Round 7 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, which was held at Pleasant Valley Raceway in Truro, Nova Scotia, was like the previous rounds in Ontario and Quebec run in hot humid weather with the thermometer peaking at 28°C. Fortunately, although threatening clouds did roll in, the event was spared the rain and thunderstorms that were forecasted to hit the area early in the afternoon.
Pleasant Valley – a fast and technical track with loamy soil – attracted riders from across Canada and the USA, with a huge crowd in attendance to cheer on local hero Tyler Medaglia. For Team Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Matt Goerke and Brett Metcalfe, it was business as usual, racing the wheels off of their YZ450Fs for podium positions in their bid to stay in the hunt for the 2016 MX1 Championship.
The start of the first moto looked promising for the teammates, especially Metcalfe, who deftly nailed the holeshot; his fourth of the season. Goerke was a bit farther back, rounding turn one in fifth place. By the end of the lap, however, Metcalfe had to bow to points leader Davi Millsaps and would stay in second place till the checkered flag.
Goerke had moved into fourth by the time the freight train had completed lap 1, trading that position for third on lap 8 just before the halfway mark of the moto. From that point on, nothing changed as far as the podium positions were concerned. Millsaps, Metcalfe and Goerke ran their own race on a track that got rougher as the clock ticked away.
Neither Metcalfe nor Goerke were able to challenge for positions and settled into a groove, assured of adding to their points total. Goerke finished well back from Metcalfe while maintaining a sizeable gap on fourth place Tyler Medaglia.
In the second moto Metcalfe got a second place start behind Millsaps, with Goerke getting bogged down mid-pack, after a hard crash by Colton Facciotti and Mike Alessi. Goerke was faced with a catch-up race from 27th place, which within a few laps he had already turned into an amazing 10th place, slicing through the pack like a man possessed.
While Metcalfe was busy cementing second place, putting a lot of real estate between himself and third running Medaglia, Goerke stayed on the gas to pick off rider after rider and claw his way forward. With the high speeds being laid down by the top-10, this proved to be tall order. Undaunted, the Florida native systematically worked his way into fifth by the halfway mark of the moto. It took him another six laps to dispose of Kaven Benoit and take over fourth place. Although he started reeling in Medaglia, time was quickly running out and when the checkered flag signalled the end of the race, Goerke had to take satisfaction with fourth, which earned him a noteworthy fourth overall on the day.
“After getting held up in the first turn in moto two, I knew I had to finish third, if I was going to grab third overall on the day. One or two more laps would have done it, as I was connecting with Tyler. My bike performed beautifully and the speed was there, but it just wasn’t in the cards for me to get by him,” Goerke said.
Metcalfe, meanwhile, stayed the course to finish in second place, snaring second overall on the day. It was his third consecutive runner-up finish of the season. His efforts also saw him bump Goerke from second place in the points standings, albeit by a slim margin of just two points.
“I have to admit that Davi was superior today. He set a blistering pace that would have taken a lot of big risks for me to match so I decided it was in my best interest to focus on finishing second and make sure I got as many points as I could. With three rounds left, anything is still possible as far as the championship goes. I’m still looking for an overall win and that is my aim right now,” Metcalfe said.
The Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals continue on Sunday, July 31, 2016 at Riverglade MX Park in Moncton, New Brunswick.
MX1 Overall Results: Round 7 – Truro, NS
1. Davi Millsaps (KTM) 1-1
2. Brett Metcalfe (Yamaha) 2-2
3.Tyler Medaglia (Husqvarna) 4-3
4. Matt Goerke (Yamaha) 3-4
5. Kaven Benoit (KTM) 5-5
6. Cade Clason (KTM) 6-6
7. Mike Alessi (Kawasaki) 8-7
8. Keylan Meston (Yamaha) 10-8
9. Morgan Burger (Yamaha) 11-11
10.Shawn Robinson (KTM) 15-9
MX1 Points Standing After 7 of 10 Rounds
1. Davi Millsaps 379 pts
2. Brett Metcalfe 344 (-35)
3. Matt Goerke 342 (-37)
4.Mike Alessi 318
5.Colton Facciotti 297
6. Kaven Benoit 267
7. Cade Clason 262
8. Tyler Medaglia 259
9. Keylan Meston 214
10. Morgan Burger 213