Out of the Blue | Jocelyn Facciotti | Presented by Schrader’s
By Jensen Amyotte
Name: Jocelyn Facciotti
Date of Birth: July 23, 1989
Hometown: Aylmer, ON
Occupation: Communications Coordinator, Public Health
Race Number: 323
Bike: 250f
Years Raced: 15-ish?
Classes: Women’s
Who got you into the sport of motocross?
My best friend growing up lived on a farm and had dirt bikes that we would ride around the fields. Eventually, I talked my parents into getting me a bike of my own. Dawn McClintock actually took us to our first race at Gopher Dunes to watch Jolene Van Vugt ride and immediately I knew I wanted to race. It wasn’t long after that we were spending every weekend at the races.
As someone who has been so involved in the sport between being an accomplished racer and being by your 6X Canadian National Champion husband Colton Facciotti’s side, are there any obstacles you feel a female racer has to deal with that maybe a male racer does not?
Well, like any sport, I think women are always fighting to get recognition and support. Women’s hockey is a great example of that. On the other hand, motocross is a pretty small sport so it’s challenging even for men to get sponsorship and make a career of it, especially in Canada. Jolene Van Vugt fought to get the women’s national series started back in the day and I think women will have to continue fighting to keep the series alive.
Every couple years a new girl has to step up and advocate for the sport. I don’t see this changing anytime soon. I think Jetwerx is still giving women a good opportunity to showcase their skills on national weekends even though it isn’t quite what it once was. The entire sport is changing so it will be interesting to see where things go.
Tell us about how special it was to be proposed to on the stage at Walton. I’m sure I speak for a lot of the WMX community that that would be a dream!
Well, it was definitely a day I’ll never forget. I had no idea Colt was going to propose so it was a complete surprise. It was already a big day for us since Colt had just wrapped up his 2nd championship so to get engaged on top of that was pretty special. Walton will forever hold a special place in our hearts, that’s for sure.
What is your favourite track and why?
Gopher Dunes and Sand Del Lee. I always loved sand tracks and did pretty well at both of them.
What are the biggest differences you notice in WMX now as apposed to when you were racing?
It seems like there are pretty good turnouts still which is great to see. The top couple girls are riding really well and then there’s a bit of a gap to the next group. There were a couple years back when the women’s national series was going strong that the class was pretty deep – you had Jolene, Jess (Foster), Heidi (Cooke), Jacqueline Ross, Missy Hackett, the Giroux sisters, Sara Laliberte, myself and several others that were all really competitive, which made for some good racing. Eve Brodeur seems to dominate most races now. There are definitely a few younger girls who have a lot of passion and potential so I think the future will be good if they stick with it.
Who has been/was your biggest inspiration/hero on and off the track?
Jolene Van Vugt, Heidi Cooke and Jess Foster were always my heroes. They were all great riders and awesome people off the track. They were also great ambassadors for the sport and really paved the way for Canadian Women’s Motocross. Now they all have successful careers which I think is also important for younger girls to see.
Colt has also been an inspiration, not just because he’s 6-time champ and my husband, but because I’ve watched him persevere through some pretty brutal injuries and adversity to achieve his success. We always remember the high points in his career but sometimes we forget about all the challenges he had to overcome to get there.
Besides being a busy mom and wife, what are you doing now a days? For work? Etc..
I work full-time as a Communications Coordinator for a Public Health organization. Outside of work, we’re starting to get into mountain biking and spending a lot of time at the track with the kids. We have a toy hauler so we enjoy camping at the track with our friends. While Colt was racing professionally we never really had the opportunity to go to many local races or camp out. We’re really enjoying the change of pace and being able to get back to the grassroots side of the sport again.
Do you think you will get back into racing? What was it that made you stop being competitive?
I’ll still ride once in a while and maybe do the odd race but my competitive racing days are over. I did it for as long as I could and then chose to focus on my career and raising a family. I still love racing and it clearly runs in our blood. Even though Colt and I are both done racing, the Facciotti’s aren’t going anywhere. We’ll be spending plenty of time at the races between Colt’s SSS suspension business, involvement with the GDR Honda team and taking our kids racing.
What are your biggest accomplishments of your racing career?
Finishing 2nd overall in the Women’s National Series in 2009 (I believe) was a pretty big accomplishment for me. Also, being one of the few women to have support from a team was pretty cool thanks to Andre Laurin and the OTSFF crew. For a short period of time I got the unique opportunity to feel like a factory rider and it was pretty awesome. I hope someday more girls get that opportunity.
What is the biggest lesson that motocross racing has taught you?
Motocross taught me to work hard and never give up. It also taught me to constantly learn and always strive to better myself. I think these are all important traits that I was able to carry over into my career after of racing.
Keagan & Kamryn have been around MX since birth, do you see either of them wanting to pursue the sport?
Yes, they both ride. Keagan is really into it and he’s actually doing pretty well. Kamryn is definitely our wild child so we really have to keep an eye on her. She’s more concerned about looking around than watching where she’s going and she doesn’t really understand when to let off the throttle, so it can get a little scary. I don’t know how competitive either of them will be but we’re happy just going to the races for fun. You’d think Colt and I would be pretty competitive and push them to do well but we’re actually the opposite. We just want the kids to have fun and be safe, first and foremost. If they end up being good at it, that’s awesome, if not that’s fine too.
If you were to give one piece of advice for an up and coming rider, what would it be?
Honestly, just have fun and enjoy being at the track. Yes, it’s fun to be competitive and do well but when I look back on racing, I think the best part was just spending every weekend at the track with my family and friends, and of course meeting Colt. I never made a career out of motocross but I definitely made a lot of memories. I also used that competitive drive and work ethic to build a successful career after motocross so I think that’s a win.
Is there any sponsors or people that you feel really helped/ never stopped supporting you through your career?
I had a lot of great sponsors over the years that helped me out with gear, bikes and parts but my biggest sponsors and supporters were always my parents. They put a ton of time and money into my racing and now that I’m a parent myself I appreciate it more than ever. Huge shout-out to Mama K and Factory Phil for all the love and support over the years.
