Golden Elbow Awards

RIDER OF THE YEAR

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Awards

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Golden Elbow Awards. These awards look at everything from the pass of the year to the nicest city of 2014. All of these recipients are very well deserving; congratulations to each winner. With a great 2014 now behind us, we can all look forward to a new year and what could be the best season ever in Canadian motocross. Here are your 2014 Golden Elbow Awards:

This award was obviously a two horse race with both Colton Facciotti and Kaven Benoit winning their respective titles in 2014.

However, after careful consideration and the utmost respect to both riders’ performances, I have to give this award to GDR Honda Canada rider Colton Facciotti.

After two injury plagued seasons, Colton came into 2014 on a new bike and a new team behind him. What Colton did this summer was simply amazing. It was not only the fact that he won the MX1 title, it was also how he did it. In Colton’s previous championship winning years he was the fastest rider right from the start of the season, sometimes dominating motos by over 30 seconds.

During the 2014 series, Colton wasn’t always the fastest rider as Mike Alessi usually took home the fastest lap time honours at each round. But Colton did what every champion does - he let all the other riders around him make the mistakes, even the comparable Alessi. Round by round and moto by moto, Colton took what each track gave him and not an inch more. When it mattered most and when he felt completely comfortable, Colton would put the hammer down and ride away to victory. However, when the situation wasn’t quite kosher, Colton backed it down and settled for second or even third place points.

Colton’s relentless pursuit of the red plate this summer was something to marvel at; it was definitely the fairy tale comeback story that all of his fans were looking for. For all of these reasons and more, Colton Facciotti is my pick for the 2014 Rider of the Year.

58 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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EVENT OF THE YEAR For the event of 2014 I have to go with an event that may not happen again, which is the Toronto Supercross at the Rogers Centre. Over the last few years, the Monster Energy Supercross’ only Canadian stop has become more than just an awesome race, it has become a pilgrimage of such for a large number of this sport’s Canadian fans and industry people.

It usually kicks off on Friday with the DMX party, then ends some time on Sunday morning, depending on when you decide to call it a night. It was one of those events where you run into people that you hardly ever see. I even know people who buy tickets who aren’t even into the sport like most of us, they just know the sport’s best are coming to town and they want to see them live.

On the track we’ve witnessed some great races over the years in Toronto. I remember Dean Wilson winning the Lites main in front of his hometown fans, and of course there was the 450 main event in 2014 when we saw James Stewart come from behind to win. Hopefully the race will be back on the Supercross schedule in 2016, however I won’t be holding my breath.

PASS OF THE YEAR To be more accurate for the winner of this category I think we need to change it from pass of the year to passes of the year. The hands down winner comes from the second MX1 moto in Calgary thanks to all the passes Mike Alessi made on route to the win. After getting stuck in the gate and starting the first lap in 20th place, Mike Alessi went on a five lap tear that involved some of the bravest passes we’ve ever seen. In that race Alessi used every inch of the track and took more chances in 15 minutes than most riders took all season. For the fans in attendance and the riders on the track, we all witnessed what all the Mike Alessi hype was about as he went on to win the moto and the overall that day.

MXPMAG.COM · MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE 59

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TOP CANADIAN RIDER All summer we watched top Canadian riders like Colton Facciotti, Tyler Medaglia and Dylan Kaelin battle the visiting American contingent. Considering we gave Colton the Rider of the Year Award, we wanted to recognize the other Canadian rider that had an unbelievable 2014 season. The Canadian that stood out, and perhaps had to put up with more drama than any other rider in history, was our 2014 MX2 Champion Kaven Benoit.

Usually a title contender only has to deal with the track and the pressure they put on themselves to succeed. For Kaven, though, his 2014 title chase was a balancing act between trying to win races and dealing with the bullying tactics of one Vincent Friese. After a 19 moto battle, the cream eventually rose to the top and Benoit took home the 2014 MX2 Championship, even winning the final moto of the year by 20 seconds. Kaven Benoit did Canada proud in 2014 by not only winning a championship but by sticking true to his roots and character. Well done Kaven and congratulations on being the Top Canadian Rider of 2014.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR The winner of this award goes to MX101 Yamaha rider Dylan Wright who faced the adversity of being a 16-year-old rookie in 2014. Dylan came into the season with a lot of hype and a lot of speed to back it up. However, for the first time in his career, Dylan was racing against men who make a living at this sport. The feet he had to manoeuvre during his amateur career quickly turned to inches when the gate dropped in Nanaimo, and it definitely took a while for Dylan to adapt.

As it is with every rookie, the learning curve was steep for Dylan last season. But, he handled it very well, and even though we’re sure he wanted to finish a little higher in the standings, his ninth overall in the MX2 class was a very respectable finish. Look for Dylan to be faster, smarter and near the front of the pack in 2015.

60 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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HOLESHOT ARTIST OF THE YEAR Although there were some serious challengers in this category, we have to go with Mr. Holeshot, Mike Alessi as he was first to the holeshot line for most of 2014. Alessi’s starting ability was unmatched last summer as was his first half of the moto sprint speed. Alessi is one of the best starters this sport has ever seen, and he was fun to watch in 2014.

MXPMAG.COM · MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE 61

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MOST STYLISH RIDER After careful consideration of a few riders in this category, I have to go with Josh Hill.

All summer, Josh showed tremendous style and speed, and he battled for podium finishes at each round. However, it was his scrubs and his cool line choices that did it for me. Even on the roughest tracks of the series, Josh’s awesome supercross skills were put on display, and all the fans from coast to coast loved it. It was very cool having a rider like Josh Hill participate in our series in 2014.

TEAM MANAGER OF THE YEAR Since the GDR Troy Lee Designs Honda Team won the Team of the Year, I have to give their Team Manager, Derek Schuster, this award. Derek pulled all the right strings in 2014, and together with his top rider Colton Facciotti, they battled hard to give Honda their first MX1 title in almost ten years.

MEDIA PERSON OF THE YEAR I don’t think there’s a country out there that has their races covered any better than here in Canada. Between MXP, DMX, GMX and IMX, nothing flies under the radar. For this award we wanted to recognize an individual who has certainly had to battle through a lot of adversity in his lifetime.

After his devastating injuries in 2011, no one would’ve blamed Brent Worrall if he just disappeared from this sport forever. Well, he didn’t, and after taking some time to heal, Brent launched the very popular and entertaining Canadian Moto Show, which goes live on the internet every Wednesday night. Even though this sport has taken a lot from him, you have to love and respect just how much Brent has decided to give back.

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FEMALE RIDER OF THE YEAR For the second time in two years, we have to give this to Hailey Larsen for her dominating performance during the 2014 CMRC Western Canadian Women’s Nationals. Hailey won all of her motos on her way to her third consecutive championship. As she did last year, once the series moved east Hailey tried her hand at qualifying for the men’s MX2 class.

Congratulations to Hailey on another great year in Canada.

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TOUGHEST NATIONAL OF THE YEAR This category was definitely no contest as the Regina National takes home this award. With thick and sticky mud that was almost three feet deep, the riders and their machines had their hands full at round four. After one long moto in each class, the conditions were deemed to be too difficult to continue. Bikes were seen smoking, riders were exhausted and most of the mechanics were in tears with the thought of how much work lay ahead. Last year it was the heat and humidity at Gopher Dunes, this year it was most certainly the mud in Regina. Well done to all the riders who braved those awful conditions.

TEAM OF THE YEAR The 2014 Team of the Year goes to the GDR Troy Lee Designs Honda Team for their incredible championship season in the MX1 class. It’s never easy taking on a top rider like Colton Facciotti, however the GDR Team crossed every T and dotted every I. When the final flag flew at Walton Raceway, the GDR Team and their rider, Colton Facciotti, stood on top of the podium.

64 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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HARDEST CHARGER OF 2014 This was another tough category as there were many riders that spent the summer charging through each moto. However, one rider that I thought stood out was Tyler Medaglia as he battled hard all summer to finish third in the MX1 class. Each year when the list of title favourites is announced Tyler’s name is always missing, but this kid never gives up. In 2014, he proved that he is one of the elite series riders.

After battling with his bike’s suspension for the first half of the season, Tyler made a slight change as the series headed east. By the time he reached Ulverton, Tyler was completely comfortable, and to prove it, he rode off with a very popular second moto victory. For all he battled through in 2014 and for how professional Tyler is both on and off the track, he is my pick for Hardest Charger of 2014.

MOTO OF THE YEAR This was probably the hardest category to pick a winner, so hard in fact that I’m going to make it a tie. The first winner is the 450 main event from the 2014 Toronto SX when we saw James Stewart start the race in 15th place and then slowly work his way to the front. That night, James was doing things on the track that no one else was, and he really was on a different level under the roof of the Rogers Centre. With James Stewart now facing a lengthy ban from the sport, and the uncertainty surrounding the return of supercross to Toronto. Perhaps the Toronto fans got to witness history in the making on the March evening in Toronto.

The second winner in this category is the second MX1 moto from Deschambault when our eventual MX1 Champion, Colton Facciotti, recovered from a bad start to win the moto. In the early stages of the moto, Mike Alessi and Colton Facciotti were close together and battling with each other to get to the front. As Colton took the lead, Alessi was right behind him, then something happened. Colton pulled a cool line out of his hat in the tough rhythm section that no one else was doing and within a few laps Alessi could barely see Colton’s red Honda. That moto stopped a three-race streak in which Alessi was a little faster than Colton, and I feel that winning the way Colton did, he really cemented himself as the rider in charge of the MX1 title chase.

NICEST CITY OF THE SERIES On the Friday before round six at Sand Del Lee, my family and I ventured into downtown Ottawa for a visit. I had never been there before so it was very cool to see the Parliament buildings and all that the city had to offer. To stand at the back of the Parliament buildings and look out over the river to Hull, QC was pretty cool.

After a nice dinner at an outdoor café, we walked around some more before heading back to our hotel, which was located only 20 minutes from downtown. Even though the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals takes place on motocross tracks across the country, it’s always nice to take time to see the sights of the nearby cites. With the series’ tracks located close to scenic cities like Nanaimo, Calgary, Moncton and Quebec City, it gives everyone a chance to explore each city’s unique qualities.

For 2014, I’m going to give the nod to Ottawa as the Nicest City of the Series.

66 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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