Although there is no official award for the Team Manager of the Year, if there was we believe it would have to go to Red Bull Fox Royal Distributing KTM Team Manager Andy White. While he wasn’t able to secure a championship in 2013, how he managed to keep his team motivated in the face of so much adversity was amazing. First there was the injury in the off season to Dusty Klatt, then Colton Facciotti went down with an injury, and then to top it all off Kaven Benoit crashed before round five and broke his ankle. All of these riders were championship contenders in 2013. We caught up with Andy to get his thoughts on how he managed to get through this past summer.
Even with all the adversity that his team went through in 2013, Andy White managed to keep a smile on his face.
Q: Good Morning Andy how was your long weekend?
A: It was good. I went to the provincial on Sunday in Deschambault so that was good. We had Jesse Wentland there racing and he ended up doing really well. He’s been a great addition to the team this summer.
Q: I thought the Deschambault National was amazing this year. Was the promoter happy with everything?
A: Yes, I actually spoke to him this weekend about it and he was really happy with how it went. We talked about a few improvements for 2014 like a little more parking and having someone at the front gate who is bilingual, but other than that it was great. I think they had over 6000 spectators there on Sunday so the attendance was great. We’re looking forward to going back there next year.
Q: That’s really good news. Okay, let’s talk about this summer. I know Pat O’Connor won both championships so it’s close, but I think you win the team manager of the year for all the adversity you had to deal with. How did you do it and not go insane?
A: You’re assuming that I didn’t go insane? (laughs). First off, congratulations to Pat and the Leading Edge team, they did an awesome job this summer and they deserved to win both classes. As far as our team goes, it was a really tough year as you know. We were up and then down on more than one occasion which made it tough to keep everyone moving forward. I think the entire team also deserves a ton of credit. The mechanics did an awesome job, all the riders, just everyone, I couldn’t be more proud of our team.
Colton Facciotti came out at round one in Nanaimo and completely dominated both motos. Unfortunately the next weekend he would get injured and would be done for the season.
Q: You came into Nanaimo very well prepared this year. Klatt got injured during the off season so you brought in Tyler Medaglia to ride MX1 alongside Colton. So you had two really strong riders in MX1 and Kaven Benoit in MX2. You guys came out swinging at round one.
A: Yes, we were very well prepared to start the season. Colton and Kaven had trained hard and tested hard during the off season. We brought in Tyler after Dusty got injured and he loved the bike right away and adapted to it well. Also, when we found out that our competition was bringing in a rider of Brett Metcalfe’s stature, I think it really motivated our guys to make sure they were completely prepared. We left no stone unturned and I think it showed in Nanaimo as Colton went out and dominated.
We knew Tyler would get better as the series went on and we also knew that if Kaven could get through the west in one piece then he would be strong in the east. So going into Kamloops we were ready to go and feeling very confident as a team. Of course, this being the sport of motocross, anything can happen and it certainly did that day. Whomever you blame the incident on, the fact was that in a matter of moments Colton went from being a MX1 championship contender to being done for the season. I think the series, the fans, our team, and the sport in general got robbed that day of what could’ve been an incredible battle all summer between Colton and Metcalfe.
Q: That day in Kamloops was awful for everyone involved. It’s definitely days like that when a team manager really earns their money. I mean, Colton is on his way to the hospital and your entire team knows the gravity of the situation, but you still have two riders under the tent that have a chance to win. How did you keep everyone focused?
A: You’re right, situations like that are tough parts of the job, but if you’ve done your job correctly then you’ve hired the right personnel. Everyone knows that no matter what happens they still have a job to do. Yes, it was awful what happened to Colton but once we knew his injuries weren’t life threatening and he was on his way to the hospital, we still had two more motos to prepare for. The time for venting is at the end of the day when the racing is done. Everyone on the team handled that day in a professional way and when it was over we vented that night, and then we started preparing for Calgary.
After Facciotti went down with his injury, Tyler Medaglia welcomed the added pressure of being the team’s lone hope for a MX1 title.
Q: After Colton went down you must have been really thankful that you made the decision to bring Tyler Medaglia to the team?
A: Definitely. Looking back, it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made. Tyler is a true professional, he works hard and he never gives up. He can also perform under intense pressure, as we saw at Walton a few weeks ago, so when Colton went down Tyler knew that he was the man and you could see in his demeanour that he didn’t mind at all. For him to finish the battle all season and finish third and be the top Canadian in the MX1 class really showed how much character Tyler Medaglia has.
Q: Tyler is a warrior for sure and his third was very well earned. Just before Gopher Dunes you made the decision to bring on Cole Thompson. How did that come about?
A: Well, after Kamloops we wanted to stay focused on the remaining western rounds and then deal with maybe bringing in another rider. At the time there were a few guys that we could’ve brought in but they had to be able to fit what we’re trying to do. While we’re not against bringing in an American rider (as you saw with Jesse Wentland), we’re very proud of the fact that our team is made up of the best that Canada has to offer.
I had Cole Thompson on my radar for some time and I knew that at maybe at some point he would want to come back to Canada to race. I know not a lot of people know this and I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but it was you that really put the bug in my ear after Edmonton and got us to start talking seriously about him riding for us, so I want to thank you. Once Cole tried the bike, he loved it and he wanted to take it to Red Bud to race, even though he only had a few days on it. He was riding Colton’s race bike with only minor changes to it so it worked great for both sides.
Once he got racing our series, things were great. He got us some wins, which gave our sponsors some added exposure. He fit in really well with the team and he was a real pleasure to work with. There’s always a risk in bringing someone in halfway through the season, but Cole and Jesse were great and I’m glad we were able to make it happen.
This is exactly what Andy White wanted to see when he brought Cole Thompson to the team for the second half of the season.
Q: I thought it was important for everyone involved to have Cole back racing our series. He was fun to watch in the east. Are the chances good that we’ll see Cole on a KTM in supercross next year?
A: We’re talking about it now to see if we can make it work. Supercross is extremely important to him and he does really well at it so we want to help him as much as we can. All he needs is a good bike and some support. He doesn’t need the rig there or a huge team, so I think we’ll be able to get something done that will see him with us for 2014.
Q: To see Cole riding KTMs again in 2014 both in Supercross and outdoors in Canada would be awesome. My final question to you Andy is about the MXON. The last few years we’ve seen a varied level of support for the event from the manufacturers, but this year you have two of your riders going and the excitement seems to be building. You must be getting excited for the event.
A: Yes, we’re very excited to go to Germany. At one point this year the team might have been made up of all KTM riders but I think Jeremy is an excellent choice and will do us proud. The bikes are ready and are currently on their way to Germany. The guys will have their full race bikes so equipment won‘t be an issue. I like our team. All three riders have proved that they can handle pressure and they aren’t afraid to be aggressive. We’re going to have great support over there and I think we’re going to do well. I know the competition is going to be tough but I don’t see why we can’t finish in the top ten.
Tyler Medaglia rewarded his team with a hard fought third overall in the MX1 Series. He will be along side his brother Jeremy and Cole Thompson when they represent Canada at the 2013 MXON in Germany later this month.
Q: We’re sure that you guys will do Canada proud. Andy thanks for your time. Enjoy the off season and we hope everyone is healthy and ready to go in 2014.
A: Thank you. I would like to thank all of our sponsors and our fans for their support this year. We plan to come back strong in 2014 and hopefully win two championships.