Report and Photos by: Doug Engstrom

The Future West Promotions crew brought the 2005 Thor Parts Canada CMRC Canadian Arenacross Championship to Winnipeg for Rounds 3 and 4 and the enthusiastic Manitoba Motocross fans responded by packing the MTS Centre for the event.  After a few seasons without a CMRC National event in the province the excitement was evident throughout the pits and stands all weekend long.

Two-time U.S. National AX champ Darcy Lange came to Winnipeg winless for the series and looking to get back on track and make things happen.  Lange set the tone for the weekend right off the bat with a holeshot in the first AX2 Qualifier.  In Fridays AX2 Main, Lange had an epic battle with his Richmond Racing teammate, Colton Facciotti, that went back and forth for several laps of plastic swapping before they both ended up on the ground.  Lange got stronger with each ride and ended the weekend by winning the AX2 and AX Open mains on Saturday.

Coming off a knee injury at the Toronto round of the series hasn’t slowed down OTSFF Suzuki’s Ryan Lockhart.  Lockhart showed flashes of speed that will put him in the middle of a title race.  Lockhart grabbed the win in AX2 on Friday night and put himself on the podium in AX2 and AX Open on Saturday.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE ALMOST $60 OFF THE NEWSSTAND PRICE!

Richmond Racing’s Colton Facciotti arrived in Winnipeg fresh off his victory in the Montreal Supercross and a pair of victories at rounds one and two of the AX series.  Facciotti looked like he was in for another strong weekend with a win in AX Open on Friday as well as a podium in AX2 after going down with a lap left while battling with Lange for the lead.  On Saturday, in the first AX2 Qualifier, Facciotti was ejected in the whoops, hitting the ground hard.  Facciotti’s night was over and he was taken to hospital to be checked over.  Early reports indicate Facciotti is banged up with a bruised kidney and lung but should be fine with some rest. The two-week break between Winnipeg and Calgary should allow for sufficient rest and recuperation.

Manitoba Provincial Pro Champion, Nick Dunn, grabs a holeshot en route to a successful weekend of racing for the gregscustom.com rider.  Dunn led a large contingent of Manitoba provincial pro riders who competed including: David Ledarney, Adam Knutt, Matt Hamm, Steven Navitka, Adam Pfeiffer, Cody Ewasko, Aaron Wiebe, Tim Friesen, Jamie Kennedy, James Simner, Jerry Schroeder and Craig Hargreaves.

“No, no … I said I have a big rod in my femur.” The Future West Crew put on a top notch event and kept the fans entertained at all times.  Here, during an unscheduled break for track maintenance, Richmond Racing’s Brady Sheren leaves his bike at the line to bust some moves with members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Blue Lightning Cheerleading team.  Sheren’s tryout was short lived though when his attention was diverted to the reshaping of the whoop section.

Marco Dube showed the fans a glimpse of his indoor skills on Friday night but the KTM/FXR MX backed rider never really looked really comfortable on his way to posting a second in AX2 and fourth in AX Open. Dube mentioned some problems with a damaged pipe on his bike while being interviewed.  On Saturday, Dube arrived with a new pipe and he looked more comfortable while coming out on top of a battle with Lockhart for second in AX2.

Clearbrook / Morgan Racing Yamaha rider, Kyle Beaton, had an up-and-down weekend but ended it on a positive note with a second place finish in Saturday’s AX Open main.  Beaton’s skills also dropped the jaws of many of the fans and riders alike during practice on Saturday when he turned a standard 2-3-2 rhythm section into a double in and quintuple out!  Beaton was the only rider to complete that combination although a few others tried and moved on after a few hard landings.

Brady Sheren grabbed the third step on the box in Fridays AX Open Main to give Richmond Racing a sweep of the podium.

As fast as it arrived, with a couple of clicks of the heels, the Future West crew is now heading for home with a stop in Calgary for rounds 5 and 6 on the Nov 4th weekend. For more details, check out http://www.arenacross.ca/