MXP Chatter With Colton Facciotti

Even before this season began Colton Facciotti was in a place that he didn’t want to be. After a very serious training crash in Georgia, Colton was forced to take some time off to heal from his injuries. This hiatus came at the worst possible time as he was getting ready to put the hammer down and get his final preparations underway for the opening round in Kamloops. Although it’s been an uphill battle since then for last year’s MX1 Champion, Colton has done a terrific job of riding himself into his normal race shape while still staying in the points battle. This past weekend at Sand Del Lee, Colton finally did what he’s been trying to do all series long and grabbed his first moto win of 2015. We caught up with Colton moments after his podium celebration for his very impressive third overall in the MX1 class.

MXP: Hey Colton, it’s nice to get to finally talk you.

CF: Yes, it feels like it’s been a while Palms.

Okay, absolute brutal conditions today at SDL. It was definitely a great day for you, especially after last weekend.

For sure, I had a big get off last weekend and all week I was really sore. I didn’t even ride this week, I just rode the bicycle and did my gym stuff. Heading into today I didn’t really expect too much, but you know, sometimes that’s when you have your best days.

Definitely, you proved that today. You won the first moto by a mile, and then led Moto 2 for a while. What are your thoughts on today?

I was super pumped to get that first moto win. I just got out front and rode smooth and then I didn’t hear anyone. It was one of those races where you just have to shake your head at because it seemed so easy. In Moto 2, I got out front again but this time Metcalfe stayed close; together we were putting in some fast laps. I actually felt good and strong, and I started to get used to him being behind me. We started to get into lappers really quickly and they were a nightmare. I don’t know what it is but so many of them seem out to lunch when we’re coming up behind them. I get it, they’re racing as well and it’s hard to slow down even more and move over, but when you see a battle for the lead coming up behind you, it’s all about respect, just get out of the way.

You really got the short end of the stick with lappers in that moto. It looked like they were moving over but they moved right into your line and three riders went past.

It was a bad deal. I’m not saying that Metcalfe wouldn’t have got by me at some point, but it’s hard to take when it happens like that. I don’t know if we need more blue flags or something, it would be nice to see the problem addressed.

Did that situation just deflate you?

I wouldn’t say it deflated me, but I was pretty mad for a few laps and then I got hot and just couldn’t charge anymore. I tried to get my flow back but I just couldn’t get going. I knew at that point that I had third overall so after last weekend I figured third would be okay.

Well, it was a good ride, regardless. Due to your off-season injury, you came into this season not quite where you wanted to be fitness-wise. You’ve never really been a guy to race himself into shape. However, I must say that this summer you’ve done a great job of doing exactly that, and keeping yourself in the points battle for this championship.

Thanks, it definitely hasn’t been easy for me or the team. I’m someone who really hates to lose, and I also hate to come into a season unprepared. Usually, you do so much work before the series begins that all you have to do throughout the summer is maintain that level of fitness. That’s been the biggest change this season; since round one I’ve been training really hard and grinding out motos during the week. It’s definitely been an adjustment for me. But, you’re right, to be still in the hunt for this championship after six rounds is not too bad.

You’ve never really been in this position before have you?

No I haven’t, not for a long time anyway. In the past by round six I’ve either been leading the points or injured.

Do you feel a little less pressure knowing that all you have to do now is try to win motos. There’s no chess match with worrying about the points and where this guy or that guy is on the race track, all you can do is try and win now.

True, but there’s always pressure because I put it on myself. I want to win every time I line up and when I don’t it sucks! We’ll see what happens here in the next few weeks, these guys are riding fast and they’ll be tough to beat, but today was a big step forward for us.

Actually, that brings me to my next question. You’ve been around a long time now and you’ve raced against some of the best. Having said that, do you feel like the speed at the front of the pack this season is the best it’s ever been in Canada?

That’s a good question. Over the years the speed has always been good. Even last year there was me, Alessi, Tyler and Chisholm; I felt like we were all fast and we proved that by winning races. I think the speed right now in the MX1 is a little higher than we’ve seen and the level is definitely getting raised. Also, the hardest thing right now about racing, say Metcalfe or Goerke, is that they don’t make any mistakes. If you want to beat them then you have to get in front of them right off the start and not make a mistake for 35 minutes. That’s not easy to do.

I guess you’re right, even last year we saw a rider like Alessi, who was super fast, but he made some mistakes. This season it seems like you guys are riding with such a high level of speed and precision. It has always appeared to me that one way you can tell how high a rider’s confidence is by the type of starts they get each weekend, and lately you’ve been a holeshotting machine. With that in mind and your moto win today, is it safe to say that you’re finally back to where you want to be?

I’d like to think so, for sure. I felt great last weekend at Gopher Dunes and ended up crashing hard, so you really never know I guess. I’d say right now I’m feeling good and I hope I can keep winning some motos. As we talked about, I’m still in this thing and I hope I can make something happen here in the next few weeks.

Colton, thanks for doing this. I’ll let you go and cool down now and take it all in. Have a great week and we’ll talk in Quebec.

Thanks Palms, today was definitely one of the toughest days I’ve faced as a pro, it was hot out there.