With 2-1 motos, team Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Matt Goerke prevailed to take the MX1 overall at Round 3 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals on Sunday at Wild Rose MX Park in Calgary, AB. His teammate Tim Tremblay took home a noteworthy top ten overall finish, recording eighth on the strength of 8-7 results.
Another weekend of perfect racing conditions—both track and weather—assured top-flight action that saw the title contenders put themselves and their bikes through the paces as the western leg of the championship starts winding down. Blue skies and a high that reached a comfortable 21°C (70°F) furthermore attracted a record crowd to the spectacular supercross style inner city track.
With his first overall and second moto win of the season, Goerke effectively took over the points lead from Christophe Pourcel while Tremblay migrated from 12th on the scoreboard to tenth. Going into Calgary Goerke was in second place, down seven points; leaving Calgary he turned the tables on Pourcel to now hold a seven-point lead over the Frenchman.
Goerke started the day off on solid footing when he nailed a second place start behind Dillan Epstein in moto one. Action up front was fast and furious, with the top six riders that included Mike Alessi, Tyler Medaglia, Colton Facciotti and Pourcel, never separated by more than a few seconds. Goerke lost one position on lap two—due to a bobble—but quickly regrouped to latch on to second place again. He then set out to chase down Epstein, who had close to a five second lead by this time.
Although Goerke, heavy on the throttle of his potent YZ450F, came to within a split second of Epstein in the closing laps of the moto, he was unable to set up a successful pass on the Thousand Oaks, CA resident. Pourcel followed Goerke across the finish line in third, with Facciotti in fourth and Alessi in fifth.
Tremblay also got a favourable start that had him rocket around the track in sixth place on lap one. The Quebecer was relegated to seventh for a few laps before losing one more position. Once there he held down eighth place till the finish line.
The start of moto two had Goerke in fourth place, going into the first turn, with Tremblay two positions behind him. A strong start by Epstein, which saw him pin the holeshot, put him at the head of the pack where he held court for the next ten of 16 laps.
As in moto one the racing sizzled as the top five banged handlebars for position, with Goerke in the mix clawing his way into second place around the halfway point. He only resided there for a few laps, though, before quickly reeling in Epstein on lap ten and laying on the pressure. A bobble by Epstein on the same lap, that dropped him back to fourth place, paved the way for Goerke take over the lead.
Facciotti, who had also been on the move, after a seventh place start, came to within half a second of Goerke on lap 11. Despite setting up a number of attacks to overtake Goerke, Facciotti was unable to complete the task and would take satisfaction with second place. Medaglia, who along with Facciotti also cashed in on Epstein’s error, completed the podium in third. Epstein and Alessi sealed the top five with fourth and fifth respectively.
“It was great to be on the podium this weekend with the overall win. Everything came together nicely. I felt great on my YZ450F, which ran amazing. Thanks to everybody on the team and sponsors for their contribution to putting me in the winner’s circle,” Goerke said.
For Tremblay, the second moto was nearly a rerun of the first. He dropped back two positions to eighth—after his sixth place start—to then quickly move ahead one spot into seventh place, where he ran a lonely race all the way to the finish line.
“I had a good, consistent two motos in Calgary and feeling better and better every weekend with the progress I’m making. I can’t thank the team enough for their great effort and thanks also to all our sponsors for their support. Our bikes are working great. A shout out to my teammate who killed it this weekend with his first place overall,” Tremblay noted.
For Steve Simms, the weekend was extra sweet, getting his first overall win with Matt Goerke as Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s new team manager, and seeing Tim Tremblay ride the wheels of his bike to race in the top ten where he belongs.
“The team has been working hard and today showed the hard work everyone has put in. Tim had a great day and his best so far with eighth overall and then Matt battled hard in both motos to come away with first overall,” Simms said. “We would like thank everyone on the team, Chris, Andre, Renee, Monique, Scott, Todd, Steve, Jim, Keith, Tim and Matt and give an extra thanks to these sponsors, Factory Connection, Motion Pro, and Fly.”
The Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals resume for Round 4 of the series on Sunday, June 25th at Moto Valley Raceway in Regina, SK.
MX1 Overall Results: Round 3
| Position | Rider | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Goerke (Yam) | 2-1 |
| 2 | Dillan Epstein (Kaw) | 1-4 |
| 3 | Colton Facciotti (Hon) | 4-2 |
| 4 | Tyler Medaglia (Hon) | 6-3 |
| 5 | Christophe Pourcel (Husq) | 3-8 |
| 6 | Mike Alessi (Kaw) | 5-4 |
| 7 | Kyle Chisholm (Hon) | 7-6 |
| 8 | Tim Tremblay (Yam) | 8-7 |
| 9 | Cade Clason (KTM) | 9-10 |
| 10 | Scott Champion (Kaw) | 11-9 |
MX1 points after 3 of 10 Rounds
| Position | Rider | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Goerke (USA) | 162 |
| 2 | Christophe Pourcel (FR) | 155 |
| 3 | Dillan Epstein (USA) | 150 |
| 4 | Colton Facciotti (CAN) | 146 |
| 5 | Tyler Medaglia (CAN) | 134 |
| 6 | Mike Alessi (USA) | 122 |
| 7 | Kyle Chisholm (USA) | 114 |
| 8 | Cade Clason (USA) | 98 |
| 9 | Scott Champion (USA) | 88 |
| 10 | Tim Tremblay (CAN) | 87 |
About Rockstar: Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles – from Athletes to Rockstars. Available in over 25 flavours at convenience and grocery outlets in over 30 countries, Rockstar supports the Rockstar lifestyle across the globe through Action Sports, Motor Sports, and Live Music.
For more information visit: www.RockstarEnergy.com
Find us at: www.RockstarEnergy.ca ~ http://www.mxnationals.ca www.facebook.com/RockstarCanada ~ http://www.YouTube.com/Rockstar
www.instagram.com/RockstarEnergyCanada ~ www.Twitter.com/RockstarEnergy
You are receiving this Rockstar Energy Drink/OTSFF/Yamaha press release because you have requested receipt, are on a general motorcycle industry mailing list or because your email address was forwarded to us by a friend or colleague. If you do not wish to receive Rockstar Energy Drink/OTSFF/Yamaha press releases in the future, please advise us at any time by replying to this email with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject box. We apologize if we have inconvenienced you.