Montréal, September 3, 2008 — With just three weeks remaining until the Montréal Supercross at the Olympic Stadium, Saturday 20th September, the organizers of the 31st edition unveiled today the names of some of the top professional motocross riders invited to take part in the main event. Nine of the top ten finishers in the Canadian Championship final MX1 standings are entered as well as the American riders who triumphed at the Montréal Supercross in 2005 and 2007.  In what promises to be an action-packed evening’s entertainment, Jean-Sébastien Roy will join the fray for his final ride in the MX1 class at the Supercross.

“Had it not been for an unfortunate injury suffered by Dusty Klatt at the end of the season, we would have had the top ten Canadian Championship Series riders in the Montréal lineup,” explained Montréal Supercross Executive Producer Pierre Corbeil. “However, with the return of Jean-Sébastien Roy, who is in great form for his last Montréal Supercross, will face off against young Colton Faciotti and the presence of American riders Jason Thomas and Ryan Clark, winners at the 2005 and 2007 Supercross, we will have several serious contenders for the overall win. This is going to be one of the most spectacular finales in quite some time.”

American riders have won four of the last five Montreal Supercross grand finales, but this year, a Canadian rider is favorite to win the main event, Colton Faciotti. The 20-year-old Yamaha rider just completed his best season ever in the Canadian Championship Series, winning 15 of the 16 MotoX races he entered. Colton easily captured the MX1 national title with a margin of 62 points ahead of Dusty Klatt. Faciotti, who will represent Canada at the Motocross of Nations at Donington, England on September 28th, has already reached the Supercross MX1 finale three times. The Aldergrove, BC rider has already made his mark in Montréal in the MX2 class finishing respectively 4th, 2nd, 1st, 2nd and 3rd since 2003. The other Canadian rider ranked amongst the favorites in Montréal is Tyler Medaglia of Kemptville, Ontario who finished third in this year’s MX1 final point standings. Even though he is short on MX1 class experience, the Suzuki rider has been impressive this year after graduating from the MX2 class. Winner of the Supercross MX2 finale last year, he will also defend his title this September 20th.

Faciotti is a member of the championship winning Toyota/Yamaha Blackfootdirect.com/Fox racing team based in Calgary, Alberta with teammates JS Roy and veteran rider Blair Morgan from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Following a difficult 2007 campaign, Morgan rebounded in 2008 with a strong season finishing fourth overall in the MX1 class. The 32-year-old Morgan, who is also a multiple snowcross snowmobile champion, would undoubtedly like to savor success in Montréal.

Faciotti, Roy, Morgan, Medaglia, the Canadian favorites in the upcoming event, will have to keep a close eye on two American veterans who recorded wins at the Olympic Stadium in 2005 and 2007: Honda riders Jason Thomas from Florida and Ryan Clark from Arizona. Of the two, Thomas has been the most prolific in Montreal, also finishing second three times in 2000, 2006 and 2007. Other American riders coming to the September 20th Supercross include Californian riders Jeff Northrup (KTM), seventh in the 2008 Canadian MX1 standings, and Eric Nye (KTM), the 2008 MX2 class Canadian champion, as well as Yamaha rider Daniel Blair. Ohio riders Jeff Gibson (Kawasaki), who finished eighth in the 2008 Canadian MX1 standings, and Michael Willard (Yamaha), the 2007 CMRC MX2 East Canadian champion, will also offer strong opposition to the Canadian favorites.

Other Canadian riders that have been invited to the Supercross include Honda rider Kyle Keast of Lindsay, Ontario, fifth in the final MX1 championship, and Quebec rider Simon Homans, who despite running as an independent rider on a limited budget, captured several podiums on his way to a sixth-place finish overall with his Yamaha bike. Tim Tremblay (KTM), another Québec rider will also enter the Supercross despite missing most of the season due to an injury. “It will be interesting to see what our young up and coming Québec riders, Marc-Antoine Généreux and Kaven Benoît will do against the favorites and some of the veterans in their first opportunity to run in the MX1 class. They have the skills, they both had a very good racing season, and I am sure they want to impress the crowd,” concluded Corbeil.

A total of 50 riders will try to qualify for the MX1 finale, but only the top 25 will make the start.

For the third consecutive year, KTM Canada will offer 15 young Canadians aged 7 and 8, a once in a lifetime opportunity to live a unique experience at the Montréal Supercross. The KTM Mini Star program will allow these young Canadians a chance to experience life as an SX rider on September 20th, from the moment they arrive at the Olympic Stadium in the morning until the conclusion of the event that night. The 15 young rug-rats, under the supervision of the KTM Canada racing team personnel, will also have a chance to meet top pros. They will receive a complete KTM/Thor riding outfit before they get acquainted with the KTM SX Junior bike they are going to ride that evening at the Supercross.

The Montréal Supercross, presented by Coors and Parts Canada, is one of Québec’s major summer sporting events at the Olympic Stadium with over 50,000 fans coming from all parts of Québec and Eastern Ontario flocking to the site. More than 150 riders from Canada, the USA and Europe are invited each year by the organizers to showcase their riding skills and title ambitions to an audience of young and old, families and friends.

Tickets are on sale and can be ordered online at www.admission.com, or by telephone by calling 514 790-1245 or 1 800 361-4595.  Alternatively tickets can be purchased directly at the Olympic Stadium ticket office and at participating motorcycle dealers.  Prices range from $12.50, $18.50, $26.50 to $36.50.

www.montrealsupercross.com