Team Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha did excellent business at Round 6 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals which were held near the nation’s capital in Richmond, ON this past Sunday.
Despite the dripping humidity and a high of 30°C, which proved to be the bane of many competitors, all three of the team’s riders were able to produce results which saw Matt Goerke claim second overall in MX1; Shawn Maffenbeier second overall in MX2; and Bobby Kiniry sixth overall in MX1, although the New York native had a bit more difficulty coping with the weather due to a stomach ailment.
Both Kiniry and Maffenbeier managed to move up a notch on the current points scoreboard while Goerke, who again recorded the fastest qualifying time aboard his explosive YZ450F, retained a firm grip on the MX1 points lead.
In MX1 action, defending champion Colton Facciotti snared the first moto holeshot, which sent him on his way to his first moto win of the season. Following Facciotti closely into turn one was fast starter Bobby Kiniry, Cade Clason, and Goerke. By the end of the second lap Goerke had stuck a pass on Clason; four laps later Kiniry succumbed to his teammate to eventually end up finishing seventh.
Although he pinned the throttle to put a dent in Facciotti’s humongous lead, Goerke decided to race smart, conserve energy for moto two, and settled for second place. The Florida native built up enough of a gap on third place Brett Metcalfe to never be challenged for position by the Australian.
Facciotti led the pack for the first half of moto two but he was unable to put a ride together that would see him claim another win. Metcalfe, who started in second place, took over the reins at the halfway point and never looked back.
The battle for a top three finish proved to be intense for most of the moto, which saw Goerke, who had started in fifth, slice and dice his way into second place not long after Metcalfe took over the lead from Facciotti. Goerke was able to reel in Metcalfe, reducing his lead to under two seconds, but was unable to stick a pass on him before the checkered flag signaled the end of the moto. Despite Metcalfe’s moto win, Goerke lost only one point to him on the current title hunt scoreboard, still retaining a 17 points margin on his archrival in the series.
“My starts weren’t that great this weekend and it was hard making up time on the frontrunners on what was mostly a one-line track. I pushed hard to get into the top three so I could at least safeguard my points lead as much as possible and fortunately I was able to do that,” Goerke said.
Kiniry, meanwhile, started the moto in sixth and would finish in that position despite being hounded by former MX2 champ Teddy Maier, who at one point of the moto stuck a pass on Kiniry. A never say die Kiniry wasn’t happy with that and he reclaimed sixth in the closing laps.
“Considering I didn’t feel 100% and the less than ideal weather racing conditions I was able to salvage the day and score some much needed points. I’m not exactly happy that I didn’t make the podium but there is always the next round,” Kiniry said.
After a tepid 13th overall, based on 6-DNF results at Round 5, Shawn Maffenbeier regrouped nicely at Sand Del Lee in the MX2 class. The Saskatchewan native started the first moto in fourth place, behind holeshooter Kaven Benoit, Jeremy Medaglia, and Dylan Wright. He lost three positions, however, after tangling with Wright a few laps into the race. Maffenbeier managed to claw his way back into the top five, however, to claim fourth by the time the checkered flag was waved.
The second moto start, which was also claimed by Benoit, saw Maffenbeier in second place, a position he would keep until the finish line. Although he was hounded by a relentless Jimmy Decotis early in the moto, Maffenbeier stayed on the gas to build up an 11-second gap on the Massachusetts native by the time the checkered flag announced the end of the race.
“I’m feeling more and more like my old self. It was definitely a great feeling to make the podium again and I owe a lot of that to my YZ250 and Bondi Engines and the team’s staff,” Maffenbeier said.
Overall Results – Round 6
MX1
1. Brett Metcalfe (Kaw) 3-1
2. Matt Goerke (Yam) 2-2
3. Colton Facciotti (Honda) 1-4
4. Cole Thompson (KTM) 5-3
5. Tyler Medaglia (Husq) 4-5
6. Bobby Kiniry (Yam) 7-6
7. Teddy Maier (Kaw) 6-7
8. Kyle Keast (Hon) 10-8
9. Kyle Swanson (Suz) 8-12
10. John Dowd (Kaw) 9-13
MX2
1. Kaven Benoit (KTM) 1-1
2. Shawn Maffenbeier (Yam) 4-2
3. Jeremy Medaglia (Hon) 2-4
4. Dylan Wright (Yam) 3-7
5. Jimmy Decotis (Yam) 12-3
6. Blake Savage (Yam) 7-6
7. Liam O’Farrell (KTM) 5-8
8. Morgan Burger (Yam) 9-5
9. Cole Martinez (Kaw) 6-12
10. Shawn Rife (Kaw) 8-13
MX1 points after 6 of 10 rounds
1. Matt Goerke 321 pts
2. Brett Metcalfe 304
3. Colton Facciotti 298
4. Cole Thompson 264
5. Tyler Medaglia 259
6. Bobby Kiniry 229
MX2 points after 6 of 10 rounds
1 Kaven Benoit 337 pts
2 Jeremy Medaglia 293
3 Jimmy Decotis 287
4 Shawn Maffenbeier 232
5 Blake Savage 229