Round 8 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan, held on Sunday at Riverglade MX Park in Moncton, NB, saw Matt Goerke and Shawn Maffenbeier record third overall in MX1 and MX2 respectively. It was Goerke’s fifth consecutive weekend on the box while Maffenbeier has chalked up three.
Team Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Goerke, with 5-1 moto results and Maffenbeier with 2-3, strengthened their hold on their standings in the points chase. Goerke, at the top of the MX1 scoreboard, continues to inch away from second place while Maffenbeier, fourth in MX2, increased his gap on fifth in the standings.
For Goerke, Round 8 further underscored his true grit and never-say-die attitude. In the first MX1 moto, the Florida native torpedoed his way into the holeshot only to have his chain derail coming down hard off a jump a few turns later. By the time he managed to guide the chain back over the sprockets, he was facing a dead last catch-up race.
On the hardpack, super-fast Riverglade MX Park track, Goerke more than had his work cut for him. But with the championship at stake, he put down his head and pinned the throttle of his YZ450F like there was no tomorrow. By the halfway point of the moto he had picked off rider after rider to take over 10th place; by the end of the moto he was in fifth.
The second moto holeshot was claimed by Colton Facciotti, winner of moto one. The defending champion was followed closely by Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry, Goerke, Cole Thompson and Brett Metcalfe. Fast starter Kiniry went down on the first lap while trying to stick a pass on Facciotti and remounted in 28th place.
Goerke, eager to contain the first moto damage, held Facciotti to within a one-second lead and on lap three he attacked for a pass. Although Facciotti, looking for his first overall win of the season kept Goerke to within two to three bike lengths, he was unable to reclaim the lead. Goerke stayed on the gas to cross the finish line with about two seconds on Facciotti, who snared the overall on the strength of his 1-2 motos.
“Luckily I was able to get the chain back on in the first moto on my own, because I was too far away from the mechanics’ area. It was all pretty nerve racking, but we need to look at the bright side that I didn’t DNF and still finished fifth,” Goerke said. “I was able to turn what could have been a bad day into a good day with the second moto win. That was bonus. I couldn’t have done it without my whole team, to which I extend my full gratitude. My bike was absolutely awesome.”
British Columbia native Facciotti managed to take over second place in the points chase, after a first moto DNF by Brett Metcalfe. Going into Round 9, Goerke enjoys a 23 points lead over Facciotti and 52 over Metcalfe, whose DNF put a major dent in his chance to still have a say in the championship.
Goerke’s MX1 teammate, Kiniry, despite top starts in both motos, endured a less auspicious day. The New York native crashed hard in the first moto and was unable to rejoin the race. He recovered from a second moto bobble to claw his way from a 28th place remount to finish 15th. Kiniry retains his sixth place on the points scoreboard, however, enjoying a 10 points gap over seventh place.
“My bike was right on but Moncton was still not a good race for me. I think I was just too eager to finish top five and paid the price by making silly mistakes. The good news is that I still have a pretty solid hold on sixth place in the points,” Kiniry said.
In the MX2 title hunt Shawn Maffenbeier stepped up to the plate with both moto holeshots aboard his potent YZ250. In the first moto, Maffenbeier lost the lead to Cole Martinez a few corners into the race but reclaimed it by the end of lap two. Defending champ Kaven Benoit capitalized on an error by Maffenbeier to take the lead on lap four.
Although Maffenbeier kept Benoit in his crosshairs, the Saskatchewan native was unable to challenge the Quebecer for a pass, settling for second at the finish line. Jeremy Medaglia hounded Maffenbeier in the closing laps but came up short to make a challenge for runner-up position.
With the second moto holeshot also to his credit, Maffenbeier claimed the Royal Distributing Holeshot Award, adding the icing to an already excellent payday. But as in the second moto, Benoit, who has been unbeatable since Round 5, stuck a pass on Maffenbeier. Blake Savage also whipped by Maffenbeier, who went wide after turn one.
By lap three Maffenbeier repassed Savage but by this time Benoit had a seven-second lead going for him. Just before the halfway point of the moto, a pesky Medaglia came calling again and this time managed to displace Maffenbeier from second place. For the rest of the moto Maffenbeier hounded Medaglia, challenging him for position on a number of occasions. Medaglia prevailed, however, crossing the finish line just a split second ahead of Maffenbeier.
“The racing was definitely intense for a second place finish with Jeremy. We both made a few mistakes that kept him from passing me in the first moto but allowed him to get me in the second moto,” Maffenbeier said. “The only way to repass him on the Riverglade track was through a risky manoeuvre that could have taken either one of us or both of us out. I didn’t want to put my podium in jeopardy so I kept that front and centre in my mind.”
Overall Results – Round 8
MX1
1. Colton Facciotti (Honda) 1-2
2. Cole Thompson (KTM) 2-3
3. Matt Goerke (Yam) 5-1
4. Tyler Medaglia (Husq) 3-4
5. Cade Clason (KTM) 4-6
6. Davey Fraser (Kaw) 6-9
7. Kyle Swanson (Yam) 8-8
8. Drew Roberts (KTM) 10-10
9. Shawn Robinson (KTM) 7-14
10. Kyle Keast (Hon) 17-7
22. Bobby Kiniry (Yam) DNF-15
MX2
1. Kaven Benoit (KTM) 1-1
2. Jeremy Medaglia (Hon) 3-2
3. Shawn Maffenbeier (Yam) 2-3
4. Cole Martinez (Kaw) 4-5
5. Jimmy Decotis (Yam) 8-4
6. Brad Nauditt (Yam) 7-6
7. Jesse Pettis (Yam) 10-7
8. Marcus Nilsen (Husq) 11-8
9. Nathan Bless (KTM) 9-10
10. Dustin Creson (Yam) 12-9
MX1 points after 8 of 10 rounds
1. Matt Goerke 429 pts
2. Colton Facciotti 406
3. Brett Metcalfe 377
4. Cole Thompson 364
5. Tyler Medaglia 351
6. Bobby Kiniry 280
7. Cade Clason 270
8. Kyle Keast 250
9. Teddy Maier 209
10. Dylan Schmoke 201
MX2 points after 8 of 10 rounds
1. Kaven Benoit 457 pts
2. Jimmy Decotis 375
3. Jeremy Medaglia 370
4. Shawn Maffenbeier 332
5. Blake Savage 307
6. Dylan Wright 271
7. Brad Nauditt 266
8. Morgan Burger 265
9. Jesse Pettis 233
10. Dustin Creson 201