Honda Canada Racing Presents MXP Chatter With Dylan Wright

Heading into this weekend’s opening round of the 2019 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown AXTour in Abbotsford, BC, one of the favourites to win the 250 Pro class is Honda GDR Fox Racing rider Dylan Wright. After a slow start in last season’s AXTour, Dylan came on strong during the MXTour and ended up winning multiple races. With the AXTour beginning more than a month later than it did in 2018, Dylan has had plenty of time to prepare for this series. We caught up with Honda Canada’s top 250 rider as he was getting ready to jump on a plane and head for Round 1 in Abbotsford.

MXP: Well, after months training it’s finally time to go racing. How are you feeling?

DW: Yeah, like you said, it’s hard to believe that it’s already time to go racing to be honest, but I am excited to get things going this weekend in Abbotsford for the first round of the Triple Crown. Like you said I have been down south in the Florida-Georgia area, first off at Mike Alessi’s place and then here at GPF for some time now getting ready for the season. Honestly, I am feeling very prepared and confident heading into this weekend. I know that I have done my homework on and off the bike, and feeling very comfortable. For a change I am feeling very relaxed this week heading into the first round. I am changing nothing in my riding and training schedule to get ready for the weekend as I am really comfortable with my program. But, that being said, I don’t even know if I realize that the race is really this weekend, as I have been grinding all week. LOL

You’ve been down south for a while now, have you been working on different things or just training?

Yeah, during this off-season, I did a lot of studying on my riding and reflected on last year to find spots where I can improve. At the level we are at, sometimes it’s hard to go out and work on just one thing when you’re focused on going as fast as possible. But this off-season has been different; I have brought it back to the fundamentals with a few things and really tried to pick out the small stuff that I can improve on. I feel like I have made some pretty big changes on the bike this winter and I am really starting to see the benefits. Now if I told you everything I have been working on I may just give away some secrets, but hopefully they will pay off.

Yes, please keep some of it secret. You haven’t raced a lot of indoor events during your career so far, are you starting to feel more comfortable on the tight stuff?

Yeah, I mean on paper I haven’t really done too many indoor races in the past, but it is something that I have put more focus than ever into.  For me just doing tons of laps on it has really helped me figure it out. I am a pretty good jumper, so for me any rhythm section on a supercross track doesn’t really scare me and I find it the easiest part about the supercross stuff. For me I think just linking the different sections of the track together was probably one of the hardest parts. That being said I am feeling very comfortable on it. If I can race like I have been practicing, I’m looking forward to the results I may be able to get.

I’m pretty sure that if you were racing back in the 1990’s I would’ve hated racing against you. Are you at all aware that the other riders in the 250 class don’t like racing against you? (laughs)

(laughs) I mean, I know some guys don’t exactly love racing against me but not all of them. That being said, I am friends with pretty much every guy on the gate. Racing for us guys is our job, and we’re getting paid to get results, so every time I’m out there you can be sure I am going to try to get the best result possible. When we’re on the track, I am so focused on racing that everything else gets blocked out. Yes, I have been known to be a little aggressive at times, but honestly to me that’s real racing and that’s what the fans want to see. If I’m trying to make a pass and I see a spot that I think I can make it happen, yes I am going to make that move. The ultimate goal is to win and I do everything possible to put myself in the best position I can to win. Honestly, the fact that people may not like to race me is really a compliment because that means I’m doing something right.

I guess I should follow that up by stating that off the track everyone likes you! I guess that is how it should be.

Yeah, that’s exactly it and that’s how I want it to be. When we’re off the track, I try to be very nice and outgoing with everybody, that’s my personality. I like to be friends with everyone at the track. I am totally okay with not being liked on the track because I may or may not be taking someone’s paycheck away with being in front of them. Like I said, if I’m not liked I’m most likely doing something right, and that’s motivating.

Each year you’ve been gaining experience and making less mistakes on the track. Does 2019 feel like your year?

I definitely feel like this year is my year, for sure. The new 2019 Honda 250R is a great bike and I’ve been feeling great on it this off-season. I also feel like I have made some improvements with my riding and you will see that come Round 1. I am very excited to see what the season has in store for me this year. You know that I am going to give it my all every time I’m on the track, and hopefully by the end of the year, that’s enough to be holding the number one plate over my head.

What are your plans for these western AX events? Are you staying out west or flying back to GPF in between?

I will be flying back to GPF the week between to continue training and riding. We will only have the one bike on the semi so it’s best for me to make the trip back here. That being said, I am flying out a day early on Thursday instead of Friday to do some dealer signings in Calgary.

Is the plan to try to be consistent during these first two rounds or are you just going for it?

Good question! I’m going to have to wait and see what the tracks look like when we get out there. But I mean it’s AX, if you want to win, you don’t really have a choice but to hang it out. You can always count on me giving it my all every time that gate drops, but consistency is a big thing that I want to have this year.

I know you love racing and being at the race track but what type of things do you like to do away from the track?

Away from the track I enjoy mountain biking, cycling and going to the gym. These fit into my daily training routine, but I enjoy doing them. Apart from training, I do like to relax at home with my girlfriend and our two dogs, or go on walks and hikes with the pups. One other thing I did start doing this off-season and I have really liked is boxing. It’s a great workout and I find it really fun and challenging. I am really looking forward to getting home and getting back into that.

If you weren’t racing dirt bikes right now, what do you think you’d be doing?

That’s another great question Palms, and I often ask myself that, to be honest. I think that I would probably be finishing up some sort of university degree. I was always pretty good in school, so I feel like that probably is what I’d be into right about now LOL.

What it is like being teammates with 5-time Canadian Champion Colton Facciotti? Most of us see his serious side at the races, but he’s pretty chill away from the track isn’t he?

Honestly, being teammates with Colt has been nothing short of awesome. I have had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with him on and off the bike, and I enjoy both of them just as much. He is such an awesome guy, he is always there for me when I need help with anything and is always willing to literally give me the shirt off his back. At the races all you see is him in his race day seriousness, but a lot of people mistake his personality from what they see on race day. Race day is our one day to shine and he makes sure everything that needs to be done is done and he’s just focused on being the best he can be on that day! When you pull him aside from race day, he is so chill and down to earth, it’s crazy! To be honest, he has been a huge help in my program and has helped me out a bunch with my riding and pointing out some spots where I may improve on. All in all, he is just such a solid guy and I don’t have enough good things to say about him.

Of all the things that you’ve learned from Colton, what would you say is the biggest?

The biggest thing I have learned from Colton is probably the details that he puts into every practice day. He makes sure that his bike is 100% ready to go all the time he is on the track and has it exactly like his race bike. And when we are on the track you have to always be working on something instead of just putting pointless laps in. This has helped me out soo much, and it is something I still work on every day!

Going back to when you got hit by the car while road biking with Mike Alessi, what exactly happened and have you recovered?

So, what happened was that Mike, Brandon and I were cycling on a street not too far from Mike’s house. We had been on this road many times. We were actually doing five minute intervals of pulling and drafting. I had just finished my five minutes of pulling and got switched to the back before the intersection where the accident occurred. Then as we passed the intersection, a girl ran a stop sign and T-boned me as I was still clipped into my bicycle. As you can imagine, when she hit me, I went flying over the bars, my wheels blew off on impact and I hit the pavement super hard. I actually ended up knocking myself out and was laying in the middle of the road for a bit with cars coming head on. Luckily, Brandon and Mike were able to get them stopped in time or it could’ve been much worse. After, the police were called and I got checked out and got a ride home from Mike’s wife, Danielle. I was pretty beat up for a while, but I’m alright now and have been back out cycling many times on a new Marin bike.

That is such a scary story, especially for people who go and cycle on a regular basis. Final question, where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years I see myself in the title hunt in the 450 class, with hopefully some tittles already under my belt! I would also like that 250 title too this year so I will throw that in as well. Other than that, I am happy with where I am at in life and will continue to push myself everyday to not only be better on the bik bnut also a better person in general.

Thank-you for doing this Dylan. Good luck this weekend!

Thank you very much!