Frid’Eh Update #45 | Colton Facciotti | Presented by Fox Racing Canada
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Frid’Eh Update #45 this week presented by Fox Racing Canada. It’s a big week because, as I’m sure you’ve already figured out, 6-time Canadian 450 MX champion Colton Facciotti is #45 for the final time in his illustrious career.
Colton is the winningest Motocross rider one modern Canadian history. Now, I’m not even sure if saying “modern history” makes sense, but the only rider to hold more titles than Colton is Ross “Rollerball” Pederson from Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Things were a bit different back then. Riders raced 2 and sometimes all 3 classes at the Pro level and were eligible for all 3 in that season. When you were as dominant as Ross was back then titles added up quickly! Colton didn’t race more than one class per season so his title count will stand at one more than his mentor’s 5, and that’s JSR.
Colton did what few professional riders are able to do – he went out on top and on his own terms. Ask any retired racer and I bet they’ll all agree that that would be the ideal way to hang up the leathers.
Colton is actually out here in his home province of BC to help with the MX schools going on at the Future West Moto Canadian Arenacross Championships with Ryan Lockhart and Kyle Beaton.
Not only that but Colton is now a Mini Dad and his son, Keagan Facciotti, will be lining up in the barn just like his father did for so many years.
I have some plans for a retirement piece with Colt, so I didn’t make this Intro Interview too in depth when talking about his full career. I did, of course, have to ask a coupe biography-style questions.
(I didn’t bring my hard drives out to BC with me so I had an issue finding photos for this interview and had to make due with some screengrabs)
Here’s what Colton has to say when we got in touch with him as he was preparing to leave Ontario to return to the Lower Mainland:
Direct Motocross: Hello, Colton. Thanks for talking with us today. We’ve gone over your past before so I won’t ask you to take a long walk down memory lane. I will ask you who your biggest rival was back in your amateur days out in BC?
Colton Facciotti: No problem, Billy! There isn’t any that really stand out. Beats (Kyle Beaton) and I had a few good battles but I was always a year ahead of him moving up to the bigger bikes. We were pretty good buddies through the years so it was a good kind of rivalry, I guess you could say.
You famously turned Pro at the tender age of 14. Looking back, was that too young? What would you do differently if you were getting rolling today?
That’s a tough one and I get asked that a lot! My answer has probably changed about 30 times. So many factors involved in that but I think for myself it wouldn’t have mattered either way. I do think I gained valuable experience those first couple years, even if it was good or bad. If I waited a year or 2 I might have been able to come in with some more confidence and more smarts but hindsight is 20/20 and I’m happy with the choices we made.
I will ask you one biography-type question: Of all the big races you’ve been in, what is the biggest and best race you ever did?
For sure MXON at Red Bud. It was insane and the amount of Canadian fans we had there was pretty cool. I got an awesome start and was running in the top 5 for a bit, so that feeling was something I won’t forget.
OK, one more. First or last, which championship meant more and why?
First was easiest. 100% I feel like at that point in my life I just twisted the throttle. Haha. As you get older, I think you lose that raw speed and don’t want to take those extra risks… so I had to be smarter and more strategic when it came to every little aspect.
You were able to grab your 6th Canadian 450 MX title in your final year. We spoke before and you said it was difficult for you to keep pushing through all the training. How tough was that final title on you?
It was tough, especially when I announced that it was going to be my last year racing before the season started. I didn’t really think it would add any pressure but it’s hard to go out on a bad note. Maybe that gave me the extra motivation to get me through the year and some of those tough times riding through injuries and such. I did know at round one that I made the right choice to retire and was counting down how many races were left, one by one.
And now you’re doing Superior Suspension Settings (SSS) work. How has that been going? Are you as busy as you want to be?
It has been going awesome and I have one of the smartest guys in the business to learn from (Joe Skidd). I’ve always enjoyed setting a bike up and suspension so it’s one of those things that doesn’t feel like a job for me, somewhat how moto was for me.
And I also saw you having to console young Keagan when he crashed pretty hard during SX at Gopher Dunes this fall. How are you handling being a Moto Dad? Do you now talk you your parents about all the things you put them through?
Ya, I didn’t really see the crash but he’s giving me a lot of grey hair. My old man is bald so I can see that coming shortly. It’s tough to see him get hurt but he loves it so much. I don’t push him at all at this point so it’s all up to him if he wants to ride or not.
Do you ever get on a bike these days? When and where is the last place you rode? And what were you on?
Well….. I had a bike at the beginning of the year. I put three maybe four hours on it, COVID hit, and Dylan (Wright) stole my bike when his broke. Haha. So, since then I think I spun a couple laps on some race bikes to help the guys with testing.
And you’re a mentor for the GDR Honda Fox Racing Team. How do you like things from this side of the fence.
It’s been really good and has been a good transition for me. What I like best about it is that I still get to go to the races, my body doesn’t hurt, and I think I can share some of my valuable experience with the riders on the team.
You’re going to be in Chilliwack to help with the schools and Keagan will be racing. Are you looking forward to getting back to your old stomping grounds?
Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve been back in BC so I’m really looking forward to it. Also, it’s a bonus to fit in Keagan racing as well as do a school for some kids.
Last thing. You’ve pretty much done it all, but do you have any regrets when you look back over your career?
I wouldn’t say I regret anything. Change on the other hand I might have attempted a couple more Supercross races and hit my goal of making a 450 SX main. I missed out on this by one spot. How the schedule worked that year it was really the only one I could make happen. There’s probably few other things like that but I’m proud of what I accomplished and happy to retire healthy and safe.
OK, Colton, I appreciate your time with this. See you in Chilliwack. Would you like to thank anyone while we’ve got you here?
All my supporters and sponsors that have helped me out throughout the years, my parents and the old lady for putting up with all the shenanigans… thank you!
Shelby Turner Wins 4th Endurocross Title
Shelby Turner from the small town of Barons, Alberta, is making quite a name for herself, too. Shelby just went undefeated to retake the AMA Endurocross title for the 4th time.
It was obviously a strange season with the pandemic restrictions, so the series took place exclusively at Glen Helen Raceway in California.
Shelby won all 6 rounds in the Ladies class and was also a contender in the Amateur class, taking a win on her way to a tie for 2nd overall.
We gave her a call on Thursday afternoon to get her thoughts on the whole thing and find out when we’re going to see her behind the gate of a Canadian WMX National next.
Here’s the podcast:
Shelby has also given me an introduction to fellow Canadian Endurocross star Trystan Hart. Trystan is the British Columbia rider who just got one of the most sought after prizes in our sport – a factory ride in the USA.
Trystan got picked up by the RedBull KTM team for the season and looks to be making good on their gamble. I say “gamble” because it is just so rare for an American team to put their trust in a Canadian racer. In fact, who’s the last rider to get a deal like this? I think the answer may be no one!
Trystan finished 3rd in the Endurocross pro class and we’ll try to get in touch with him as soon as possible.
Shelby said that he could be my reason to make a trip to either Romania or Austria in 2021, and that’s pretty exciting. RedBull Romaniacs is in Romania and the famous Erzburg hard enduro is in Austria. It’s a tough call but, yes, I’ll do it if I have to.
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I’m here in BC for the next couple weekends to see the 2020 FWM Canadian Arenacross Championships to its 8-round conclusion. The racing has been great at the front, as it always is here. Kyle Beaton has whipped up some great tracks and the Chilliwack Heritage Park building is just perfect for hosting these races. With two big rooms we’re able to give the riders a little more track to race and have fun on.
Unfortunately, we’re losing our old friend John Wren for the remainder of the series. In case you didn’t know, John is the silky-voiced announcer that brings such great calls to the series. John is the in-house announcer but with the virus restrictions firmly in place, there really isn’t anyone in the building to announce to! This is where we came in.
We talked John into allowing us to strap a headset on him and piggyback his great announcing to the live video broadcasts we’ve been doing on the FWM Facebook page, and it’s been working out great.
John’s health took a little blip at the end of last round and so he’s going to take things easy for a little while. We’re all thinking about you, John.
In his place we’ll have Danny from Valley Moto Sport handling the announcing duties this week. No pressure, Danny.
Also, Greg Poisson is here to help with the DMX duties throughout the day. I’m basically stuck to my laptop the entire program, and the few photos I’m able to take are well below the quality I’d like to be posting, but we do what we can.
It will be great to get lots of behind-the-scenes coverage of the riders as we go through the days, and I’m really glad Greg could make these last two weekends work.
After last round, several riders weren’t able to commit to saying they’d be here for the final rounds, but it looks like all the top riders are planning a return to take a run at these titles.
Casey Keast leads both the Pro Am and Open Pro classes by one single point as we get going this week.
Intermediate local #170 Julien Benek is the rider making waves in the Pro Am class and he’s the one sitting just behind #77.
In the Open Pro class, it’s #10 Keylan Meston who sit just off Casey.
Keylan looks to me to be in the drivers seat on his big 450 but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Also, #381 Jake Piccolo looks like he’s got the raw speed to win every time he’s on the track, but he’ll have to limit his mistakes if he wants any chance of continuing his climb up the ranks after missing the first weekend of racing due to a practice crash.
There is a full schedule of amateur racing throughout the day, too, and you can pretty much use these races as a crystal ball to predict who we’ll be cheering for in the very near future.
I’m Interested to see if young #09 Annalyse Lopushinsky can run the table in the Ladies class. She missed the first weekend but has looked untouchable in every race she’s been in since.
#84 Payton Bruvold has the lead now but, mathematically, she can be caught.
She was our featured rider for this week’s ‘Out of the Blue‘ column:
Out of the Blue | Payton Bruvold | Presented by Schrader’s
By Jensen Amyotte
Name: Payton Bruvold
Date of Birth: June 18, 2004
Hometown: Langley, BC
School/grade: Grade 11 (online schooling)
Race Number: 84
Bike: 2019 KX 250f
Race Club: Future West Moto, Lower Mainland Motocross Club
Classes: Ladies
Who got you into the sport of motocross?
I’ve been riding dirt bikes since I was 7, but I always enjoyed going to watch my brother’s races. 4 years later I started racing as well.
When not on a dirt bike how do you keep yourself busy?
I spend a lot of my time working on schoolwork, training in the gym and playing rugby. I’ve recently started mountain biking and I now ride 32k 5 days a week to keep in shape.
As a racer, are there any obstacles you feel a female racer has to deal with that maybe a male racer does not?
It takes a lot of hard work to match the strength and endurance of a male. Men tend to naturally be stronger and more aggressive than women.
Who is your all-time favourite rider?
I don’t really have a favourite racer but my grandpa is definitely someone I look up to. He is 74 years old and still gets out to ride all the time. He is insanely talented and I think it’s so cool to be able to ride with him!
What is your favourite track and why?
My favourite track is Blackwater MX track in Prince George, BC. I especially like the sand uphill start. Last year at the women’s pro nationals I was top 3 to the holeshot every time and sat in the top 10 one race until a bad crash.
What event do you look forward to each year? One you don’t ever want to miss?
I hope to next year race Walton and the rest of the Eastern nationals. I always like to race the Westcan in Kamloops, BC.
Who has been your biggest inspiration/hero on and off the track?
My mom has definitely been a huge inspiration for me as she is so supportive of my siblings and me. She’s never missed a race and is always at the gate with me. She always does whatever it takes to get us to the races and keep all of us happy.
Do you have any pre-moto rituals?
Yes, my mom has a saying she says to me just before the 30-second board goes up. If she says it wrong or at the wrong time I get a weird feeling when I’m racing. My brother and I are the same way.
Tell us about your 2019 race season and how your 2020 season has been so far.
My 2019 race season didn’t go too well because of bike problems and persistent crashing. Due to COVID-19 I wasn’t able to get much riding time in to prepare for the 2020 outdoor season. Months prior to the first round of the Future West Moto outdoor season, I was training every day by running and cycling. I ended up having a couple top 5 results every weekend.
My Arenacross season is going really well. I currently have the points lead in Ladies and Open Beginner.
What are your biggest accomplishments to date?
My biggest accomplishment would be racing the Canadian Women’s pro nationals last year at the age of 14. I made a lot of mistakes and had a lot of crashes because I let my nerves get to me. Racing this series was a huge learning experience for me and hope to attend next year!
What is the biggest lesson that motocross racing/offroad has taught you so far?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that dedication and hard work will always pay off if you stick with it.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Within the next 5 years I plan to graduate high school, study Paramedicine and Health Sciences at Justice Institute of BC and participate in voluntary search and rescue. I hope to keep up with my training and consistently improve my racing. I also hope to achieve national numbers each year at the Canadian Women’s Pro Nationals
Who would you like to thank?
I would like to thank all of my sponsors: Troy and Sandra Smith from Maple Ridge Motorsports, Maplewood Contracting, Dunlop tires, Atlas brace, mobius, Suspension Werx, and Aektiv. I would like to thank my dad for maintaining my bike, and my mom for keeping me organized and travelling long hours to get me to all of my races. I would like to thank Kawasaki Canada for providing great bikes and my extended moto family for always offering their help and advice.
Be sure to tune in for all the action both Saturday and Sunday this week and next.
Saturday: 1-6 Pacific
Sunday: 11-4 Pacific
(Estimated broadcast times)
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
GATE OPENS
Thursday 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm (Mandatory Riders meeting at 12:00 pm)
Sunday 7:00 am – 3:00 pm (Mandatory Riders meeting at 8:45 am)
FAMILY INFORMATION
GATE FEES: Friday – Sunday
- $15 wristband per Family Member – maximum 4 (to be paid and registered online)
- Mechanic Wristband required to go to Start Gate
CAMPING – (to be paid online at time of registration)
- $20 – No Hookup
- $35 – Hookup
- Per Night – maximum 5-person occupancy
RIDER INFORMATION
REGISTRATION FEES: (price includes wristband)
- $65 first class
- $40 second class
- $30 third class
- $20 Tykes (must have transponder)
PRO ENTRY FEES: (price includes wristband)
- $70 first class
- $60 second class
RACE DETAILS
Registration & Membership Sign Up ONLINE ONLY
Saturday – https://secure.tracksideprereg.com/futurewest/index.asp?event=49
Sunday – https://secure.tracksideprereg.com/futurewest/index.asp?event=52
Family Waiver – https://secure.tracksideprereg.com/futurewest/index.asp?event=50
** Please Note: Everyone must sign either a wristband or a Family waiver to have your name on the gate list. **
FRIDAY:
- Open practice: $40
- 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
- 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
- Limit one practice per bike. If you have 2 bikes you need to select 2 practice groups when signing up.
RIDING SCHOOL SATURDAY
$65 for expert instruction by Ryan Lockhart and Kyle Beaton
Sign up: https://secure.tracksideprereg.com/futurewest/index.asp?event=51
- 8-9am – Advanced 85cc and Big Bike
- 9:10-10:10am – Advanced 50/65cc and Beginner/Junior 85
- 10:20-11:20am – Beginner/Junior 50/65
All riders must be ready 15 minutes before class. Registration and waivers must be completed online
SATURDAY RACE DETAILS:
- 11:45 pm Mandatory Riders Meeting at the staging area behind the barn (masks are mandatory with social distancing)
- Practice to follow Riders Meeting
- Qualifiers to follow practice
- Main Event to follow Qualifier
SUNDAY RACE DETAILS
- 8:45 am Mandatory Riders Meeting at the staging area behind the barn (masks are mandatory with social distancing)
- Practice to follow Riders Meeting
- Qualifiers to follow practice
- Main Event to follow Qualifier
PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Saturday & Sunday:
To be announced over loudspeaker, radio and posted at Admin Trailer
CLASSES (subject to change)
Note: race format will be posted trackside on the day of the race
- Tyke 50cc Trophy 1-5
- New Kid Beginner (50cc, 65cc, One year or less experience) Ages 4-9 Trophy 1-5
- Young Ladies Ages 7-14 Trophy 1-3
- 50 cc 4-6 Trophy 1-5
- 50 cc 7-8 Trophy 1-5
- 50 cc Open Trophy 1-5
- 65 cc 7-9 Trophy 1-3
- 65 cc 10-11 Trophy 1-3
- 65 cc Open: Trophy 1-3
- 85 cc 7-11 Trophy 1-3
- 85 cc 12-16 Trophy 1-3
- Supermini Trophy 1-3
- School Boy 12-17 Trophy 1-3
- Open Beginner Trophy 1-3
- 250 Junior Trophy 1-3
- Open Junior Trophy 1-3
- 250 Intermediate 50% payout
- Open Intermediate 50% payout
- Ladies 50% payout
- Under 30 50% payout
- +30 Vet Junior Trophy 1-3
- +30 Vet Master 50% payout
- Vet +40 50% payout
- Vet +50 50% payout
- Pro Open 100% payout + $250 Top up
- Pro Am Lites (Intermediates allowed) 100% payout + $250 Top up
No trophy for payout classes
All Payout classes must have 5 riders or more on the gate for pay.
All trophy classes go back to 3rd places, no matter the numbers, unless otherwise noted above.
PLEASE NOTE:
RIDERS MUST HAVE AN MRC MEMBERSHIP IN ORDER FOR THEIR POINTS TO QUALIFY IN THE SERIES.
Membership can be bought online www.mrcracing.com
TRANSPONDERS:
Transponders are now mandatory for all racers. Your transponder number must be included on your registration sign up.
There are limited transponders available to rent for $20 per day. There are a few available for sale – $140 with one year’s subscription.
TRACK RULES:
NO one permitted on the track other than FWM staff and parent assist classes (Tykes, NKB and50 cc 4-6).
One mechanic permitted at the start gate with their rider – online registration for wristband.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR 2020
- NO INDOOR PITTING
- NO general public allowed.
- Rider is permitted to have two family members in the bleachers and one mechanic in mechanics area during their race.
- Family members need to exit the bleachers area when their rider has completed his/her race. FWM staff will be on hand to assist.
- Each group needs to be seated 6 feet apart.
- If you are sick, please do not enter the building.
- Dispose of all used oil at the appropriate site in the parking lot. Site marked.
- No alcohol in the building. This will be strictly enforced by Heritage Park.
- No smoking in the building.
- No riding your bikes in the parking lot – please push your bikes to staging.
- No pit bikes.
- Please obey NO PARKING LANE SIGNS. Vehicles will be towed with no warning.
- Heritage is providing a ½ floor with rubber mats for riders to store their bikes overnight if needed.
- If you wish to leave your RV between races you will still be charged the daily rate. No people to stay with RV.
- Please be respectful and follow the rules – we are doing our best to provide you with more great racing, but we must be mindful of the times we are living in.
- MASKS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES IN THE BUILDING – NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Tyler Medaglia Talks about What’s Next for Him
Tyler Medaglia left the 2020 Canadian Rockstar Triple Crown SX series after not really even completing a good lap. After awkwardly tweaking his knee, he was gone.
Unfortunately, we’re also losing him from the series altogether! Yep, Tyler is moving on from chasing the Canadian series as he’s done since 2007.
Instead, he’s going to be a journeyman racer and do all the fun events he’s always wanted to.
I had a talk with Greg yesterday and we both agree that this new schedule he’s got planned will probably get him and his sponsors more coverage than he would get doing just the MX series. I know DMX is going to follow him around to some of these cool events!
We gave him a call earlier in the week to talk about all these changes in his program and you can listen to the podcast here, in case you missed it:
I went over to Gopher Dunes on Wednesday. Yes, early November and we we’re riding the sand track in Courtland, Ontario, as if it were a summer day.
19 degrees C and sunshine meant lots of riders took advantage, and I was far from alone in the track, unfortunately.
I’m not gonna lie, I am so rusty I would have liked to have been all by myself out there as I tried out a bunch of 2021 Leatt gear.
In my racing “career” I was always someone who tried to take advantage of all the available safety equipment. Some riders liked to poke fun at me because of it but I just never wanted to miss a race due to a preventable injury. If I fell, I wanted the best chance possible of getting up and back in the race, it’s as simple as that.
Having said that, Leatt set me up with some state-of-the-art stuff from head to toe. I may not be going fast out there but I was still able to get a really good feel for the gear I was wearing.
I was a walking billboard for Leatt and I just hope that doesn’t hurt sales! Haha
It was cool that a couple of the riders who were sitting on their bikes at the track entrance with me were interested in the gear. One rider wanted to know more about the boots and another was curious about the helmet/neck brace combo.
Truthfully, I probably should have just gone over to the Pee Wee track and spun lap after lap, but there I was on Jeff McConkey’s Yamaha 250 2-stroke without sand tires on the main track.
Like I said, I wasn’t going fast but the gear felt fantastic. I didn’t notice the neck brace until I tried to check to see if my fly was down. Fortunately, you don’t have to look down that sharply while riding or racing.
The helmet was light as a feather and is industry-leading when it comes to safety features. I put my glasses inside the goggles an it worked like a charm.
The under-the-jersey chest/back/shoulder/elbow unit was something I was also curious about. It’s a little bit “weighty,” but once it was on I didn’t notice it at all. I did put it to the test in a right-hander as I was looking for a tighter line on the inside and ended up plowing down on my side. I felt nothing.
Whenever I see a slower rider heading for the outsides in corners and then not completing the following double jump, I always think about how much quicker their laps would be if they hugged the insides. I was just trying to practice what I preach!
The knee braces are really cool units. They are empty on the insides so you can grip the bike like normal with your knees. Very impressive and I didn’t even realize I had them on once I got rolling.
The boots felt great and I was able to shift gears and work the rear brake without issue. One of my biggest pet peeves about gear is how it can be possible still for buckles to come undone mid-moto, but this wasn’t an issue with these beauties.
Emily got called into work that morning so I didn’t have anyone there to snap photos of me in the gear, so you’ll have to ask someone who saw the gear to know if it looked good. I know it was comfortable!
Anyway, if the weather holds up a little longer, I’ll give the stuff another run…and I’ll make sure someone is there for documentation.
PRMX Announces 2 of its 2021 Supercross Riders
Not surprisingly, Team PRMX Kawasaki announced that Cade Clason and Josh Cartwright will be the team’s 450 riders once the 2021 Supercross season starts.
I spoke with team owner Julien Perrier and he told me the plan was to have 2 east coast and 2 west coast 250 riders also signed to the team very shortly.
We’ll be sure to post the press release as soon as we see one.
The biggest surprise is that long-time team rider Logan Karnow is moving on from the team to join the Bubba Pauli effort for the new season. The Ohio native has been a staple on the Canadian team for quite a few years now. We wish Logan all the best with his new team.
OK, I’m going to head east on Highway 1 about half an hour from James Lissimore‘s place here in Abbotsford, BC over to Chilliwack Heritage Park to see what Beats has in store for us for this weekend’s AX racing. I’ll be sure to post some photos and video so you can see what you can expect from the racing this week.
Don’t forget, you can catch all the action on the Future West Moto Facebook Page for all the qualifying and the Mains on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll post the link again tomorrow.
Have a great weekend, everyone. It’s sunny here in BC and it’s 20 degrees C back in Ontario this weekend. Be sure to get out and ride before it’s too late and you’re looking for your snow shovel. It’s coming!
