- press release -

Facciotti returns with a double moto win in MX1 – Tucker Hibbert cleans house in MX2

Colton Facciotti, who missed Round 2 of the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals due to a shoulder injury, returned to action at Round 3 in Morden, Manitoba this weekend, obviously none the worse for wear. With a definitive clean sweep, the Team Toyota/Yamaha/Blackfoot/Fox Racing star picked up where he left off at Round 1.  

“My shoulder felt a bit sore but I came here to recoup some of the points I lost by having to sit out Round 2,” said Facciotti. “I knew I had to ride with some caution, because I didn’t want to risk a crash and possibly further aggravate the injury. But, as the day unfolded, I felt totally at ease and was able to win both motos. This is a very satisfying win for me and the team. And with Jimmy finishing third overall and Blair in fifth, it made for a great day.”

In MX2, guest rider Tucker Hibbert came, saw, and conquered. Like Facciotti, Hibbert recorded a clean sweep leaving no doubt he was the best MX2 rider on the track. The Minnesota native, who finished seventh in the MX2 West points standings last year, is not contesting the 2008 series, however. In addition to Morden, Hibbert has only the next round in Regina, SK on his agenda.

“I knew I was up to the task to get a good finish today. I’ve been racing back home with some pretty decent results. I wasn’t quite expecting a clean sweep here so this is definitely sweet for me,” Hibbert said. “I just wanted to have a bit of fun and with no team pressure on me it was kind of like a holiday.”

Although rain threatened to turn the ultra fast Shadow Valley Raceway track into a mud bog – as it did last year – after an early morning shower the wet stuff held off and the gladiators of motocross were presented with ideal track conditions all day long.
 
In the first MX1 moto, Yamaha’s Simon Homans pegged the holeshot but the former MX2 East champ was unable to hang onto the lead for long. The race would become a Colton Facciotti, Dusty Klatt, Tyler Medaglia, Jimmy Nelson and Kyle Keast affair with Facciotti taking the win over Monster Energy/Cernics/Kawasaki’s Klatt and Suzuki/Rockstar Energy/OTSFF’s Medaglia.
Moto two saw Medaglia and Facciotti put a fair bit of real estate between themselves and the rest of the pack. Up until the halfway point, Medaglia managed to fend off all attempts by Facciotti to rob him of the lead. But once the west coaster made his move on the easterner, the race was pretty well decided right then and there. Medaglia was unable to stick with Facciotti and he settled into his own race. With his 2nd place moto finish, Medaglia took home 2nd overall for the day as well as adding some valuable points to the lead position he has held since Round 2.

Behind Facciotti and Medaglia the race was for 3rd place, which went to Facciotti’s teammate Blair Morgan. The veteran once again proved he’s still a force to be reckoned with, taking 5th overall on the strength of 6-3 motos. Team Toyota/Blackfoot’s other MX1 rider, Jimmy Nelson, had an excellent day as well finishing on the podium in 3rd overall, thanks to consistent 4-4 moto results. 

Meanwhile, Klatt, crashed out of contention while running in 3rd place. By the time the ’06 MX1 Champion remounted, he found himself in a catch-up race, eventually finishing in 7th, which coupled with his 2nd place in moto one delivered a 4th overall for the day. 
 
Clearbrook Yamaha’s Kyle Beaton grabbed the first MX2 moto holeshot but he was unable to hold off the likes of Hibbert, Suzuki/Rockstar/OTSFF’s Jeremy Medaglia, and Toyota/Yamaha/Blackfoot/Fox Racing’s Aron Harvey. Once Hibbert put his privateer Yamaha YZ250F into the lead on lap four, he checked out for the win.

Medaglia and Harvey diced for 2nd place for a number of laps, but in the end it was Medaglia, out to redeem himself after a lacklustre Round 2, who prevailed to grab the runner-up slot. Beaton managed to stay in the top five mix, settling into 4th and hanging onto it till the checkered. He was followed by KTM/Royal Distributing/Thor/Riverside MX’s Eric Nye.

Local favourite Ryan Millar put his KTM into the second moto holeshot with Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Nick Evennou in tow. Evennou soon installed himself at the head of the pack and led the early part of the race. As in the first moto, which he finished in 16th after running in 3rd for a while, the American had to contend with a finicky bike that negated all hope for a top finish. This time he didn’t even finish, ending up in the paddock with an apparent electrical failure.

Hibbert, meanwhile, was back on top of his game. After taking control of the reins again, he never looked back. With Hibbert not in contention for the championship, Nye seemed content to greet the checkered in 2nd place, bagging 3rd overall for the day while handily extending the series points lead he came to Morden with.

Aron Harvey added the icing on the cake for Team Toyota/Yamaha/Blackfoot/Fox Racing by nailing down 2nd overall on the strength of 3-3 motos. Jeremy Medaglia, not quite as smooth as in the first moto, found himself crossing the finish line in 5th place, which presented the rookie with 4th overall.