MXP Chatter: Brett Metcalfe

There have been a few international champions over the years in Canadian motocross; names like Doug Dubach, Paul Carpenter and Matt Goerke have all graced the top spot on the podium. This summer, the 2013 Monster Energy Motocross Nationals continued its attraction of global riders by having Australian Brett Metcalfe ride in the MX1 class. At every round of the series Metcalfe put on a show. Sometimes he would holeshot and take the win, and sometimes he had to battle from the back of the pack. In both instances he entertained fans with his riding on the track and also his professionalism off the track. No one had more time for the fans than Metcalfe. We caught up with him moments after he was crowned the 2013 MX1 Champion.

Q: Hey Brett, I’m sure you didn’t want to finish off the season with a fifth in the final moto, but it wasn’t from a lack of trying. Can you take us through that second moto.

A: For sure, I really wanted to win that moto and finish the year off right, but the track was really hard to pass on so it took a while to find a spot to try and get around Bobby. I had a place all picked out to make my move, all I had to do was be close to him through the tree section. Unfortunately I hit a rut that was really deep and tipped over. After that I tried to get around Tyler but ran out of time and had to settle for fifth.

Q: I noticed you were really trying new lines. You had one on the outside before the sand section but on this track it looked like all the lines ended up coming together.

A: Yes, that was kind of the deal with this track. You could try a new line coming into a corner but you would end up right behind the guy coming out. With the track being so tight it was tough to get a run on someone. Like I said, I thought I had a spot to get Bobby but I made a mistake; that’s racing.

Q: Overall how do you feel right now with the series? I mean obviously you feel great because you won the championship, but just with everything, your comeback from injuries, coming to a new country to race for a championship, it all worked out for you.

A: It’s hard to reflect on it right now because we’re still at the track and it’s still fresh, but in the next few weeks when I get home and it settles in, I’m sure I’m going to feel great. When I sat down and made a plan about what I wanted to do this year, this is exactly how I wanted it to play out. I was coming off some tough injuries, I needed to come here with no distractions and try to win a championship, and here we are. I’ve honestly had a great time racing in Canada this summer and who knows, I might be back here in the future.

Q: You seemed to have really embraced this experience. Not only has your riding been great but you’ve been a class act off the track as well.

A: Well thanks, I appreciate that. Right from round one, this series and this country reminded me of being back in Australia so I really did feel at home here. The people are great, the tracks are good and I think that’s a big part of why I had such a great time here this summer.
I’ve raced in the States for over ten years and although it’s the place where everyone wants to race, the racing is tough and sometimes it’s not that fun. Coming up here everyone is a little more relaxed. The people who run the series work hard to make it the best it can be and I really appreciate what they do. Like I said, this series has a real Aussie feel to it so I’m very comfortable here.

Q: Now that the series is over, do you know what the next few months have in store for you?

A: Well, next weekend I have the national in Elsinore. It’s only ten minutes from my house so I’m looking forward to that. After that I hope to head over to Germany to race for Australia at the MXON, then maybe we’ll do the Monster Cup, I’m not sure. Honestly, I haven’t given much thought to it because I’ve been so focused on this championship. The USA races that I’ve done have taken a lot of effort just to get myself there, so in the next few weeks we’ll sit down and make a plan.

Q: Speaking of the USA races that you’ve been doing, your results there have been great.

A: Yes, they’ve really gone well and it’s been fun to do them. Where I’ve been finishing is kind of where I figured I would fit in if I did the entire series so that’s cool. I also think I’ve given this series in Canada some more credibility. Everyone sees where I finish in the USA and then they see that it’s not like I’m walking away with things here, so they know how fast the guys are here.

Q: One last question and then you can go and celebrate. I saw Unadilla on television the other day. Was that track as hard to race on as it looked?

A: Oh man, it was so tough. They got a lot of rain just before the event so the track really got rutted; they were so deep and were just running everywhere. Plus the track itself was pretty high speed so you really had to stay focused or you would’ve ended up on the ground for sure. This track had a few ruts that were like that today. It’s just a lot tighter than the Unadilla track so the speeds weren’t as high.

Q: Well, thanks Brett for this and thanks for everything all season.

A: No problem, it really has been my pleasure to be up here. Everyone has been really good to me.

Q: Congratulations on being the 2013 MX1 Champion. Enjoy the off season.

A: Thanks Chris, I’m really going to cherish this one.