After a very successful 2012 season, which saw Dusty Klatt earn the number three plate on his KTM, Dusty was very motivated and excited for the 2013 season. However, during an off-season arenacross race, Klatt suffered a very serious knee injury that has kept him out of racing this year. As we are approaching the halfway point of the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Klatt has been training hard and is ready to make a comeback next weekend at Gopher Dunes. We tracked him down in Nova Scotia as he continues to prepare for his long awaited return.
Q: Hey Dusty, you’ve been training out east for a few weeks now. How are things going?
A: Things are good, the knee is good so far and my training has been going good. The weather has been a little inconsistent here in Nova Scotia but that’s life. It’s funny, I came here to train in the heat and now I see it’s really hot back home in BC, so I can’t seem to win.
Q. This has definitely been a crazy year for weather, that’s for sure. When did you decide to head east to train and to get ready for you come back?
A: Well, the plan always was to come here and prepare for the eastern nationals. I did it last year and it worked out really well. As you know, in the east you get so much humidity and it can be really hard to race in those conditions. In BC we can get heat but not so much humidity. Since I am coming back from my knee injury I just thought it would be a good idea to come here early and train with Tyler Medaglia and get ready.
Q: So I guess the golden question is how is the knee doing?
A: It’s really good actually, it’s feeling stronger all the time and so far it has reacted well to my training. At first it was a little tender and stiff, but gradually it has come around. I think I was a little scared at first to stick it out in a corner and risk getting it twisted, but that’s just natural stuff when you’re coming back from an injury like this.
Q: I was speaking with Adam Turner in Edmonton and he said that you were running and doing really well. I guess if you can run that’s a real positive sign?
A: Yes for sure, I’ve actually been running on it for a while and it seems to be okay. There is still a little bit of fluid in my knee, which is really a pain, but we’re dealing with it. I guess that happens with this type of injury. Other than that, everything is good. Tyler and I have been training hard, and since we ride together all the time, I have a good gauge of where I’m at on the bike. Conditioning wise I feel great, I just need to get back racing.
Q: Was your injury just a torn ACL or was there other damage?
A: No, it was a straight ACL tear, no other damage. I guess I was lucky that way but it still was a really bad deal. I was just racing one of those arenacrosses in BC in the winter and got a little sideways in one of the sections. When I put my foot out, it hit the ground and I felt a real strong pop! That was it, a torn ACL.
I was lucky enough to have a real good doctor on the Island so once the swelling went down he got me in for surgery pretty quick. After that it was just rehab and dealing with the pain in the first few weeks after surgery.
Q: Is that type of injury pretty painful?
A: In the weeks after my surgery it was probably the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. Every day and every night it was the same thing: wake up, take some meds, ice my knee and deal with it. It was awful and hopefully I never have to go through that again.
Q: Thankfully you’re a tough BC kid. Once the pain went away, was your first thought to get back on the bike?
A: Yes, one of things I was able to do after the surgery was get on my spin bike fairly soon to get the blood flowing and get the range of motion going. I really think that was important in the healing process and I think that is one of the reasons it feels so good now.
Q: So I guess the next big questions is when will we see you back at the track?
A: The plan is to be at Gopher Dunes next weekend and get at it. Originally the plan was to maybe sit out Gopher and let the knee rest more because at that track it’s easy to get out of shape and you have to stick your leg out. However, I’ve been out long enough so I just want to get back on the track.
Q: Gopher is a track that you can stand up a lot and get into a rhythm pretty easily. Would that be good for you?
A: For sure, I’ve always enjoyed the sand and I do feel like I’m a smooth rider. Hopefully I can go out and ride my own race and also finish well. I am really confident in my fitness and I love the 2013 KTM 450 so I think the final five rounds will be good.
Q: Well Dusty, I know I speak for everyone when I say this, you’ve been missed at the track. Also, it’s going to be awesome to see you back racing. Thanks for doing this and we’ll see you at Gopher Dunes.
A: Thank you very much. Like I said, I’m very excited to get back to the races and show what I can do.
