--press release--

Team Suzuki OTSFF Motorsport’s Keith Johnson and Gavin Gracyk continued to solidify their top-five positions in the MX1 points chase of the CMRC Canadian Motocross Championships at Riverglade MX Park in Moncton, NB this past weekend. On a track that clearly favoured the 250 two-strokes, KJ and Gracyk took their RM-Z 450 four strokes to 5th and 6th overalls respectively. Both KJ carded 3-6 motos, Gracyk 8-5. Their teammate Mike Treadwell rode consistent motos after getting mid-pack starts that saw him card 10-15 for 14th overall.

In the first moto, Johnson shot out of the gate to trail Damon Huffman into the first corner. After a battle with a Honda rider, KJ briefly took over the lead until both he and Huffman were passed by Jean Sebastien Roy. For a number of laps KJ battled for 2nd position with Huffman, and then with Kawasaki’s Evan Laughridge. Ultimately, Johnson finished in 3rd place behind Laughridge, fighting off Laughridge’s teammate Colton Facciotti. Gracyk, meanwhile, rounded turn one in about 10th place, while Iron Mike found himself in 15th place. They would eventually finish in 8th and 10th,
respectively.

In Moto 2, the three Team Suzuki riders got off the line between 8th and 16th place. Going into the first turn, Gracyk was just ahead of Johnson who didn’t peg his usual top-5 start. Treadwell was approximately five places behind his teammates. Gracyk, again nursing his right knee, soldiered his way into 5th to engage Facciotti in a battle for 4th. A bobble while trying to pass Facciotti saw Gracyk lose enough ground on the Kawi rider that he would not be able to reengage him before the end of the race. Johnson also clawed his way past a number of competitors to finish 6th behind teammate Gracyk. Treadwell, who was setting his sights on 12th place, also suffered a bobble. He remounted in 15th, a position he would be unable to improve upon in the remaining rounds.

“I felt a little off my game this weekend because I was concerned with reinjuring my knee, which was still kind of tender,” said Gracyk. “I tried to keep my right foot on the footpeg as much as possible and this affected my cornering in right-hand turns. That’s the bad news. The good news is that I was able to ride and score points.”

In the MX2 East Championship, Jean-Yves Allard was the sole Team Suzuki OTSFF rider on the track as Charles Ellis was unable to start due to problems with his ankle, which he injured at Round 6. Allard rose to the occasion to break into the top-10 with an 8th overall finish. In the first moto, he regrouped from a mid-pack start to knife his way into a 12th place position by the end of the race. In Moto 2, he went into turn one in 16th place. This time he battled his way into 10th, a position he would hold until the checkered flag. Suzuki privateer Joel Saarits complimented Allard’s results by hammering down 6th overall on the strength of 11-8 motos, placing two yellow machines in the top-10 for the day.

Unfortunately, the weekend was overshadowed by the tragic loss of Newfoundland pro Brian House, who succumbed to injuries sustained during practice on Saturday. Everyone at Team Suzuki OTSFF Motorsports extends their heartfelt condolences to the House family and their friends at this difficult time.