McThoughts|Deschambault National|MX1 Class
By Jeff McConkey
Photos by Billy Rainford
The second-to-last round was a good one. Early on, it looked like it was going to be Mike Alessi‘s day as he threw down a heater in qualifying that was a full second faster than anyone. Unfortunately, Mike had a fuel pump issue in moto 1, then proceeded to hit the dirt hard twice in moto 2. Davi Millsaps was great, as always, but the day belonged to teammate Kaven Benoit. The racing was actually really good all over the track and the fans were treated to a first, when Benoit collected his first MX1 moto win and overall win. Let’s take a look at the top 10 and my thoughts:
MX1 Podium: Kaven Benoit, Davi Millsaps, Matt Goerke.
1st Kaven Benoit (2-1): Where do I start? Well, I did call Benoit to win one moto this weekend. No, I don’t want the credit, I’ve just seen first-hand how great this guy has got in his first 450 season. He’s a smart racer with great speed, fitness and style. He jumped into the deep end of the pool with the most stacked MX1 class that we have ever had. He didn’t just fit in, he has taken over as our best Canadian.
#11 Kaven Benoit.
2nd Davi Millsaps (1-3): This guy is a class act. He could have come to Canada and kept to himself and been pissed about not lining up in the States. Not Davi, he’s been one of the nicest guys all season long and has time for everyone. He’s also been one of the best sports on the podium with his fellow racers. And, oh yeah…he once again hauled ass on the track and was able put his KTM just about anywhere he wanted.
#118 Davi Millsaps.
3rd Matt Goerke (4-2): Goerke went down yet again in the first moto and rode his ass off to make it back to 4th. In moto 2, he got a good start and had a great ride. Benoit was plus 11 seconds late in the moto, and Goerke never let up and pushed hard until the checkers. This guy doesn’t know the expression ‘giving up.’ I really hope the Rockstar team can bring him back for 2017.
#1 Matt Goerke.
4th Cade Clason (5-4): Great weekend for Cade. He went down hard in practice, but didn’t let it slow him. His starts have been way better and he’s been looking really comfortable on the orange bike. He’s a little hard on himself, but he’s got to remember that he’s the youngest guy in the top group by quite a few years.
#6 Cade Clason|Jeff McConkey photo
5th Tim Tremblay (7-5): I wasn’t surprised to see Tim do this well. This guy is so talented. Imagine if moto was his main focus. It was a little surprising to see Tim running a 32 rear tire instead of the scoop like everyone else.
#57 Tim Tremblay.
6th Tyler Medaglia (6-6): Tyler went down in the 1st corner of moto 2. He then proceeded to put on an amazing ride. He had reeled Clason in on the last lap, and then disaster struck. Tyler had one of the worst crashes of his career. This guy is so tough, he picked himself up and finished the last lap with one arm and still finished 6th. When I spoke to him at the end of the day, he could barely stand up and looked like he was going to pass out from the pain. He will be lining up at RJ’s. Yup, he’s got that much heart.
#5 Tyler Medaglia.
7th Kyle Swanson (8-7): Swanson mentioned he gets a little tight when he’s up in a good position late in the motos. No, he’s not nervous about being in the top 10, it’s that he’s thinking about the money he needs to get to the next round. Let’s hope Kyle can hang it out at RJ’s and show us why he got a 6th at Walton last year.
#21 Kyle Swanson.
8th Joey Peters (9-8): Two good rides for Peters, who runs his clutch lever in the upright position. I used to think Shawn Robinson ran his the highest, but Peters takes the honour.
#535 Joey Peters.
9th Keylan Meston (10-10): Meston had 2 solid rides on his way to another top 10. This guy has really upped his game and will be rocking a nice single digit next season. He works hard and doesn’t give up, can’t ask for much more.
#28 Keylan Meston.
10th Morgan Burger (15-9): Not so great first moto for Morgan, but he fought back in moto 2. He’s back in the top 10 where he belongs, and still has one of the sweetest styles going.
#19 Morgan Burger.
Biggest Stud: Kaven Benoit is my stud. He’s been great all season long, and the sky is the limit for this guy. It’s safe to say that he will be a multi-time MX1 champion before he is done.
Biggest Dud: The Deschambault track claimed a lot of the top guys in the 2nd moto. I hope everyone heals up quick, as there were some nasty crashes.
Biggest Surprise: Again, I was shocked with all of the carnage in the last moto. The top guys were going down hard everywhere.
Thanks for reading, see you at Round 10.
