--press release--

Team Suzuki OTSFF   Motorsports’ Keith Johnson and Gavin Gracyk chalked up another stellar weekend of CMRC MX1 Championship racing, storming the podium in second and third place respectively at Round 8 in Ste-Julie, QC.

KJ recorded an impressive first moto win becoming only the second rider this season, after Gracyk, to derail Blackfoot Racing's winning streak. Coupled with fourth place in Moto 2, Johnson snared second overall for the day. At the same time, the 33-year-old veteran regained his second place standing in the points chase. Gracyk, who battled tooth-and-nail for up-front positions with Blackfoot’s Jean Sebastien Roy in both motos, carded 3-3 results to claim third place on the podium. 

In Moto 1, fast starter KJ grabbed the holeshot on a muddy Ste-Julie track to hold off a number of challengers including Gracyk and eventual second place finisher Roy. KJ set a blistering pace on his RM-Z450 that kept him out of reach of a hard charging Roy who finally managed to get by Gracyk towards the end of the race. Third Team Suzuki rider Mike Treadwell got bogged down at the start to round turn one close to 17th place. On a track that had become very technical to manoeuvre and difficult to pass on he managed to move up to 14th place at the finish line. 

In the second moto, Gracyk shot out of the gate on his RM-Z450 to nail the holeshot alongside Dusty Klatt. The Blackfoot rider then managed to put a pass on Gracyk while still on the first lap. As in the first moto, Gracyk battled with Roy for second place until about the halfway mark. Roy passed Klatt shortly after that to take the win and the overall for the day. Johnson, meanwhile, was able to improve his fifth place starting position by one notch to finish fourth at the checkered flag. Treadwell managed to grab a 10th place finish in Moto 2, which combined with his first moto 14th place, put him in 12th overall for the day.

“It would have been nice to see KJ and Gavin finish 1-2 in that first moto but we all know JSR is a formidable competitor. For KJ to hold JSR off and take the win shows what an awesome rider he is,” said rider manager Ron Ashley. “Both KJ and Gavin rode smart all weekend and didn’t make any mistakes. To finish second and third on the podium and move up in the points is an accomplishment we’re all proud of.”

In the final round of the MX2 East Championship, Team Suzuki OTSFF rider Jean-Yves Allard started around  12th place in the first moto only to run into problems with a mud-clogged radiator that threatened to seize his motor, a situation that caused a number of DNFs. In order to save his bike Allard decided to pull off the track and head back to the paddock. In the second moto, he once again started around 12th place, this time finishing the moto on a somewhat dried out track to finish 13th. Allard completed the series with a top-20 ranking in 19th place.