29.07.2018
Moncton, NB – The KTM Red Bull Thor Racing Team traveled to the Maritimes for the 7th round of the Jetwerx MX Tour series. After two rounds at highly sandy tracks, the harder red dirt of the Riverglade MX track was the host of some great racing by the three KTM riders. Cole Thompson won the 450 overall, Kaven Benoit won a 450 moto and Tanner Ward made some impressive comebacks.
Cole Thompson had an amazing weekend, winning the 450 class overall and improving to 2nd place in the MX Tour championship. After a great start in the 1st moto, Cole rode almost the entire moto in 2nd position. After a few mistakes on the last laps, the #16 got the checkered flag in 4th. Thompson started Moto 2 in the front again, running 2nd on lap 1. Around halfway, Cole found his groove and started applying pressure for the lead. He crossed the finish line 0.5 sec behind his teammate, earning him a 4-2 result, but most importantly giving him his first overall win of the 2018 season.
Cole Thompson – KTM Red Bull Thor – 450 Class
“We keep improving every weekend and it felt great to be back on top. I’m feeling more and more confident every round and I think my results are now showing it. It is a tight championship and I’m happy with where I’m standing right now. I’m definitely looking forward to the next two rounds. ”
Kaven Benoit started his day by qualifying in the top 3. Unfortunately, Benoit didn’t get a great start to the first moto and after a mistake at halfway, the #26 had to settle for 7th. Kaven was ready to redeem himself and he did so by grabbing the Moto 2 holeshot and impressively leading the race wire to wire. It was a really tight overall finish for the top 5 450 riders and Kaven’s 7-1 results gave him a 5th position overall, only 1 point away from winning the day.
Kaven Benoit – KTM Red Bull Thor – 450 Class
“There was a lot of “what if” that went through my mind after I saw the final overall results. No matter what, I’m happy I was able to grab one more moto win. With the championship standing being what it is right now, I’m really looking forward to my hometown race next weekend.”
Tanner Ward put down some impressive lap times in the morning, qualifying 4th in the highly competitive 250 class.Unfortunately for Ward, his two races were filled with ups and downs. On the up side, both motos debuted with a great start from the young Ontarian rider, but then Ward also went down in the first lap in both motos, leaving him at the complete end of the pack. Tanner had to play catch-up all day and ended 1 position shy from the top 10, in 11th.
Tanner Ward – KTM Red Bull Thor – 250 Class
“I will use this weekend as a learning curve. On the positive side, I gained a lot of passing experience and I’m ready for Deschambault, which is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit.”
KTM Canada, Inc. would like to thank all of their sponsors for their continual support.
250 Results
1. Joey Crown – KTM – 3-1
2. Josh Osby– KTM – 2-2
3. Jess Pettis – 1-5
4. Shawn Maffenbeier 4-3
5. Dylan Wright 5-4
450 Results
1. Cole Thompson – KTM – 4-2
2. Matt Goerke – 3-3
3. Dillan Epstein – 2-4
4. Colton Facciotti 1-6
5. Kaven Benoit – KTM – 6-5
250 Championship
1. Jesse Pettis – 342 points
3. Joey Crown – KTM – 336 points
2. Shawn Maffenbeier – 331 points
4. Josh Osby – KTM – 316 points
5. Marco Cannella – 284 points
…
7. Tanner Ward – KTM – 256 points
450 Championship
1. Colton Facciotti – 356 points
2. Cole Thompson – KTM – 330 points
3. Kaven Benoit – KTM – 329 points
4. Matt Goerke – 326 points
5. Tyler Medaglia – 321 points
450 Triple Crown Results
1. Cole Thompson – KTM – 525 points
2. Colton Facciotti – 517 points
3. Matt Goerke – 475 points
Photo Credits:
@lissimorephoto
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