Presented by KTM Canada and the 2021 range of MX bikes.
The 2020 Rockstar Triple Crown Tour SX Series came to an end this past Saturday at Gopher Dunes. But before we get to the overall finishes and standings in the Triple Crown Tour, let’s take a closer look at the 4th and final round.
250 Class
#19 Marshal Weltin had yet to lose an overall in the 4-round series, but the battle for 2nd place in the series was tight, as #46 Marco Cannella and #18 Tanner Ward were tied in points. Let’s take a closer look:
11. #223 Austin Jones ON YAM 10-11
I was sure Kevin Tyler told me #223 Austin Jones wasn’t racing due to a wrist injury, but there he was on the track, finishing 10-11 for 11th overall. This Supercross experience will pay off in the future for the young MX101 support rider.
10. #295 Keenan Peterson ON HON 11-8
I always forget Keenan Peterson is still such a young Pro. He ended up riding on his own but he’s got the potential to keep getting better, so it will be cool to watch his progress the next few years.
9. #118 Chris DaSilva QC YAM 7-9
#118 Chris DaSilva snagged a nice 5th in the 2nd Main on Friday. He belongs fighting for those higher positions, but getting through the first corner near the front is key. He dug himself a hole on Saturday by not getting good starts.
8. #66 Jamie Powell ON YAM 8-6
Again, experience on a SX track is what this series was about for Jamie Powell. He looked pretty good in the 2nd Main on Saturday and placed a solid 6th place.
7. #21 Quinn Amyotte ON KTM 4-10
Quinn lined up on the inside in Main #1 and grabbed a great start. He held on for 4th in that one. He had an incident with Guillaume that boiled over in the 2nd as the two came together pretty hard and dropped them both back.
6. #55 Guillaume St Cyr QC KTM 6-7
Guillaume gets great starts, as you can tell by almost all of my holeshot photos. He loves the tighter tracks in SX and it’s definitely where he belongs. He found the ground a couple times Saturday and it cost him a better result. He did land himself in 3rd overall in the series, so he should be happy with that.
5. #25 Tyler Gibbs BC HON 9-4
Tyler raced a GDR Honda practice bike and got used to it quickly. He was up in a nice battle in the first Main but went down and had to come back from last. He got a great start in Main #2 and held on for a nice 4th. Watch for him out west in the Future West AX series next.
4. #41 Jeremy McKie QC KTM 5-5
Jeremy was lined up near the outside in Main #1 and didn’t get a good start. Getting up to 5th shows he’s got competitive speed. He kept trying to get by Amyotte and went inside off the track after the triple and made the pass. He saw his error and let Quinn by him again. With a good start and a flawless race, he could land on the podium.
3. #77 Casey Keast BC HQV 3-3
Casey was riding on a bad knee and was questionable to even be on the line. He’s got a ton of indoor experience from out west and looked comfortable up in 3rd place after having to make some great passes to get there.
2. #46 Marco Cannella ON YAM 2-2
Marco was all over Weltin in that first Main and even had the lead in a very weird final lap where Marshal appeared to let him by in a corner. He had to pass his way up to 2nd in Main #2 and took 2-2.
1. #19 Marshal Weltin NC KAW 1-1
The results sheets show that he dominated, and he did, but Marco and #18 Tanner Ward gave him a challenge. As I mentioned, he let Marco by only to pass him back on the final lap of Main #1. He was unchallenged in the 2nd for the sweep.250 Round 4 podium: Marshal Weltin, Marco Cannella, Casey Keast.
#16 Cole Thompson headed into this one with a lead in the points over #2 Matt Goerke. This was to be Matt’s final race of his career, so both riders had a reason to go for it, and go for it they did!
11. #243 Eric Schildt ON YAM 10-11
#243 Eric Schildt was one of the many riders riding in some pain. He has a very sore ankle and was just happy to be out there racing.He swapped places at the back of the pack for 10-11 scores.
10. #170 Damon Luksys ON YAM 11-10
Damon is out there throwing down getting some SX experience. He traded places with Eric in the Mains and finished 10th with 11-10 races.
9. #57 Dario Zecca ON HON 9-9
Dario worked hard to get a couple of the trickier sections sorted out. He ended up on his own and sort of got caught in the middle of the Thompson/Goerke situation.
8. #83 Tommy Dallaire QC YAM 8-8
Tommy also ended up on his own out there. He always looks in control and maybe letting loose is what’s needed to take the next step in the results. That sure is easy to say sitting at my laptop…
7. #43 Ryan Derry ON HON 7-7
I’m going to use “best of the rest” here and I don’t want anyone to think that’s a slight on Ryan’s racing. He made more improvements than anyone during the SX series and he should be proud of how he rode. He finished 7-7 which is where I think he’d finish no matter what kind of start he got in this field.
6. #208 Logan Leitzel PA YAM 6-6
Logan is another rider who I think finished right where he should have. He was in a nice battle with Maffenbeier in the first Main and ended up going 6-6 for 6th. Let’s see what this young Pennsylvania rider does next.
5. #10 Keylan Meston AB HQV 4-5
I think Keylan ended up getting through the whoops faster than anyone but Goerke on Saturday. He got good starts and was in some good battles with Maff and Josh Cartwright. I feel like Keylan managed to improve this season, which is saying a lot for a rider who has been around for a while.
4. #3 Shawn Maffenbeier BC YAM 5-4
Shawn looked more comfortable each time he got on the track. He hit the ground a couple times (like almost everyone else) and always seemed to find either Keylan or Logan in his races.
3. #26 Josh Cartwright FLA KAW 3-3
Josh has a ton of SX experience so you had to expect him to do well here. If he’d hung it out just a tiny bit more, he had a chance of staying with the two ahead of him. He’s already back in Tennessee visiting with his parents before heading home to Florida.
2. #16 Cole Thompson ON KTM 1-2
Cole had to be the favourite coming into SX this season, but he was nursing an injury. He excels on the tight tracks and used his experience to take the title. His cat and mouse games with Goerke will go down in Canadian Motocross Folklore. They were close in lap times except Cole’s shoulder wouldn’t allow him to skim the whoops, so all he could do was close in on the rest of the track and then try to take Matt’s line away heading into them. It was entertaining as they swapped wins.
1. #2 Matt Goerke FLA KAW 2-1
This was the final race of Matt’s career so I think almost everyone had a soft spot in their hearts for the old fella. He did what very few have been able to do – win the last race of his career. He should head into retirement content. Matt was on the ground by the whoops in the first moto after the games with Cole and came back to win the second Main as Cole was down and last in turn 1. 450 round 4 podium: Matt Goerke, Cole Thompson, Josh Cartwright.
In the 250 class, Quinn and Guillaume say, “See you at the races…and I will fight you!“In the 450 class, Cole Thompson says, “See you at the races…and that was fun!“
Overall
