This weekend the Rockstar Energy Jetwerx MX Tour series was off to Matthes’ home province of Manitoba, for an all new round, at the McNabb Valley race track, near Brandon.
I’m not even going to comment on Maffenbeier’s new butt patch
The 250 pack blasts into the first turn
Jess Pettis tries to scrub under Dylan Wright while pulling a tear off. I’m not trying that.
Rough day for Josh Osby. He blew up an engine in practice and then had shifting issues with the replacement engine in moto one. A DNF-5 is not helping his championship hopes.
Despite a DNF last weekend, Jess Pettis has been the man to beat so far in the 250 class. He parlayed 1-2 moto finishes into his third overall win in the first four rounds and he’s only four points out of the championship lead as the series moves into the East.
Illinois’ Chad Saultz finished 11th overall
Joey Crown led laps in the first moto but would end the day with 5-3 finishes for 3rd overall.
Shawn Maffenbeier struggled to hold the lead pace in the first moto, finishing third, but came back to take the win in moto two and second overall.
Heartbreak for last week’s 250 winner, Dylan Wright, who suffered a mechanical in moto two while running second. It’s the 3rd DNF in 4 rounds for Wright and he’s got to be hoping the GDR Honda team can get things sorted out for the Eastern swing of the series.
Despite his DNF last week, Pettis is still in this championship fight.
To the surprise of no one, Mike Alessi grabs a hole shot in the 450 class.
Cade Clason finished 8-7 for 8th overall.
Cheyenne Harmon was looking loose in practice. The Texas native finished 11th overall.
Not sure what happened to the Colton Facciotti that dominated the first two rounds but he’s looked pretty off the last two weeks. He would go 5-4 for 4th and barely clings to his red plate going into the break, leaving McNabb tied in points with Matt Goerke.
Matt Goerke is always going to be on the podium and don’t look now but the 3-time and defending champion has moved into a tie with Facciotti for the points lead with his 3rd place finish at McNabb Valley.
The age less Mike Brown was back for his second Canadian National of the season and continues to beat kids who were born after he started racing Pro. He finished 9th overall.
Good racing in the second 450 moto as Mike Alessi held the early lead with the KTM duo of Kaven Benoit(26) and Cole Thompson(16) trying to get by.
We’re still waiting to see the return of the Dillan Epstein that won motos last year. The California native finished 6th overall on the day.Cole Thompson charged hard both motos and stuck a pass in for the lead on his teammate, Benoit, in the second moto before tipping over. He grabbed second overall with 3-2 moto finishes.
Proving that last week’s muddy conditions weren’t the reason for his win, Kaven Benoit, pulled off a clean sweep 1-1 finish on the day to signal that the two-time 250 Champion is fully healed from his off season injuries. It could be scary for the rest of the 450 field if Benoit continues to gain confidence as the series moves into his favoured sand tracks out east.
Tyler Medaglia had a great first moto, keeping Benoit in sight for most of the moto on his way to second. A crash in moto two left him fighting to come back to 15th.
Photo Gallery – McNabb Valley Canadian National