The opening round in Nanaimo saw the Kawi boys, Maier (7-1) and Beaton (2-6), made for a very green podium, with Allison going 6-3 for third overall. Jeremy Medaglia seemed to pick up right where he left off, putting his KTM solidly in third, getting the first moto win and going 1-12. Younger brother Parker Allison held strong and lived up to the deep ruts set by his brother, bringing his Yamaha in to the top five overall with a 4-7 finish.
Maier stayed on top for the next round at Whispering Pines in Kamloops, BC, going 1-1 for an obvious first overall, mimicking the performance of MX1 teammate Matt Goerke. Medaglia went 2-2 for second overall, with Ingalls going 4-3 to bust onto the podium. Kyle Beaton went 3-5 for fourth and Yamaha/Hully Gully/FXR’s Dylan Kaelin went 6-4 for fifth overall.
Third round saw another 1-1 for Maier, with Medaglia forced to go 2-2, leaving them first and second respectively. Brad Nauditt had his best finish of the year so far aboard his Image Tech/MotoConcepts Honda, going 4-4 for third overall. Spencer Knowles (8-3) and Jared Allison (7-8) rode their Yamahas to a fourth and fifth place finish respectively respectively.
Maier went into Round 4 the heavy favourite with a big bull’s eye on his back. Medaglia finally managed to pull the trigger at Castrol Raceway, going 2-1 against Maier’s 1-3, forcing the points leader into second overall. Beaton pulled a third with a 6-2 run, with Kaelin (4-5) and Allison (3-7) riding their Yamahas into solid fourth and fifth positions.
The Eastern swing of the series began in July with a stop at the infamous Gopher Dunes in Courtland, Ontario. In the years of two-strokes, Gopher was known for blowing motors and destroying the little bikes as they strained against the sand. Modern four stroke motors have a much easier time but are still at an incredible power disadvantage in the deep sand.
Don’t know if Maier’s Kawi felt the disadvantage, going 2-1 for first overall, but I can confidently that DuRoy KTM rider Kaven Benoit felt the home advantage, going 1-3 and finishing third overall. The eastern rider didn’t venture out west and some were wondering about the young rider’s abilities; would he be able to stand up against the riders who were doing the complete series? Clearly, the answer is Oui. Jeremy Medaglia finished behind the Quebecois rider, going 3-2 which was good enough to make the podium. Ingalls day was consistent, 4-4 finishes lead to a fourth overall. Richard Grey had his best finish of the year in front of the “home town” crowd aboard his OTSFF/Rockstar Energy/Yamaha, turning a 9-5 finish into a top five overall.
While Maier and Medaglia are starting to check out, Allison and Beaton aren’t giving up quite yet. There are still four rounds left in the series: Ste Julie (July 22), Riverglade (August 5), Sand Del Lee (August 12) and Walton (August 19). It’s motocross, and things can happen. With 20 points separating Medaglia and Maier, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that, for the third year in a row, a Medaglia might win the MX2 title.
While it’s unlikely that Allison or Beaton will end up in the title contention, but unlikely isn't impossible; both riders have shown fairly consistent placing, as has Topher Ingalls, who despite being consistent still finds himself seated in sixth, 93 points shy of first, but only 3 points off Brad Nauditt. Nauditt has been very consistent this year, with his only stellar performance coming at Wildrose where he finished 3rd.
Stay tuned, because just like the weather, the competition is only going to get hotter as we get closer to the final round in Walton.
