Report by Danny Brault, Photos by Jason T. Griffiths
 

 The fourth round of the CMRC Canadian National Motocross Championships made its way to the Wild Rose MX Park in the city of Calgary over the weekend. A unique fixture on the Canadian circuit, the Wild Rose track is situated in the heart of the city, just a short drive from the Blackfoot Motorsports dealership. A generous crowd lined the Wild Rose track, which received some modifications from Tracks by Chic, and the weather cooperated all weekend (it looks like the new schedule has been working out so far ...).

Honda Canada's Dusty Klatt once again swept both MX1 motos in Calgary. Klatt now has six of eight moto wins in the first four races and sits a top the points standings with a comfortable 25-point lead over teammate Jean-Sébastien Roy. 

 It looks like switching to the KX450F and MX1 class full-time was a smart move by Richmond Racing Kawasaki and Colton Facciotti. After winning his qualifier over former Rockstar Suzuki rider Josh Woods, the young BC rider finished third in the first moto, but DNFd the second moto after his bike was back-firing. He is one point behind Simon Homans for fifth-place in the series.

Simon Homans had his best day yet, going 5-5 for fifth overall in Calgary. If Homans keeps running inside the top five, he will surely be a candidate for the the Canadian MXdN team. 

Sidelined with an aggravated shoulder, OTSFF Suzuki's Gavin Gracyk spent his weekend spectating with his better half and cheering on his teammates. 

Michigan's Josh Woods replaced the injured Gracyk. 

Woods went on to finish 9-7 for seventh overall.

The King had a hard luck first moto. After getting caught up in a first turn pile up, JSR worked his way by a handful of riders before going down again. He then came from dead last to finish sixth. The second moto went much better for JSR as he holeshot, but was then quickly passed by his teammate Klatt. JSR held on for second and third overall. JSR has been struggling with nagging injuries over the last few rounds, but has planned some leisure time out west before the series resumes in Regina in two weeks. Look for a rejuvenated JSR in the following rounds.

Richmond Racing Kawasaki's Darcy Lange continued his podium run, finishing 2-3 for second overall. Lange sits third in series points after four rounds. 

Canadian Kawasaki's Jordan Szoke was in attendance for the Calgary national. Szoke, who is undefeated in the first two rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship in the Superbike and Pro 600 class, will be racing in Calgary this weekend at Race City Motorsport Park. Be sure to check out the September issue of Racer X Canada if you're a road racing or Jordan Szoke fan. Jason Griffiths put together a great feature showcasing this multi-talented athlete's two-wheeled gifts.

NEVER TOO OLD: 50-some-year-old Pete De Graaf (151) nearly pulls the holeshot in his MX1 qualifier. De Graaf didn't finish either moto in Calgary, but he did score points in Nanaimo and sits 24th in the series points. 

After racing the Deschambault national in 2004, Racer X Illustrated's David Pingree returned to the Great White North after two-years of solid training. Pingree kept pace with the leaders in the opening laps, but apparently twinkie's are only suitable training food for pit bike racing, forcing Ping to settle for a 13-10 for 12th overall.

Ping took an earful from CMRC head referee Randy Hall after ripping through the Wild Rose pits, searching for his transponder. Did Ping learn his lesson? Sort of ... he still forgot his transpoder for the second moto, but crept back to the rig to avoid the stiff-hand of Hall.

Defending MX2 East champ Michael Willard had his best ride so far on his Stoneridge KTM 450, finishing 7-6 for sixth overall.  

Coming from mid-pack in both motos, Honda Canada's Blair Morgan finished 4-4 for fourth overall. He was right on Facciotti's rear wheel in the first moto after the Kawasaki rider began suffering bike troubles. 

Royal Distributing KTM's Marco Dubé started at the front of the pack in the first moto, but fell back to 12th. Then in the second moto, he worked his way up from 14th to eighth for eighth overall. 

Like his MX1 teammate, Klatt, Honda Canada's Jimmy Nelson ran away with both MX2 motos and now has a 30-point lead with just two rounds remaining. 

Behind Nelson, OTSFF Suzuki's Jeff Northrop (25), Gray Davenport (916) and Teddy Maier (28) battled throughout the first MX2 moto. Maier and Davenport eventually worked their way by Northrop, with Maier finishing second and Davenport in third.

After his breakthrough ride in Nanaimo two weekends ago, Davenport secured some support from Richmond Racing Kawasaki for the remaining MX2 West rounds. It was a good move by Richmond as Davenport finished 3-4 for third overall behind Maier. Now all the Richmond Racing team has to do is invest in some chest protector I.D. panels for Davenport. 

Hometown boy Bart Stephenson finished eighth in the first MX2 moto

Maier (28) and Morgan Racing Yamaha's Kevin Johnson (32) battled briefly in the first moto. Johnson went on to finish 5-6 for fifth overall. Davenport brought up friend Richie Kaumo (711) to test the Canadian waters. Kaumo finished 12th in the first moto, but suffered a DNF in the second.

MOTW: Mechanic of the week. Does she really even need to write anything on the board? 

Northrop finished 6-7 for sixth overall.  

Michael Sleeter has been keeping things consistent through the first two MX2 West rounds. At Calgary he finished 4-5 for fourth overall. Don't be surprised if Sleeter finds the podium before the series is over. 

Holeshot Honda's Brady Sheren's season has been going better than ever. After two years of missing the series because of injuries, Sheren is showing signs of speed with an 11-10 in Nanaimo and a 19-9 in Calgary. If the Honda rider can get off the line at least in the top-20, look for him to better his results. 

Eric Nye is KTM's best chance for a MX2 West Championship, unfortunately, bike troubles in the first moto at Calgary caused him to DNF. However, he came back in the second moto to finish third and still sits fourth in the standings. 

The first-ever Canadian National Women's Motocross Championships came to a close in Calgary. Malerie Prochnavy (middle) took the Western Ladies crown, while Jolene Van Vugt (left) clinched the national title. Camille Baker (right) finished third overall at Calgary and fourth overall in the series.

I sure would like to see YOU at the races!