The Eastern portion of the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown series resumed at the rugged Gopher Dunes track. The blazing humidity of South Western Ontario adds to the already grueling track conditions of ‘The Dunes’ and it becomes a race of survival. Being a pure sand track, the lines are ever-changing and test the riders’ fitness as well as their mental stamina while they navigate the ever-changing track each lap.
With the Gopher Dunes Racing team being based directly at the Gopher Dunes track, the familiarity of the surroundings are in favour of the GDR crew on race weekend, but The Dunes track is never biased or kind to any rider and every win is equally earned.
250cc – Dylan Wright: 1st Overall.
Having proven his speed and control in the West, Dylan Wright is coming into the Eastern portion of the MX Tour where he excels most and will work to continue extending the 250cc series points lead on the tracks he’s more familiar with.
Qualifying for the moto’s in the pole position, Dylan was in control of his day and also had the home team advantage on his side. A clean start for in Moto 1 allowed Wright to patiently work his way from 3rd place to 1st place in five laps before extending the lead and checking out to the finish. In Moto 2, Wright got the Holeshot Award, but had to defend every inch of his lead for the next ten laps and was even overtaken momentarily before quickly re-passing and checking out again for the win. Dylan now has a 14 point lead in the 250cc MX Tour Championship with four rounds to go.
“Getting penalized last round and losing the overall was harsh, but backing it up the following race with 1-1 in gnarly conditions again really helps with confidence heading into more sand tracks.” – Dylan Wright 250cc MX Tour Points Leader
450cc – Mike Alessi: 1st Overall.
Finishing just shy of the podium several times so far this season, Mike Alessi has been showing that speed by leading laps, but has been unable to finish strong so far. With a month break in the schedule, Alessi was able to focus on his program and came back to the Gopher Dunes prepared to win.
Starting the day with the pole position qualifying spot as well, Alessi looked to be back in form and ready for his first podium of the season. Narrowly missing the holeshot in Moto 1, Alessi made an early pass for the lead on lap five and then extended his lead for the next thirteen laps for the win. In Moto 2, Alessi got the Holeshot Award and rode a flawless moto earning the win and his first overall Victory of the season.
“It’s been a bit of a struggle at the start of this season to get my body on pace, but we focused on key details and the extra work paid off during the break and the East will be a lot more for me now.” – Mike Alessi MX Tour Round 4 Overall winner.
450cc – Colton Facciotti: 4th Overall.
Continuing to carry the series leading Red Plate for the fourteenth weekend in a row, Colton Facciotti is still fighting for every inch of his championship lead. With a minimal points gap, Facciotti is needing to apply his consistency for the remainder of the series to bring home the title.
In Moto 1, Facciotti started up front in the lead group but was in the heat of a battle for the next several laps and exchanged positions within the top five before settling into the fourth position by the finish. In Moto 2, Facciotti started up front again and logged consistent laps and finished out the moto in a respectable fourth place for a 4th overall.
“It was great to see Mike (Alessi) get up front and run away with one, the team energy is great right now and it’s going to help keep everyone motivated coming into the end of the Season.” – Colton Facciotti 450cc MX Tour Series points leader
For the second time this season, the Honda Canada/GDR/Fox Racing team holds both Series leading Red Plates and continue to be the biggest threats each weekend. The next race of the MX Tour is at the Sand Del Lee MX Park located 20 minutes west of Downtown Ottawa. Last season, the GDR team won both overall victories at Sand Del Lee but are now coming into this year’s race even hotter!
250cc Round 3 Results:
1st – Dylan Wright (1-1)
2nd – Jess Pettis (2-3)
3rd – Luke Renzland (3-4)
4th – Tyler Medaglia (8-2)
5th – Marshal Weltin (4-5)
450cc Round 3 Results:
1st – Mike Alessi (1-1)
2nd – Phil Nicoletti (2-2)
3rd – Cole Thompson (3-3)
4th – Colton Facciotti (4-4)
5th – Shawn Maffenbeier (6-5)
250cc Series Points:
1st – Dylan Wright; 3-2-6-1 (183 pts)
2nd – Marshal Weltin; 4-1-3-5 (169 pts)
3rd – Jess Pettis; 7-3-11-2 (158 pts)
4th – Tyler Medaglia; 6-5-2-4 (156 pts)
5th – Luke Renzland; 2-10-1-3 (153 pts)
450cc Series Points:
1st – Colton Facciotti; 2-1-2-4 (185 pts)
2nd – Phil Nicoletti; 3-2-6-2 (185 pts)
3rd – Mike Alessi; 4-4-9-1 (168 pts)
4th – Cole Thompson; 1-6-11-3 (160 pts)
5th – Shawn Maffenbeier; 5-3-8-5 (146 pts)
Fox team riders took the top two spots after some wild racing on the ultra-dry Vallnord World Cup track. The competition was incredibly close with the top three riders separated by only 1.2 seconds. In the end, Loic Bruni threw down an incredible run to beat his French compatriot, Loris Vergier, by just four-tenths of a second! Fox rider Laurie Greenland made some small mistakes but still had the speed to finish eighth – his second top 10 of the season! No rest for the crew as they head to the Legendary slopes Les Gets, France next weekend. Congratulations to Loic, Loris and the rest of the Fox MTB team. No rest for the crew as they head to the Legendary slopes of Les Gets, France next weekend
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