MXP Chatter With Cole Thompson

On the eve of his first race of 2016, Slaton Racing KTM rider and young Canadian hero Cole Thompson is understandably anxious. Not only he is getting ready to compete against some of the most talented young Supercross riders on the planet this weekend in Anaheim, but with the very unsettled weather that California has been experiencing this week, who knows what conditions the riders will have to face on Saturday night? However, for as apprehensive as Cole is, he is also very confident as he’s been preparing for this moment since the outdoor season ended in August. We gave Cole a call on Thursday morning to see exactly how he’s feeling and how’s he has managed to stay dry this week.

MXP: Good morning Cole, I guess it’s pretty early out there. How are things?

CT: Things are pretty good, I’ve been awake for a while trying to find a track that might be dry enough to ride today. So far though I’m not having any luck, even the sand tracks are too wet.

Let’s talk about the weather for a minute. Obviously the rain this week in California is a big story line as we head into the opening round. Here in Ontario we keep reading about how wet it is, but you’re actually there. Tell us how much rain has fallen.

Oh man, I’ve spent a lot of time in California over the past few years, however, I’ve never seen it rain this much before. As I said before, even when it rains and the SX practice tracks are muddy we can still find something to ride. This week, though, everything is drenched!

I would think that in the days before the opening round you’d want to wrap yourself in a bubble so nothing happens, not try and go riding somewhere.

(laughs) Good point! You have to keep riding if you can, plus I just got my full race bike ready so I’d like to try it out and get used to it.

Obviously it’s impossible not to think about what the conditions might be like on Saturday. However, it’s one aspect of the opening round that you can’t control. But, you’re Canadian so you’ve ridden in some pretty bad conditions before. Wat I’m trying to say is that, in my opinion, if the track is a mess this weekend I’m picking you to win!

Thanks. There might be a few other guys who know how to ride mud, but I certainly do have more experience than most in adverse conditions. We’ll see how it is. As you said, it’s something to think about but you can’t do anything about it. The forecast right now looks like it might be okay, so if they’ve had the track covered then it should be good.

When we spoke in mid-December you had only been in California a few weeks and had just started riding SX. Since then, how has the preparation been going?

Really good actually, it took me a week or so to get back into riding SX, but it all came back to me pretty quickly. Racing the Canadian National AX Tour really helped me with getting race ready. Those were pretty intense races so I think they were great for my aggression.

I know your battles with Jacob Hayes were pretty intense, but overall, I don’t think I’ve seen you ride so aggressively.

Well, obviously you have to be very aggressive in that type of racing, and with it being a series in Canada I think I was very motivated to win.

The timing of the AX Tour was perfect for you as it gave you two months of some pretty high quality racing during what normally would’ve been your off-season.

For sure, if the AX Tour Series hadn’t happened then I probably wouldn’t have raced after the final outdoor race in Walton. Because of that, when I did start preparing for Anaheim, I felt like I was way ahead of where I thought I’d be.

When it comes to setting up your bike for a SX track, what are some of your preferences?

I’m really not that picky, actually, I think the biggest thing for me is just getting my suspension stiff enough. I always think it is stiff enough and then I get to a race and it’s not. So far we’re right on track with everything, I’m using WP Suspension and they have all of my settings from the last time I raced SX.

So I guess it’s safe to say that you’re pretty excited to get this series underway?

Definitely, I’ve been training really hard with Cooper Webb so I think I’m ready to go. I believe that if I can get through the first few races in good shape then we should be good for the rest of the series.

Well, I know I don’t need to tell you this, but you have an entire Country behind you and cheering you on.

I know, it feels great to have so much support and so many people watching to see how I do. I hope I can deliver some good results and make my sponsors and everyone in Canada proud. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m excited and I will do my best!

I know you will Cole. Thanks for doing this and good luck on Saturday night and beyond.

Thanks Palms! And thanks to Slaton Racing and KTM Canada for helping to make this happen.