Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
After a great showing at Anaheim 1, Cole Thompson gives us his thoughts on how his day went at Angel Stadium. Photo by James Lissimore
Going into Anaheim on Saturday I felt like I was prepared the best I could be, racing Arenacross during the fall, riding Supercross since September, things were looking good. However, on Wednesday I came down with a bit of a stomach bug. That, along with the rain out here in California gave me zero time on my new race bike, and it definitely added to the first race jitters. As Saturday arrived, I went into the day with an open mind as I did not know what the track was going to be like with all the rain we had in the past week. Being that it was my first Supercross race since Houston SX April 2014, my plan was to just try and get through the first round without any incidents.
Showing up to the track I was pleasantly surprised with the whole Slaton Racing KTM Team and the new set up, so many people were working hard to help me have the best day possibly. Heading down for track walk I started to get that anxious excitement, I have raced at the Angel Stadium before, but never for A1, there is such a different vibe at this race. All of those questions about who has put in the work, and who are the top guys going to be, all come to a head in one day of racing.
Cole Thompson looked great at the opening round in Anaheim and rode to a very smooth 18th in the Lites main event. Photo by Frank Hoppen
After doing the track walk and seeing that the it was in good condition, I was looking forward to first practice. I was slotted in “A” practice, from my previous years of racing SX, so I was pumped on that and I knew that I would be able to pace off the top guys. Free practice went well, I was kind of using that practice to get used to the race bike as well as trying to learn the track. Even with that, I was still able to put in some good laps and get up to speed with the factory riders.
Going into timed practice I had a game plan set in mind. However, I still wasn’t completely comfortable with my set up and I couldn’t get through some of the tougher rhythms the way I wanted, although I still managed 12th fastest so I was happy with that. After that practice, we get a bit of a break, so my team and I went over my times, the sections I needed to improve on and we made a new plan for practice two. This break between practices is always good, you get to meet up with some of the fans, some which are familiar faces, as well take the time to make adjustments to the bike. In the second timed practice I was so much more comfortable with the bike and the track, I was in the mix for a top ten time the whole practice, and was able to start getting the tougher lines in the rhythms sections figured out, I ended up qualifying 13th overall, but was very close to top 5 pace. This would put me into Heat 2, which I preferred as it would give me a chance to watch a gate drop and see how the race lines would shake down. Finally it was my time to go and I was obviously very excited for my night of racing to begin. I had been waiting a long time for this and I just tried to block out the fact that it is the biggest race of the year and with the biggest crowd.
Even with limited time on his race bike, Cole looked very comfortable at A1 as he battled with the top riders in the Lites class. Photo by Frank Hoppen
The gate dropped and I got off to a great start, right up with my buddy and #1 guy Cooper Webb. Seeing him kind of calmed my nerves a bit and my first lap I was able to pace with him and Joey Savatgy. But then the first race jitters kicked in hard and the thoughts of making it into the main clean popped into my head. So I started to tighten up and rode a safe race to finish 6th and received a direct transfer to the main, which was a huge weight off my shoulders. Heading into the Main event, I knew exactly what needed to be done, I needed a good start, sprint hard for five laps and then backed that up with ten mistake free laps.
Unfortunately, I threw that right out the window five feet off the line by getting cross rutted and tangling with the guy next to me. I tried to weasel through the inside and make up some spots and it seemed to work out, that is until I got tangled with another rider which put me a solid 15 seconds behind the whole pack. From there I just focused at putting in solid laps and hitting all the sections perfect. I caught up to the pack and mixed it up with some of the guys, but I ended up stalling my bike and losing even more time. By the end of the main event I was a lap down and in18th place, not at all where I wanted to be. I may not have finished where I planned, but I learned so much and I’m going to take this week to improve all my weaknesses. I appreciate all the support from back home and I’m very proud to have a whole country behind me. See you guys in San Diego!!
Cole and his Slaton Racing KTM looked great, along with his brand new limited edition 2016 Fox gear. Photo by Frank Hoppen
