McThoughts: Deschambault National
By Jeff McConkey
This week’s coverage brought to you by Duroy Racing KTM.
Jeff gives us his McThoughts on round 7 of the Rockstar MX Nationals.
Round 7 was this past weekend at the beautiful Deschambault MX circuit in Quebec. The morning started out with some constant rain, but the track held up, the weather got better and it made for some good racing. Both classes have had some great battles throughout the pack, but in MX2 Kaven Benoit has really stepped up and showed that he is the best in the class. The KTM rider has reeled off 6 straight holeshots, and 6 straight moto wins and has been pretty much perfect on the East. There has been some rumblings on social media that “the 250 2-stroke doesn’t belong,” or “it is not fair.” But guess what people? You can ride the same bike as Benoit, or you can choose to ride the Yamaha 250 2-stroke. News flash: Benoit has won where the 2-stroke was supposed to be a huge disadvantage. He is the best in the class and he would be winning on any bike. Lappers have been a huge issue in both classes all season, and the CMRC has stepped up and started docking riders for not obeying the blue flag. I totally agree with it and hope people start letting the lead pack by.
The MX1 class has been a nail-biter. Going into motos, there has been at least 3-4 riders that could win at anytime. The top guys are really hanging it out and not leaving anything on the table. Just like the 250 class, the lappers have been a huge issue in MX1. The lappers have got to have an idea by now on who’s probably coming and around what lap. Let’s just hope they are quick learners.
Here are the results and my thoughts.
MX2
1st Kaven Benoit (1-1) Kaven was once again perfect. He is just so full of confidence right now, I don’t think he can be beat straight up. His fitness may be the best in the class, and it’s going to take a DNF or 2 for someone to take this title from him.
2nd Shawn Maffenbeier (5-2) Shawn has really caught fire lately. He came into the season with a bad shoulder, and it looks like it’s finally healed. I would still rather see Shawn on a 450, but he’s having a great East Coast.
3rd Blake Savage (3-4) Blake has always had the talent over the last few seasons, but it just hasn’t always gone his way. His fitness looks good, and his speed is just as good as anyone (minus Benoit) in the class. He and his team are working their butts off, and now that they have a taste of the podium it will be hard to keep them off it.
4th Jimmy Decotis (2-6) ‘Jimmy D’ wants to win bad. This guy never lets off the gas and basically holds it pinned everywhere. He is riding great and doesn’t seem to be letting up anywhere. If anyone can win a moto from Benoit before Walton, it may be Jimmy.
5th Dylan Wright (4-5) Dylan is having a really good season. He is still a very young guy, but I think he will be a better 450 rider than 250. I just think it will suit his style better. We will see him on the podium again before the end of the season.
6th Jesse Pettis (8-7) Jess did something that not many have this season – he led Benoit early in moto 2. This is probably the best moto ride I have seen from Pettis since turning Pro. He really looked like he belonged up in that front group. Now that he has a taste of the top group’s speed, I’m sure we will see him edging closer to that group.
7th Brad Nauditt (7-9) Brad has always been one of the best starters in MX2 over the last few years. His starts haven’t been there yet, but he is still learning the Yamaha. He’s trying hard and will figure it out soon and lead some laps.
8th Cole Martinez (6-12) Cole is coming back off of an injury and will take some time to get his fitness back. By Walton, he should be a podium contender. He’s just too good not to be.
9th Liam O’Farrell (9-10) Liam wasn’t too happy with his motos on Sunday. He will miss Moncton and I’m going out on a limb, and I am going to say he will get a great start in Ulverton and run just outside the top 3.
10th Dustin Creson (10-14) Dustin rode well in both motos. I don’t know much about him, but after a year up in Canada I’m betting he could hover around the top 5 next season.
Biggest Stud: Benoit, his bike, his mechanic Jerome Therrien, his team, and his Fox gear are all my studs this week. They are all clicking and there doesn’t look like anything will stop any of them.
Biggest Dud: My dud this week would have to be the continued bad luck following Seth Rarick. Seth is a super-hard-working guy, and it just sucks to not see him be able to show off all of his hard work.
Biggest Surprise: Jess Pettis was my surprise this week. No disrespect to Jess, but I really didn’t expect to see him stay up front for as long as he did. I think he can build from his moto 2 results and keep moving forward.
MX1
1st Matt Goerke (2-1) Goerke is getting it done each and every weekend. He probably should have gone 1-1, but a damn lapper messed him up. He’s going to be really hard to beat from here on out.
2nd Brett Metcalfe (3-2) Brett is riding his butt off, and riding great. I think with a little better starts he could win these motos straight up. He will be there right until the final moto at Walton.
3rd Colton Facciotti (1-5) Colton had a great ride in moto 1. After falling, I thought it was all over, but he never gave up and stole the win. In moto 2, I don’t think he would have kept the lead even if he didn’t go down. Either way, he is really riding great lately.
4th Cole Thompson (4-3) Cole was up front early, and he pumped up a little bit and dropped off. I think we should see the old Cole back at Riverglade this weekend.
5th Tyler Medaglia (5-4) Tyler’s speed was just a tad off of the top 4. He ended up slamming into the bridge in moto 1 after tangling with Thompson, and looked to have hurt his arm. Look for a fired up ‘T-Dags’ at his hometown race this weekend.
6th Bobby Kiniry (6-6) Bobby was pretty solid all weekend long. He basically had to ride alone all second moto as his usual battling partner Teddy Maier was out with a broken wrist. (Heal up quick, Teddy). Bobby is just a tad off the top 5’s speed, but just ahead of the rest, so it looks like he will be riding all alone unless somebody really steps up.
7th Tim Tremblay (9-7) ‘Mr. Snocross,’ Tim Tremblay showed up on a 450 and looked fantastic from the get-go. I understand why Tim doesn’t chance it and race the whole series, but with some more seat time I believe he could do even better in the standings.
8th Kyle Swanson (8-8) Kyle looked like he had been riding his Devils Lake Yamaha all season long. This guy and the team busted their asses all week and they got a great result. I think Swanson looks way better on the 450 and should ride it for the whole series next year.
9th Kyle Keast (10-11) Keast gets awful starts and works hard all moto long and moves forward. Unfortunately, I think with a good start, he would end up around the same place.
10th Dylan Schmoke (14-9) If only Dylan could get a start. I think if he could start with the leaders he may be able to hang around Kiniry for a bit. Let’s hope he gets a start before season’s end.
Biggest Stud: My stud this week is Kyle Swanson and the entire Devils Lake Yamaha Team. With very limited time, they went out and worked hard and got a great result.
Biggest Dud: The lappers in the 450 class are once again my Duds. They cost Goerke a win in moto 1 and need to learn to get out of the way!
Biggest Surprise: I’m a little surprised with the rider turnout for the 450 class. I expected it to be better. I’m kind of worried to see the numbers we get in Moncton. I bet we will have a few double-classers.
Thanks for reading, and we will see you at Riverglade!
