and focused on clicking off some decent laps and not lose position or take myself out and try to catch back up to where I was. It’s really about the points now and with six motos left there’s still quite a few to be collected,” Kiniry said.
In MX2 action, defending champ Kaven Benoit nailed the first moto holeshot to lead the race wire to wire. Shawn Maffenbeier started around eighth place but quickly piloted his YZ250 into the top five. By lap six he was holding down fourth and stayed there until the closing laps, when a relentless Dylan Wright managed to stick a pass on him. In a bid to repass him, Maffenbeier went down but recovered within seconds to not lose anymore positions, crossing the finish line in fifth.
Benoit snared the second moto holeshot in front of a home province crowd, followed by Jesse Pettis, Brad Nauditt, and Maffenbeier. Maffenbeier, intent on redeeming himself, wasted no time sticking a pass on Nauditt and Pettis to install himself in second place by the end of the first lap. With Benoit already enjoying a hefty lead, Maffenbeier pinned the throttle, to which Benoit replied in kind. Maffenbeier would hold down second and was never threatened for position by third running Jeremy Medaglia. The frenzied pace he and Benoit were hammering down saw Maffenbeier gap Medaglia by some 15 seconds, a cushion he enjoyed from about the halfway point of the moto till the finish line.
“I didn’t ride the greatest in the first moto, just kind of trying to find my groove, and I made a few mistakes that ended up costing me a top three finish. I knew I had to correct that situation in the second moto and I was able to do that and salvage a second overall out of the deal,” Maffenbeier said.
Overall Results – Round 7
MX1
1. Matt Goerke (Yam) 2-1
2. Brett Metcalfe (Kaw) 3-2
3. Colton Facciotti (Honda) 1-5
4. Cole Thompson (KTM) 4-3
5. Tyler Medaglia (Husq) 5-4
6. Bobby Kiniry (Yam) 6-6
7. Tim Tremblay (Yam) 9-7
8. Kyle Swanson (Yam) 8-8
9. Kyle Keast (Hon) 10-11
10. Dylan Schmoke (KTM) 14-9
MX2
1. Kaven Benoit (KTM) 1-1
2. Shawn Maffenbeier (Yam) 5-2
3. Blake Savage (Yam) 3-4
4 Jimmy Decotis (Yam) 2-6
5. Dylan Wright (Yam) 4-5
6. Jesse Pettis (Yam) 8-7
7. Brad Nauditt (Yam) 7-9
8. Cole Martinez (Kaw) 6-12
9. Liam O’Farrell (KTM) 9-10
10. Dustin Creson (Yam) 10-14
MX1 points after 7 of 10 rounds
1. Matt Goerke 378 pts
2. Brett Metcalfe 356
3. Colton Facciotti 349
4. Cole Thompson 312
5. Tyler Medaglia 303
6. Bobby Kiniry 269
7. Cade Clason 227
8. Kyle Keast 222
9. Teddy Maier 209
10. Dylan Schmoke 176
MX2 points after 7 of 10 rounds
1. Kaven Benoit 397
2. Jimmy Decotis 334
3. Jeremy Medaglia 318
4. Shawn Maffenbeier 280
5. Blake Savage 277
6. Dylan Wright 271
7. Morgan Burger 241
8. Brad Nauditt 227
9. Jesse Pettis 198
10. Dustin Creson 170