“Flights are booked for SLC, hopefully all the paperwork is done or I’ll be watching. Haha”
That is the text I received this morning from our newly crowned MX1 Champion Colton Facciotti when I asked him about racing the final round of the AMA Nationals in Salt Lake City, UT this weekend. With some luck, Colton will be filling in for Malcolm Stewart this weekend on the TLD Honda Team, a bike and gear company that he’s obviously very familiar with.
I feel that this summer Colton really has put himself on the map in the motocross world, not that he wasn’t before, it’s just this summer he had eyes on him from all over the planet. With Mike Alessi unjustly being the rider that people love to hate, the flip side of this was that Colton Facciotti became the rider to cheer for. In fact, when I was down in California this past summer I spoke with a few past and present factory riders and they all inquired about how Colton’s season was going. When I told them that he was riding great and leading the points, a huge smile came across their faces.
So how will Colton do this weekend against America’s (and Germany’s) best? It’s very hard to say as the bike, the competition and the entire landscape will be different for our Champ. While Colton’s results could be anywhere from top five to top fifteen, one thing that is for sure is that Colton’s style and grace on a motorcycle will be a welcomed sight in SLC. Think about it, how many riders down there in the 450 class ride a dirt bike as effortlessly as Colton? Roczen (yes), Dungey (for sure), Reed (without a doubt), but beyond that I think Colton’s smooth style will have more than one person shaking their head.
Hopefully the swagger that Colton has had all summer follows him to Utah this weekend. In all my years of racing and now observing this sport, I’ve never seen anyone quite like him. This summer, despite being in the midst of a championship battle with one of the sports’ fiercest adversaries, Colton remained laid back and as ice cool as a fighter pilot. Even on the starting line while most riders were fidgeting like they were addicted to caffeine, Colton could be seen yawning as if he was about to go for yet another stroll through a park. In his mind, maybe that’s exactly what he was about to do. However, when the gate dropped he was as intense as anyone on the track and I think his results certainly back that up.
This weekend will no doubt feel a little different for Colton, however as the saying goes, this isn’t his first rodeo. Regardless of what happens on Saturday, it won’t change the fact that this past summer we saw Colton at his absolute best. His errors were few and far between, he took what each track gave him and did the best with it, and in the end he straight up beat one of the best outdoor riders on earth. Not too bad for a guy who was laying on the ground in Kamloops last summer doubting his future in the sport. As I said, whatever happens this weekend Colton Facciotti is already our MX1 Champion, a Team Canada MXoN Member, and most importantly a father to be. I’d say it’s been a pretty good year for Team Facciotti; the race on Saturday isn’t going to change that one iota. Good Luck this weekend Colton!