Race report: 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals

On an extremely hot and humid day in the Ottawa, Ontario, area, Royal Distributing Fox Racing KTM riders Kaven Benoit and Cole Thompson both had to dig deep into their energy reserves to persevere at Round 6 at Sand Del Lee. The performances of Benoit and Thompson on July 19, 2015, proved that these two Canadian riders are as tough as they come, as they once again survived another grueling race.

In the MX2 class, Benoit continued to ride his wave of confidence as he grabbed the Royal Distributing holeshot in both motos and never looked back. Benoit’s double moto win at Sand Del Lee mirrored that of his victory last weekend where he was forced to battle not just his competitors, but also a tough track and very hot conditions. However, Benoit handled everything with ease en route to his fourth win of the 2015 season.

“I was very surprised and happy with how I was able to recover quickly from last weekend’s race in Gopher Dunes,” he said. “This enabled me to keep training this week to prepare for this tough race at Sand Del Lee. It was very hot today and I knew I had to just get out front early and stay out of trouble. I grabbed the holeshot in both motos and just rode smart from there to take the win. My KTM 250SX two-stroke was amazing today and I’m really looking forward to racing in front of my Quebec fans this coming weekend.”

Fourth overall for Cole Thompson

After winning his first pro national two seasons ago on the hallowed grounds of the Sand Del Lee track, Thompson came into Round 6 very motivated to make up for last weekend’s misfortune. Having trained hard all week in the heat and humidity at his home in Ontario, Thompson knew he was ready for whatever condition he had to face.

Racing in an MX1 class that is jam-packed with speed and talent, Thompson rode smooth and precise on the rough Sand Del Lee to take a very solid fourth overall. The highlight of the day for Thompson was during the late stages of the grueling second moto when he found himself in a three-way battle for the lead with Matt Goerke and Brett Metcalfe. Thompson put on quite a show in the closing laps and raced to a well-earned third place finish in moto two.

“I knew after last weekend’s difficulties that I just needed to come into Sand Del Lee and put in two good motos,” said Thompson. “I love this track and I’ve certainly had success here before, so I was really looking forward to this race. This was definitely one of the toughest days of racing I’ve ever had to endure, but it was the same for everyone and I just wanted to do my best. My KTM 450SX-F was incredible today and I can’t wait for next weekend.”

As you can tell, both Benoit and Thompson are looking forward to Round 7 in Deschambault this coming weekend. This will be the third sand track in a row for the riders, and with how much the Quebec fans love motocross, this will no doubt be one of the most exciting rounds of the series.