- press release -

Monster Energy Motocross Nationals starting to heat up to fever pitch

As the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals head into Round 4 at Regina Moto Valley in Regina, SK this weekend, the battle for the MX1 and MX2 Championship is slowly starting to heat up to fever pitch. While some of the favourites are out to record their first win of the season two others are focused on defending the points lead they currently enjoy.  

In the MX1 title hunt, Suzuki Rockstar OTSFF's Tyler Medaglia is at the forefront of the points standings, which for the first time in many years sports an all-Canadian top-five. Medaglia, with 129 points on the scoreboard, is followed by Monster Energy Cernics Kawasaki's Dusty Klatt (111 pts); Toyota Yamaha Blackfoot Fox Racing's Colton Facciotti (100 pts); Toyota Yamaha Blackfoot Fox Racing's Blair Morgan (94 pts); and Machine Racing Honda's Kyle Keast (89 pts).

Medaglia, who is campaigning his first full season of MX1 Nationals, has turned out to be the big revelation of the premier class. The Kemptville, ON native has taken everyone by surprise with his current position as top dog in the points chase: 2nd overall (3-2 motos) at Round 1; 1st overall (3-1) at Round 2; and 2nd overall (3-2) at Round 3 put him there.

The biggest hard luck case so far this season has been Facciotti. The Aldergrove, BC native came on strong at Round 1 with a clean sweep, despite a shoulder injury that would force him to sit out Round 2. Facciotti proved his mettle, however, by bouncing back with another clean sweep at Round 3.

Despite missing the action at Gopher Dunes, Facciotti is keeping Blackfoot Racing's hopes alive to reclaim the MX1 title, which they lost last season after ruling the roost for six consecutive years. With multi-champ Blair Morgan and Nevada's Jimmy Nelson, who is currently holding down 6th in the points standings, Blackfoot is on solid footing for top-five overall rankings at season's end.

Meanwhile, Dusty Klatt, who delivered Blackfoot their last MX1 crown in 2006, is still looking to find the right groove and tear up the circuit like he did during his championship winning seasons in '04/05 (MX 2 West) and '06. But with one 1st place, two 2nd places, and one 3rd place moto results, Klatt has shown that he intends to have his say on who will end up with the No.1 plate when all is said and done. He needs to stay consistent, however, and avoid tepid moto finishes like 13th and 7th if he wants to take over the points lead.

Whereas Tyler Medaglia has raised eyebrows in the MX1 Championship, his younger brother Jeremy, also riding for Team Suzuki, has done the same in the MX2 title hunt. Along with Clearbrook Yamaha's Kyle Beaton, he is one of two Canadians mixing it up with the American riders who have dominated the first three rounds. In fact, Medaglia and Beaton are in a three-way tie with Toyota Yamaha Blackfoot Fox Racing's Aron Harvey for 2nd place in the current points standings. Medaglia, who's in his first MX2 pro year, currently has 93 points on the scoreboard, as do Beaton and Harvey, but due to his better moto finishes, he enjoys the 2nd place ranking right now.

At the top of the board, with 122 points, is KTM Royal Distributing Thor Riverside MX's Eric Nye. The Corning, CA native started the season off on the right foot with a win of the first moto in Ste. Julie; a lacklustre 12th place finish in the second moto, after a bad start and a crash, kept him off the podium. At Round 2, Nye crushed the competition with a clean sweep to then go on and score 5-2 motos at Round 3 for 3rd overall.

If Nye wins more motos and stays consistently in the top-five, he may very well be on his way to being the first rider to claim the newly inaugurated MX2 National Championship. Which means that Medaglia and Beaton will have to uphold Canadian honour and keep Harvey and Round 1 winner, Leading Edge Kawasaki's Teddy Maier, currently 5th in the points (88 pts), from claiming the runner-up slot when the season wraps up at the Walton TransCan Grand National in August.