The Canadian National season kicked off Saturday in Mission.

After Saturday’s qualifiers and practice, the anticipation for Sunday’s motos is building. But with JSR once again looking strong in the MX1 class, you can expect to see the best racing in the MX2 class. The MX2 class is stacked with Dusty Klatt, Kyle Beaton, Colton Facciotti, Brady Sheren, Jimmy Nelson, Kevin Johnson, Shane Bess and a handful of other fast riders—there could be a different frontrunner every week.

From the first practice on, it was clear that KTM Canada’s Jimmy Nelson had the speed to give Klatt a run for his money in the title defence. Nelson led his qualifier and was pulling away from the pack when he crashed. Nelson picked himself up and went on to finish third. If Nelson can keep it on two wheels, he’ll be a contender in the series.

It’s hard to believe that Colton Facciotti is on the rebound from a serious neck injury. While Facciotti has been quick in previous years, this is the first time he’s arrived at the season opener looking like a threat for the title. While Facciotti and Klatt both went down off the start of their MX2 qualifier, Facciotti battled back to finish fifth, passing Klatt and battling hard from the back of the pack.

It’s fair to say there are a lot of Johnson’s in the world of motocross and at least three at the Mission National. Team Faith’s Kevin Johnson made a big impression during Saturday’s qualifiers, taking over the lead after Sheren’s crash. Johnson has big hopes for the MX2 series.

Pacific Yamaha’s Shane Bess made the pass on Richmond Kawasaki’s Jeff Northrop in the closing corners of their MX2 qualifier. Bess, introduced to the series and the Pacific team by series regular Brad Hagseth, will be in the mix Sunday.

After kicking off his first outdoor season as a pro with a broken arm in Nanaimo last season, things are looking more promising for Sheren at round one in Mission. Battling back from a broken femur this winter, Sheren led his MX2 qualifier, holding off Team Faith’s Kevin Johnson for several laps before going down at the back of the track. Despite the crash, Sheren was pumped about having the speed to run up front.

Even though JSR finished second in his MX1 qualifier to Yamaha’s Craig Decker, there are few doubts that he, once again, has the speed to dominate the class. Roy says his sixth place finish last weekend at Mount  Morris has him pumped up for the series.

Once again, Blair Morgan is limping his way into another outdoor season. While Morgan is still recovering from his broken leg, he rode well in his qualifier.

While the CMRC is still perfecting the transponder system, rumour has it Klatt posted the fastest lap time in the MX2 class. While Klatt looked comfortable wearing the number one plate in the MX2 class, he shone in his MX1 qualifier, taking the win ahead of Huffman.