Canadians at Southwick 2011

With the 2011 Canadian motocross series finished with, some of Canada's best riders decided to make the trip down to the USA for round 10 of the Lucas Oil AMA Motocross championships.

These riders included 3 time (2008, 2009 and 2011) MX1 National champ Colton Facciotti, 2 time (2010 and 2011) MX2 National champ Tyler Medaglia, multi-national winner Jeremy Medaglia and top 5 MX2 rider Kaven Benoit.

Facciotti and Tyler Medaglia would be riding their Canadian Blackfoot team race bikes, Benoit would be riding his Royal Distributing KTM Canada bike and Jeremy Medaglia would be riding for the US-based Dragon Fuels KTM team.

In qualifying, Colton was able to take his #361 YZ450F to 11th fastest in the 450 A group practice, and 15th overall. Tyler Medaglia was able to slot his #95 YZ250F into the 13th spot overall in 250 qualifying while Jeremy qualified 34th on his #281 250SXF. Keven Benoit was suffering some ankle problems and was unable to qualify his #626 250SXF for the motos.

450 class

In the U.S, the 450 class runs first at most of the rounds, so Colton was up first. As the pack of 40 roared off the gate, Facciotti was able to be one of the first couple of riders into the first turn. Unfortunately, he got pushed a little wide and came out just outside the top 10.

By the end of the first lap, Facciotti was able to work his way into 9th and moved up another spot just a couple of laps later. From there he engaged in a battle with factory Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jake Weimer for the 7th spot. After a few laps of cat-and-mouse, Colton came out on top of that battle and began to set his sights on Red Bull KTM rider Mike Alessi.

On lap 11, Honda's Justin Barcia, who was running 3rd at the time, dropped out of the race, bumping Facciotti up to 6th. Just 2 laps later, Two Two Motorsport's rider Chad Reed dropped out of the race as well, allowing Facciotti to sit in the top 5 for the first time in his AMA pro career.

As the laps clicked off, Facciotti was able to close the gap to Alessi in 4th a little, but would come up a few seconds short at the finish. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic ride, one that had a lot of people talking in the pits.

Between the motos, a heavy rain had fallen, making the sandy Southwick track very wet. Despite many hopes that the wet weather would help the Canadian's, it was not to be for Facciotti, as he was forced out of moto 2 with a broken shifter.

Colton's 5-DNF scores would allow him to finish 11th overall.

250 class

As the ultra-competitve 250 class took off for its first moto, Jeremy Medaglia got the better start of the two Canadians, as he finished the first lap in 17th. His older brother Tyler wasn't as fortunate as he was back a few spots in 22nd.

By the time the first couple of laps had been completed, Jeremy was still in 17th, while Tyler had moved up to 18th and was looking for a way around his younger sibling. The two battled hard and after a handful of laps, Tyler was finally able to get around.

With the confidence of moving up from a bad start, Tyler continued to work his way forward, eventually finding his way into 12th. Jeremy wasn't so lucky. With 2 laps to go he was running in 14th when a couple of late mistakes dropped him to 16th at the finish. Still a very solid moto for both brothers.

In moto 2, the track was much more wet than it was the first time around, and this time it was Tyler grabbing the better start, rounding the first lap in 21st with Jeremy hot on his heels in 22nd.

Once again, the brothers stuck close together as they battled their way into the top 20. Around the halfway mark, Tyler was finally able to put a litte distance between himself and Jeremy. Tyler ran strong in 19th with Jeremy 21st. Both riders had improved upon their starting positions, always a good sign.

As the race wore on and track conditions got worse, things started to go a little more in favour of Tyler as he found himself in 15th. Things weren't going as well for Jeremy, who had dropped back a bit after a few mistakes late in the race. Eventually Tyler would hold on to 15th, his 12-15 motos good enough to finish 13th overall. Jeremy would ultimately not finish the moto and end up in 29th place. His 16-29 motos gave him 21st overall.

Overall, it was mostly a positive day for the Canadian riders and their fans at Southwick, as they all showed they have the speed and desire to compete at the highest level. And, in the case of Colton Facciotti, things could get a lot more interesting in a hurry. Stay tuned!

By: Allison Kennedy

When you’re sitting 10^th in the 250 AMA points with three rounds remaining, it’s a gutsy and ambitious venture to head north on a precious off weekend. But that’s what Eleven 10Mods rider Darryn Durham chose to do. With the final round of the Canadian National series in Walton, Ontario coinciding with a break, Durham headed north for a taste of the Canadian competition, a change of scenery and hopefully, a battle for the win.

Things looked rosy when Durham arrived at the track—which had just hosted four days of Loretta Lynn’s-inspired amateur racing—but those pristine conditions started to wash away Saturday afternoon with relentless rain dominating Sunday’s races. To be clear, we’re not talking showers here…we’re talking about a torrential downpour with horizontal rain and pea-sized hail. An F3 tornado touched down just minutes up the road, right as Durham’s final moto of the day was wrapping up.

Durham went 2-DNF for 8th overall in muddy conditions at Walton.
Photo: Allison Kennedy

Durham had literally walked into a tempest. Despite the thick, pervasive mud, he found himself up front in both motos—posting the fastest lap times in each race. But pitted against a worthy opponent in defending MX2 champion Tyler Medaglia, a series of mud-inspired mistakes while battling with the champ cost Durham the win in both races. Medaglia—determined and riding a high after the birth of his son earlier that morning—clinched his second MX2 title with a 1-1 sweep while Durham was relegated to a 2-DNF for 8^th overall.

They say mud is the great equalizer, and despite the brutal conditions, Medaglia and Durham had some amazing battles. Come north again, Darryn. We’d love to see you on a dry track.

It was the biggest stage for many riders last week as the Walton Motocross celebrated its 20th Anniversary Parts Canada TransCan Grand National Championship races. Both amateurs and pros were on hand to take part in the biggest events and throw their weight and ability around on the cross.

Huron County had 13 riders represent the area and all did well in their respective divisions.

"The Grand National is always held in Walton and it is said to be one of the best or the best track in the country," said Chris Lee, Walton Raceway general manager. "It is the best event; it draws the biggest crowds and participation."

World MX3 Champion, Julien Bill from Switzerland became the Walton champ on Sunday. Bill partook in some of the amateur events during the week to get ready to compete against the top riders on the Canadian scene.

"This is his first time in Canada, he is fluent in four languages," Lee said.

"Not only has Julien Bill brought over the experience that comes with winning world championships, but he has come to Ontario's West Coast and embraced everything that it has to offer. On the track at Walton Raceway last week, Bill has shown the speed and smoothness that you would expect from a world champion. Off the track he has been there to offer his guidance and support to local Huron County future star Nathan Bles and a host of other future Canadian heroes. Everyone has enjoyed him being at the event as much as he has enjoyed being at it," said Lee.

Walton Raceway celebrated its 20th anniversary of holding the Parts Canada TransCan. The raceway had been busy since the beginning of August getting the track ready for the riders and new facilities for the viewers.

"We invested in infrastructure, it looks better," said Lee. "We went above and beyond on the track to make it the best."

Also competing at the Grand National Competition was Cole Thompson from Bridgen, Ont. and he made his pro debut after collecting many awards as an amateur. Thompson just recently won a national championship two weeks ago in the States. According to a press release, Thompson is a multi-time TransCan Grand National Amateur Champion and has lists that Walton Raceway as a favourite.

With over 15,000 people expected to be in attendance on Sunday alone, the event is one of the biggest events in the county.

"A bunch of countries are represented by the riders," said Lee. "Guys that have been competing all over the country and now come to win in Walton."

Local Rider Results – as of Friday afternoon

80 (12-16) (out of 42 riders)

Lucas Godkin (Walton) placed 29

Kennan Macdonald (Blyth) placed 31

Super Mini (out of 43 riders)

Lucas Godkin (Walton) placed 39

School Boy (12-16) (out of 38 riders)

Mitchell Godkin (Walton) placed 8

Kennan Macdonald (Blyth) placed 26

Youth (14-24) (out of 43 riders)

Lucas Cooke (Auburn) placed 41

+25 (out of 28 riders)

James Emmrich (Walton) placed 23

Ladies (out of 37 riders)

Megan Bedard (Seaforth) placed 22

MX3 GP Junior A (out of 45 riders)

Mitchell Godkin (Walton) placed 5

Dan Dery (Londesborough) placed 31

MX3 GP Junior B (out of 43 riders)

Trevor Somerville (Seaforth) placed 13

Jamie Hern (Exeter) placed 18

Trevor Keys (Seaforth) placed 24

Matt Shannon (Seaforth) placed 29

Aaron Popp (Londesborough) placed 34

Lucas Cooke (Auburn) placed 42

MX2 125 Junior A (out of 42 riders)

Mitchell Godkin (Walton) placed 4

MX2 125 Junior B (out of 43 riders)

Dan Dery (Londesborough) placed 6

Jamie Hern (Exeter) placed 7

Trevor Keys (Seaforth) placed 13

Lucas Cooke (Auburn) placed 35

Aaron Popp (Londesborough) placed 38

Matt Shannon (Seaforth) placed 39

MX1250 Junior (out of 31 riders)

Trevor Somerville (Seaforth) placed 17

James Emmerich (Walton) placed 26

Vet Junior (out of 27 riders)

Brian Keys (Seaforth) placed 18

+40 (out of 36 riders)

Brian Keys (Seaforth) placed 27

By Jeff Morgan

For 20 years Canada's top amateur motocross racers have gathered in the small town of Walton, ON in the hopes of becoming a Walton champ. And now that the dust has settled he have a new crop of riders that will have their names forever etched in the annals of histroy.

Austin Dodd took home the win in the MX3 Junior A Class. The Junior A classes were some of the most hotly contested during the week.

Bradely Dool swept the MX1 Intermediate class and tookj third in MX3 Intermediate, but unfortunately he couldn't do it in the MX2 Intermediate which was won by Zack Deiana in a rain shortened class.

Denaye Giroux made the trip out east and proved that she deserves to have the #1 on the front of her bike. Giroux just missed the clean sweep when Kate McKerroll edged her out for the third moto win.

Hmm, is Jeremy Medaglia scooping out lines for Sunday's pro races.

Hunter Scott on the #22 grabs the holeshot in the final 50cc 4-6 class, he went on to take the moto win and the overall.

RJ Marnoch was on a tear in the MX2 Junior A class and took home first overall.

One of the most exciting classes is the Schoolboy class. These are some fast youngsters and the sound of all those two-strokes is something special. Alex Odell came up from the States to lay a beating on the Canadian kids, Odell went 2-1-1.

Tanner Ward Edged out all commers in the 60cc 10-11 class and took the overall.