- press release -

Three-way Battle for MX1 Championship Unfolding

The stage has been set for one of the most dramatic conclusions to the MX1 Championship in many years as the series heads for Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, AB this weekend. In the remaining four rounds of the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals, look for an all out rock 'em sock 'em battle for the premier class title between Colton Facciotti, Dusty Klatt, and Tyler Medaglia.

It's been a long time since the quest for the MX1 Championship has been this close at the half-way mark of the series: 194 points for Team Suzuki Rockstar Energy OTSFF's Medaglia, 193 for Team Toyota Yamaha Blackfoot Fox Racing's Facciotti, and 184 for Monster Energy Cernics Kawasaki's Klatt. For race fans it doesn't get much sweeter than that. For the top three contenders the pressure is on!

Still, the close proximity of the points at the top of the scoreboard could be construed as a bit misleading. If an odds-on-favourite for the title needs to be called for right now the pundits would have to give the nod to Facciotti. The Aldergrove, BC native has won four of the first five rounds; three with a clean sweep no less. Take into account that his double-moto victory at Round 1 of the title hunt was achieved with a fractured collar bone, and you're looking at the new "ironman" of Canadian motocross. Facciotti is determined and focused with only one goal in mind, win the championship.

Although he knew it would cost him a ton of points, Facciotti wisely sat out Round 2 of the championship to give his shoulder a chance to heal. Fortunately, a one weekend break between Rounds 2 and 3 of the series favoured Facciotti's recovery period and when he gated for the first of the western rounds in Morden, MB he proved to be none the worse for wear. He continued where he left off at the opening round in Quebec to record another clean sweep; ditto at Round 4 and then on to a first overall with 4-1 moto results at Round 5.

Meanwhile, Medaglia, who is contesting his first full MX1 campaign, has proven to be the big revelation of the season by leading the series since Round 2 on the strength of one 1st overall; two 2nd overalls and one 5th overall. At Round 1 he surprised everyone with second overall based on the strength of 3-2 motos. Medaglia has what it takes to be a champion, but he needs to win more races between now and the end of the season in Walton if he's going to pull it off this year. And he's up against a seemingly invincible Facciotti and Klatt, a former champ with much more experience handling the pressure that comes with being a contender.

But Klatt's return to Canadian MX after a one year hiatus in the U.S. has been anything but smooth. Although he has won two motos and carded a number of second places, he has been inconsistent on the track delivering tepid results including a 13th and two 7th place moto finishes. 

While the battle for the championship has become the domain of a new generation riders, veterans like Yamaha Blackfoot's Blair Morgan, KTM Royal Distributing's Jeff Northrop, and Factory Connection Yamaha's Simon Homans are giving everybody else a run for their money by currently occupying 4th, 5th, and 6th in the rankings with 164, 149, and 149 points respectively. 

While the MX1 Championship is under full control of Canadian riders the same can't be said for the newly inaugurated M2 Championship, which looks like it could be a slam dunk for California's Eric Nye. The Team KTM Royal Distributing Thor Riverside MX star has been sitting pretty at the top of the scoreboard since Round 2. With 206 points to his credit, he currently commands a cushy 30 point lead over Team Toyota Yamaha Blackfoot Fox Racing's Aron Harvey. The Carson City, Nevada native, who won Round 5 with a clean sweep - his first victory on Canadian soil - in turn, has 35 points on Nye's teammate Mason Phillips. The New Zealander, who has been gradually making his way up the rankings ladder, could still register a 1-2 punch for KTM, but he may find Harvey too tough of a customer to do it.

Defending Canadian honour are Clearbrook Yamaha's Kyle Beaton and Suzuki OTSFF's Jeremy Medaglia who are currently in 4th and 6th respectively, with Iowa's Teddy Maier (Leading Edge Kawasaki) sandwiched in between. While Maier has suffered a bit of a consistency problem, Beaton and Medaglia have had to contend with mechanical DNFs that for all intents and purposes has taken them out of contention for the title. But with four rounds left on the schedule anything is still possible...after all, it ain't over till it's over.

Also on the agenda this weekend at Castrol Raceway is Round 4 of the five-round Suzuki Women's National Series. Florida's Jacqueline Ross (KTM) has a firm grip on the championship, leading Aylmer, ON's Jocelyn Killough (Suzuki) by 35 points. Killough, in turn, holds a four point margin over Brookfield, NS's Heidi Cooke (Kawasaki).