McThoughts|Women’s East Nationals|Deschambault Round 3

By Jeff McConkey

Photos by Billy Rainford

Round 3 of the Women’s East MX Nationals had some great battles. Defending champion Eve Brodeur was very dominant and looks as close to perfect as possible. Behind her we had fellow Americans Shannon Fleming and Brittany Gagne fighting over the vacant spot left by Jacqueline Ross. The track looked good, but seem to have many square, sharp edges that kept the girls on their toes. It was nice to see a few new faces on the line which added to the battles throughout the pack. Here are the results and my thoughts:

Deschambault Women’s Podium: Eve Brodeur, Shannon Fleming, Brittany Gagne|Bigwave photo

1st Eve Brodeur (1-1): Two holeshots and 2 moto wins – the perfect season continues for our champion. She told me after the race she has a big secret at RJ’s. I tried hard, but wasn’t tough enough to get it out of her. Eve leads our series with 150 points with 2 motos to go.

#1 Eve Brodeur.

2nd Shannon Fleming (3-2): Shannon tipped over while leading in moto 1 and lost her clutch. She had to work her butt off to make it back to 3rd. In moto 2, Shannon was on the gas and looked great as she kept Brodeur honest all moto long. If Shannon can get the holeshot, she may be the girl to end Brodeur’s perfect season. Shannon is 2nd in points with 120 points.

#68 Shannon Fleming.

3rd Brittany Gagne (2-3): Great first moto for Brittany. In moto 2, she waited too long to get going and the top 2 got away from her. She needs to believe in herself and expect to be up front, and it will happen. Brittany has 112 points and sits 3rd.

#265 Brittany Gagne.

4th Kim Normandin (4-5): I really expected Kim to rip the holeshots on the long start here at Deschambault on the 450. She’s just a little too nice and let up a bit. Kim rode strong, but had a little tip over in moto 2. Kim has 95 points after 3 rounds and sits 4th.

#2 Kim Normandin.

5th Elizabeth Burke (6-6): Liz sat out the first 2 rounds due to injury. With the way she rode today, you’d never know. She was solid both times out and would definitely be in the top 5 with more seat time. After 1 round, she is 15th with 30 points.

#108 Liz Burke.

6th Madi Seguin (5-7): Madi had much better starts and really pushed the entire moto. She was awarded the Gibson Tyres Hard Charger Award for her efforts. This off season she made the switch to the dark side and looks much better on the thumper. She sits 7th in points with 77.

#4 Madi Seguin.

7th Kassie Boone (7-8): Kassie was a little off the pace this weekend. Before the moto, she mentioned that her results aren’t showing it, but she’s having a blast on the 250 2-stroke. She will be much better at RJ’s. Kassie is 5th in points with 86.

#3 Kassie Boone.

8th Vanessa Paquette (9-9): Two great rides for Vanessa. She looked great in both motos and has one of the nicest bike/kit combos in the class. Vanessa is sitting 13th in points with 34.

#54 Vanessa Paquette.

9th Sarah Kim Villeneuve (10-10): I was very impressed with Sarah today. Top 10 is tough, let alone on an 85cc bike. She rode strong all day and now sits 15th with 28 points.

#241 Sarah King Villeneuve.

10th Emilie-Jade Leveilie (8-13): Emilie had 2 solid motos and looked the most comfortable that I have seen her this season. She always has one of the trickest looking bikes in the class and sits 10th in points with 44.

#43 Emilie Jade Leveille.

Biggest Stud: Eve Brodeur is once again my stud. The young champion is just so good at everything. She’s even fun to interview.

Biggest Dud: I thought that we would have more girls at this round. Quebec has the most female riders, but for one reason or another, they chose not to line up.

Only 27 entries at Deschambault is the ‘Biggest Dud’ this week.

Biggest Surprise: Isabelle Thibault continues to impress me each time out. She has great style and really rides the 250 2-stroke very well. She was railing the left-hander rut after the finish line like a beast.