An unleashed Tyler Medaglia claimed his first-ever MX1 Nationals moto win as well as charting the overall for the day at the notorious Gopher Dunes track in Courtland, Ontario on Sunday. The Team Suzuki/Rockstar Energy/OTSFF pilot ploughed his way through the deep and wet sand to card 3rd place in moto one and 1st in moto two.
“I'm totally thrilled with this win. It's been a while in coming but I knew it would come because no matter where I actually finish, I always race for first place,” said Medaglia. “I felt strong all weekend. I got the fastest lap time in practice, and although that doesn't guarantee a win, it gave me an extra boost in confidence.”
Team Monster Energy/Cernics/Kawasaki's Dusty Klatt finished the day in 2nd overall on the strength of 1-3 motos while Honda mounted Kyle Keast claimed 3rd overall based on 2-2 moto results.
Conspicuous by his absence was last week's double-moto winner Colton Facciotti. The Team Toyota/Yamaha/Blackfoot/Fox Racing star decided to call it a day after Saturday's practice. The shoulder injury he sustained in Ste. Julie proved to be worse than first feared; the final diagnosis was a broken collar bone.
“It was just too painful to ride and there was no point aggravating the injury. Hopefully I'll be back in action at Round 3,” said Facciotti.
Team KTM/Royal Distributing/Thor/Riverside MX's Eric Nye had an equally stellar day in the MX 2 title chase climbing to the top of the podium with a double-moto win. Kawasaki privateer Paul Lamb, who came up from New England as a guest rider, nailed down 2nd overall thanks to 2-3 motos while Yamaha's Kyle Beaton nailed down 3rd overall on the strength of 4-2 motos
As per its reputation of being the toughest track in Canada, Gopher Dunes, which received a good drenching during a heavy downpour on Saturday, took no prisoners. With the deep sand wet and heavy all day Sunday, the track got rougher and tougher as each moto unfolded, with many of the top riders struggling just to survive and hang onto the positions they were in.
In the first MX1 moto, Klatt rose to the occasion by claiming the holeshot and never looking back. The former MX2 West and MX1 Champion stayed at the head of the pack right to the checkered flag. Medaglia, who was in 2nd place going into turn one, was passed by Keast, 4th into turn one, on lap four, after Medaglia went down hard. Keast would challenge Klatt on a few occasions, but was unable to pass him. Keast crashed towards the end of the moto losing valuable ground to Klatt. Keast managed to stay in control of 2nd place while Medaglia followed him home across the finish line in 3rd.
Second moto action saw Monster Energy/Cernics/Kawasaki's Jeff Gibson peg the holeshot; he remained in the lead until lap four, when Medaglia, who started in 8th place, shot by him. Klatt, who started 3rd, was passed by Keast, one lap later. They would finish in that order.
Veteran rider and former champ Blair Morgan rode like a man possessed in both motos. Twice the Toyota/Yamaha/Blackfoot/Fox Racing ace succumbed to bad starts, rounding turn one in 18th place in moto one, to slice and dice his way into a 5th place finish behind Yamaha's Simon Homans. In the second moto, Morgan again found himself in 18th position out of the gate, this time soldiering his way into a 5th place finish ahead of Homans.
In the first MX2 moto, Paul Lamb snared the holeshot but his lead was short-lived; Nye took over on lap two and from there he took it to the chequered. Lamb managed to hold onto 2nd place for the remainder of the moto while behind him Team Leading Edge Kawasaki's Nick Evennou battled his way from a 6th place start into 3rd with just four laps remaining. Kyle Beaton, who was 9th in turn one, gradually clawed his way into 4th three laps before the end of moto.
Nye blasted out of the gate to grab the second moto holeshot, only to be passed by Beaton, who nailed a 2nd place start this time, before the end of lap one. Nye didn't like the view, however, and on lap three he was lead dog again, after a crash by Beaton. This time the American stayed in control of the moto right to the bitter end. Lamb, who started in 13th place, had his work cut out for him to connect with the front runners. By the mid-point of the race, however, he took command of 3rd spot, which he took home to the chequered.
Meanwhile, last week's winner, Teddy Maier, couldn't quite find his rhythm in the treacherous Gopher sand, settling for a tepid 19th finish in the first moto, after a back of the pack start. In the second moto, he managed a 9th place start, which he parlayed into 4th by lap three. He was unable to get any farther than that, slipping into 7th two laps later to eventually finish in 5th.
