Dusty Klatt Post Season Press Release

Coming into this season, I knew this was going to be my biggest challenge yet. There were some new fresh faces in the MX1 class, and their speed level and consistency was going to make this the toughest year yet for this class.  Luckily for me though, I had done most of the testing with my bike the week leading up to last year’s Montreal SX. The new KTM 450 is an amazing bike. I didn’t even want the year to stop. With this new bike, I was a second and a half (on average) a lap faster, and with some new help added to the team, I felt more determined to win another championship than I had in a very long time

Going through the winter, I decided to do a few arenacross races, something I don’t normally do. But I figured I’d get a little seat time and try to keep some momentum going, coming into this year. The moment I felt that pop in my knee on February 2, I was just in disbelief. So many thoughts immediately began to race through my head: the rehab time needed to come back from ACL surgery is one of the longest; the window until ride time, if I was actually going race, was so short; the money I need to support my family… As tough as it was, even with all that weight pulling me down, I did everything in my power to keep the sharpest and most positive mindset through it all. After getting home I went to see my surgeon right away and he put me to the front of the list for surgery. I had to wait three weeks for the swelling in my knee to go down and then went straight into surgery.

It’s hard to keep the questions out of your head when you know you’re about to go under that knife.

From that point on, through all the ridiculously excruciating amounts of pain, my only thought was, “When can I start back up?!”  I couldn’t stop thinking about moving my leg, standing, walking. By day 3, my stubbornness took over and I was off my crutches, much to the dismay of my surgeon. But I knew that this stubborn, fighting determination swelling inside me was exactly what it was going to take, if I wanted to make an attempt at coming back racing this season.  Between sitting on that couch, bending and icing and going for small walks around the house, it’s enough to make you have a meltdown. The GameReady system Red Bull supplied helped a lot and it was hooked up to my leg for countless hours, day and night. From that point on it was all about looking forward to getting back on the bike.

After all the icing, sitting, walking, first movements and being able to spin the pedals on my spin bike again, I started to feel somewhat like myself. A month before Nanaimo, I was back in the gym, spinning at home, and then towards the end of that month, back on my Devinci going for XC rides (with caution ha).  I only had a short amount of time before I was leaving to train in Nova Scotia for the summer. A good friend and ex-racer,  Mitch Cooke , helped me with a place to stay, but the summer heat and humidity I had travelled so far to train in, had apparently decided not to show up. Lots of rain and muddy tracks are not what you want when coming back with a freshly sliced knee. I got one nice day in and the track was good, only to have more rain. It was like that a lot. Tyler and I would head out together to ride whenever we got the chance.  Building my speed and strength up, while trying to keep my knee safe was a really tough job, both mentally and physically.

Besides riding, I was doing as much as I could, hitting the gym, running, cycling and building XC trails. I had a blast making trails and riding something I’d created. So everyday after riding, Tyler and I would head up and do laps. It was a super tough lay out and the trails never gave you a break or time to catch your breath. Crunch time was just around the corner and I had to decide which track to come back on. I figured if I was really going to test myself, Gopher would be the place to do it. I knew it was going to be the toughest track of the year and the hottest, as usual.

Getting out there for the first time was an awesome feeling, but the track changes there every year. This year was one of the toughest tracks I have seen at Gopher.  Shorter and tighter corners led to choppier big hole bumps, compared to a more sweeping feeling track I had seen in the past. After it was all said and done I ended up 11th. Sure it’s not what I (and my team) wanted, but at the same time, for not even 4 weeks ride time, I was pretty happy with it. I didn’t fall flat on my face like I have there in the past and I knew what I needed to work on.

From there came Sand Del Lee. After moto one, I had to tell myself that from that point on, if you wanna go forward, you’re going to have to forget about the knee, let those worries go and stretch those cables again! In the last moto, I did just that and came out 6th. I felt strong from the beginning to the end of that moto. Then came Deschambault, the place I won my very first MX1 moto in 2004. That was nine years ago, with JSR  and Damon Huffman, and I ended up 2nd behind JSR overall.

The track was fast and fun and I knew it was going to get rough and choppy. I got a good start and was 3rd for about three quarters of the race before I fell back a couple spots. I was starting to feel more like myself, but it was just frustrating, falling back when I should have stayed right there. But I was doing the best I could with the training time I had gotten in. The second moto wasn’t as great. I ended up 7th for 6th overall again.

The next weekend, I was pumped. I had gotten the sand tracks out of the way and I was coming into my element with  Moncton and Walton for the last two. I was really looking forward to smashing a good week in and getting to see my wife, Hanna, who was flying in for probably the best event of the year. The fans there are awesome and most of my closest racing friends live there.

Setting up in practice and feeling my bike out to get it just right for the day, I was feeling good and   ready to start getting back up on the box. In qualifying practice, I hammered out a fast lap and went out to put in another. It was going to be one of my best laps, but with two corners to go, I got the red cross flag. So I threw that lap out the window and went out to try and better that lap time. About 3/4 of a lap in, right in front of my wife and close friend, James Lissimore, I came into a right-handed corner hot and leaned over pretty far. There was only a small 4-inch rut on the inside. I started to rail it,  got halfway through and my toe grabbed the dirt, twisted and then my leg bent back. I felt that sudden rush of pain and heard the sounds from the POP. I instantly stopped, got off my bike and started crawling along the ground, pulling myself forward with my arms. The pain quickly went to the back burner and the frustration , anger and questioning took over, “Why, after all this struggling, fighting and sacrifice,  couldn’t things just work out?” I was yelling at the top of my lungs……. a very angry, frustrated meltdown of sorts….. To me it felt like a moment but my wife assured me it was much longer.

It just goes to show how much love I have for this sport. I never quit. After everything I did to get back to where I was, I got kicked back down to the ground again, and at one of my favourite tracks in the series to boot. That was just one of many things I was thinking while smashing my fists into the ground and letting the f-bombs fly. I didn’t want to be there – on the ground- after all that. I wanted to be out there on the track, ripping it up, getting back up on that box, showing everyone I still have it in me, and most importantly, putting on a wicked show out there for all my fans and supporters. I dragged myself up off the ground and hobbled back to the rig under my own power. Sitting there, getting undressed and getting all my gear off it was the final verdict to see and feel my knee once again. To feel and see that unwanted movement was heartbreaking for sure. Nineteen years with out a knee injury… and then this……second time in one year.

On that note, I’ll take my time to explain that before this season even started, I knew it was going to be my last season as a professional racer in this sport. I knew this even before I had hurt my knee in the first place. That’s why I felt so determined to do whatever it took to win that championship again. The team and I had even joined with PerformX to try and better my performance and I was feeling better than I ever had, before I hurt my knee. Through all of it we stayed positive and were driven to get back to being 100 percent again as soon as possible.

As crappy as I felt, sitting up there in the semi, changing out of my gear for what I knew would be the last time as a pro,  it started to sink in, and honestly if it had to happen, I couldn’t have picked a better place to have it happen in. I have had some of the best races of my life at Moncton and with a jump named after me on the track and a huge supportive fan base, a smile slowly started to come back to my face. I had my wife by my side, a great team, sponsors, the great support of fans and I was still walking … well somewhat anyways.

I would just like to give out a big thanks to everyone in my life who helped me along this awesome journey and dream … A path in life that I took to the fullest… To keep it short and sweet, I’d like to thank Andy white and the KTM Canada Team for helping me in my final years of racing, my long relationship with Red Bull, Oakley, FOX, Joe at SSS, Andrew and PRC, Jason Mitchell for all of my years at Blackfoot, HAF Skate and Tattoo, Devinci, Macneil BMX, my personal trainers, Mia and Todd for their help off the bike and their positive outlook on everything, and last but not least, my family and all of my true supporters and fans who have been behind me over all the years. It’s been a blast! If I missed anyone, you all know who you are, and you’ve all helped make a difference.

Thank you all very much!

So where do I go from here you may ask? I’m starting a new chapter in my life as I work towards getting my welding apprenticeship. I like using my hands, as I do in my art, and I’ll be putting in the hard work this sport has always required.

I have an amazing little family that I need to take care of and I want to be able to give them every opportunity in life they dream about. I would still like to teach and help other riders, maybe run riding schools and help riders learn, making them safer and better racers. Racing has been my life for 19 years (13 years pro) and I would love to stay in touch with some of my personal sponsors, if possible to help grow their up and coming athletes, with my knowledge of racing and training. I’d also like to do some mountain bike events this coming year and maybe get a little more into that sport for fun and to keep my competitive edge.

Thank you Canadian motocross: I built a career I could only have dreamt about and it was a great time.

Once again, thank you. It’s been an amazing trip and a great chapter of my life. See you at the races.

Dusty Klatt