Nationals heating up
JULY 6, 2007- press release - After a two week break in the schedule, the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals resume this weekend in Calgary, AB for Round 5 of the MX1 Championship and Round 3 of the MX2 West Championship. Without question the ’07 MX1 title hunt is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested series in many a season. It’s been a long time since a Canadian Nationals series can look back at three different winners on the podium in just four races; and that’s exactly what we’ve seen since the points chase got underway in Ste-Julie, QC on May 27th. Actually, had it not been for a DNF it probably would have been four different winners. And what winners they were: American newcomer to the Canadian MX scene, Paul Carpenter, raised eyebrows by claiming Rounds 1 and 2. Next up on the top box of the podium was Nova Scotia’s Mitch Cooke at Round 3 to be followed by BC’s Colt Facciotti at Round 4. Both riders have been scratching the surface of a major breakthrough in Canadian MX for a number of years and it looks like they have arrived. While Team Monster Energy/Cernics/Kawasaki’s Carpenter has a solid lead in the points standings, currently totalling 156 pts, he has five more rounds to go before he can claim the championship title. On his tail, albeit by a 33 points gap, is multi-time MX1 champ Jean Sebastien Roy. Without a doubt the veteran has seen his share of bad luck so far this season, especially the DNF he suffered in the first moto at Round 2. Still, despite some setbacks, the Toyota Yamaha BlackfootDirect.com Fox Racing ace recorded 2nd overall at Round 1 (1-2 motos) and Round 4 (4-2). No matter which was the dice are going to roll Carpenter will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to become the first American to win the Canadian MX1 Championship since Doug Dubach claimed the title in 2000. With a heavyweight like Roy, who is gunning for title No.6, chasing him down, Carpenter can’t afford to make any mistakes. Unless there are some dramatic surprises, and anything is possible, it looks like the ’07 championship will come down to these two riders. Rockstar Suzuki/OTSFF’s Cooke, who has accumulated 114 points so far, is looking at a 42 points deficit between himself and Carpenter; only 9 behind Roy. If he is going to have a say in the championship Cooke will need to start chalking up more consistent finishes. Rounding off the current top-five MX candidates are Royal Distributing Stoneridge KTM’s Marco Dube and Monster Energy/Cernics/Kawasaki’s Jeff Gibson with 104 and 100 points respectively. They will both have to stay on the throttle if they expect to hold down those positions, never mind move up in the rankings. Meanwhile, Toyota Yamaha BlackfootDirect.com Fox Racing’s Facciotti needs to keep riding the way he did at Round 4 if he hopes to have a say in the top-five to top-three at the end of the season. He is currently in 7th place with 81 points. Although it’s never over until it’s over, it looks like Toyota Yamaha BlackfootDirect.com Fox Racing’s is a sure bet to repeat as MX2 West Champion. Had it not been for a penalty at Round 1 of the title hunt, he would have a perfect record with two rounds down. His clean sweep at Round 2 spoke volumes and reflected his dominance of last season. Don't forget to tune into BlackfootDirect.com’s Canadian Motocross Radio each Monday night at 9:00PM EST after the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals with your hosts Marc Travers and Brian Koster. For full details go to: www.canadianmxradio.com