I just love the lines, the aggressiveness of Colt's body positioning, Kornel Nemeth out of focus in the background. So many things catch my eye about this photo. Plus, to me, the big story coming into Kamloops was whether anyone could stop Colton's recent dominance of the Canadian series and we certainly got our answer by the time the final checkered flag of the day flew: no. Only Colt himself would be able to beat him and unfortunately, he did just that a few rounds later but that day was pure poetry as he cruised to big leads in both motos.EdmontonMX2 Champion, Teddy Maier, had a terrible start to his title defense at Kamloops.
He suffered a flat tire in the first moto and started the season with a sizable points deficit. He needed to bounce back with a statement race at the next round in Edmonton and he did just that. He took both holeshots and led every lap of both motos to take the win and prove that he wasn't going to let go of his number one plate without a fight.
When I think of Calgary, the first thing I think about is how the Wild Rose track is right in the heart of the city. The background of skyscrapers in many of my images is unique in this sport that is usually defined by tracks that are far out in the country and something that I doubt I'll ever see again anywhere else. Very cool and always a highlight of the season.
To me, when I think of this year's Morden national, the sight of a battered and broken Colton Facciotti taking the win immediately comes to mind. After his horrific Calgary crash no one expected the Champ to be on the line the next weekend in Manitoba but in a last minute decision he elected to line up and try and score a few points to stay in the title fight before the series took a three week break that would allow him to heal up a bit. Well, damned if he didn't go out and win both motos while looking like he lost a fight with a grizzly bear. This shot of him wincing in pain on the podium after his first moto win is what I'll always remember about this day.
Gopher DunesThere's not really a great story about this photo. I just really like it, the action is cool and I love the early morning light at Gopher Dunes, first practice at Gopher is always one of my favorite times to shoot. Probably cause it's so flat out there in SWO, the sunlight can skip along a lot of the atmosphere before it hits that track. I also like the photo because it was Richard Grey's first pro national and he put on an impressive showing in the first moto, grabbing fifth. Second moto didn't go so hot, as he fell, took off his helmet trying to start his bike and got DQ'd but hey, he's young. He'll figure it out.Ste. JulieI didn't even have to look through my archives when it came to the Ste. Julie round. This photo of Kaven Benoit was in my head right from the get go. Man, Kaven winning his home round was such a huge story. He started off his year with a strong showing out west, shifted into another gear starting with his podium at Gopher Dunes and then held off Teddy Maier to win his first national at Ste. Julie. He capped off his dream season with another podium at Sand Del Lee, an appearance on Team Canada at the Motocross Des Nations and took the MX2 win at the Montreal Supercross. The Quebecois faithful have been searching for a new hero since JSR retired and it looks like they've found it. I can't wait to see what 2011 brings.
MonctonHonestly, I just really like the light in this photo of Tyler Medaglia. I'm always looking for interesting light and it was definitely catching my eye as the MX2 riders lined up for practice. Plus, the Riverglade track is always so dusty that making quality action shots after the first lap or two is extremely challenging. The MX2 championship was really starting to come down to the wire between Medaglia and Teddy Maier and after suffering a mechanical DNF the week before at Ste Julie, Tyler needed to bounce back and he did just that with the overall win at Moncton.
Sand Del LeeThis photo stands out for me for two reasons. First, after dodging sketchy weather forecasts all season the rain finally caught up with us at Sand Del Lee and we had the first mud race of the season. Plus, secondly, there was a lot of talk coming into the season about whether or not Kornel Nemeth would be the rider to knock off Colton Facciotti as he had shown some serious speed in his select appearances the season before. With Nemeth signed to race the entire series many had him pegged as a favorite but he hadn't quite lived up to expectations. Finally, at Sand Del Lee, the Hungarian got his first Canadian National win after slogging through the mud in the final moto to take the win.
To me, this photo shows the Dusty Klatt that I know. The super talented kid from Campbell River who when he's relaxed and goofing around, throwing one leggers in practice and having fun, is one of the fastest riders to ever come out of our country. But sometimes the weight of expectation can weigh a person down and with so much pressure on him since his dominant 2006 win it didn't seem like we were seeing the same Dusty Klatt anymore. Unfortunately, Colton had to get hurt but watching Dusty come back from his double DNF's at Edmonton to take the championship with a round to spare was inspiring. His first moto dominance at Ste Julie was a vintage Klatt performance and by the time the checkered flag flew on the final moto at Walton it seemed as if some of the old mojo was back. And fittingly, he took his goon riding to new levels with this epic victory salute.
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