After a great 2013 Supercross Series, Cole Thompson entered the AMA Outdoor Nationals a little tired and burnt out. While he has been riding well in a very stacked 450 class, his results haven’t been what he’d hope and the young Sarnia native needed something fresh. With KTM Canada having more bad luck this summer than you can shake a stick at, Andy White and company sensed a good opportunity to go after Cole for the remaining rounds of the Monster Energy MX Nationals. Within a week the deal was done and now Cole is the newest member of the Red Bull Royal Distributing Fox KTM Team. Here is what Cole had to say on the deal:
Q: Hey Cole, we heard you were at Gopher Dunes practicing today, how was that?
A: It was really good actually. The track was rough and there were some pretty fast riders there so it was worth going for sure.
Q: It must have been good to get some practice on that track before this weekend. Let’s talk about Red Bud. How did your KTM debut go?
A: Red Bud went really well. I’m obviously still getting used to a new bike and a new set up, but considering all of that I’m happy with the weekend. In moto one on Saturday I struggled a little bit with some line choices and flow. I would pass guys and then make a mistake and they’d get me back, but I still managed to finish 16th. In moto two, I felt a lot better and had a real good moto going. I think I was around 14th and then I had a small bolt back out on the sub frame. I couldn’t ride with it like that so that was my day.
Q: Considering you’ve been on Hondas forever and you can go to a major race like Red Bud and finish that well on a bike you’ve been on for a week, I think that speaks volumes about your riding and how good the KTM 450 is.
A: Yes, I’ve been on Hondas a long time. I was pretty comfortable on them, but I really like the KTM! We pretty much ran Colton’s set up at Red Bud. I switched bars but that was about it, so to go there and feel comfortable was pretty cool.
Q: Do you feel like the KTM shares a lot of the same handling characteristics as your Hondas?
A: The KTM actually feels a lot like my 2012 Honda and I really like that bike. The new Honda 450 is a little different but as soon as I got on the KTM I was pretty happy because it reminded me of my 2012 Honda. It didn’t take me much time to adapt to the new KTM. That’s why we decided to go to Red Bud. I felt so good on the bike that I wanted to get a race under my belt before Gopher Dunes.
Q: You’ve had offers before to ride in Canada but up until now it hasn’t worked out. Why now, why KTM?
A: I just think the timing is right at the moment and I feel like this is something I needed in my program right now. Going into the AMA Outdoor Series I had already raced eleven rounds of arenacross and nine rounds of supercross so I wasn’t really that fresh. I was kind of asking myself if I really felt like doing all the driving that is involved and also racing a bike that isn’t quite as good as the top guys.
When KTM called and wanted me to try the bike and maybe race the remaining rounds of the Canadian Nationals, I was pretty excited about it. I just felt like it was time to get on a team and get reenergized for the rest of the season.
Q: You had a great supercross series this year and it would be a shame to walk away from supercross at this point in your career. Could this new deal with KTM maybe turn into something for indoors in 2014?
A: We’re not too sure right now. I would certainly like that to be the case down the road. I love supercross and I don’t want to give that up right now just to race nine rounds in Canada. For 2014, I’d love to have a deal to ride KTMs in supercross during the winter and then come up here and race the entire national series. We’ll see what happens after this summer. Right now the focus is on the final five rounds and I’m really excited about it.
![ct3[1]](http://mxpmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ct31.jpg)
A: Thanks, I hope you’re right. I did have some really good rides indoors, and yes, maybe with a little better bike I could’ve finished better. You’re right about Bowers. He has always been a great rider but when you put that Pro Circuit bike under him, he got that huge boost of confidence; he goes out and wins. Like I said, we’ll see what happens after this summer.
Q: What felt weirder for you at Red Bud: Being on a KTM, having Donk as a mechanic, or not wearing Thor gear?
A: Everything felt a lot different, that’s for sure, except Donk. We worked together in Montreal last year. I can’t even remember the last time I wasn’t wearing Thor gear. It has been a while for sure. The Fox gear felt really good though and it sure looks good.
Q: Well Cole, thanks for doing this and thanks for signing with KTM and making these last five rounds even more exciting. It’s going to be awesome to see you out there battling with all the MX1 riders at Gopher Dunes.
A: Thanks Chris. The plan is to get through this weekend in one piece and then try and get some strong results in the last four rounds. It sure is going be fun and I’d like to thank KTM for this opportunity
