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MXP: Before we talk about the future, let’s talk about the past. The Blackfoot Team seems like a very close knit bunch, almost like a family. How has your team dealt with the injury and the circumstances surrounding Blair? Dean Thompson: We all dealt with it in different ways, but we all felt the same. As you mentioned Blair is like family. Blair has always been an asset to the team and played a big role in the development of Colton and was always offering words of wisdom to the younger riders. We are very happy to see that he is making progress in his rehabilitation and will soon be home at the beginning of December. Blair always was and always will be a part of our family and we can’t wait to have him hanging out for at least one round this summer under the tent. MXP: This past season must have been exhausting for you considering it was such a rollercoaster ride; the highs with Colton winning the Championship and with JSR winning Montreal, and the lows with Aron and Blair. How have you kept your sanity the past few months? DT: We have been on a rollercoaster, for sure! Throw in the MXoN as well as putting the new deal together makes for a busy “off-season”. Everyone has put so much into this team over the years and we always want to make it better. We just put our heads down and always move forward, learn from the past and focus on the future. While we see many concerns with the economic conditions it is great to see all the sponsors back on board, really putting faith in this program and seeing the true value of racing in Canada. MXP: Now on to the future. How did the Red Bull deal get put together? DT: We've always wanted to have Red Bull as a bigger partner for the team, and they've always maintained a level of interest. We've had Red Bull Athletes promote the brand on helmets, plus their product and refrigerators have been with us since 2005. This was the year that the full package came together. The timing was better for both parties. I think Red Bull's international HQ needed some time to evaluate not only what we do at Team Toyota Yamaha, but what CMRC racing is all about too. Now it’s clear and they see the value of supporting not only individual Canadian racers like Dusty and Colton, but a full race program like ours. MXP: The pits at the CMRC Nationals will be a sea of energy drink banners. Do you think that Red Bull wanted to get more involved because their competitors were? DT: Red Bull has been involved with CMRC Nationals for years already, providing product and financial support to various levels of riders on our team and others since they arrived in Canada in 2004. So I don't think they jumped into things because of other energy drinks, but rather lead the way as they were always present in some capacity. At this point, they are simply making a bigger statement which is "Hey, this drink can have the series, and this drink can have that team”. Red Bull has told us that what is important is they are part of Blackfoot, a great pairing of brands with very similar values." MXP: You will have two new riders under the tent in 2009. How did the Kyle Beaton and Dusty Klatt signings happen? DT: Well we made the decision this season to have two riders in each class as both classes are now true National Championships. We saw what happened with Aron last summer. That highlighted the importance of having two riders to help increase the odds of winning the Championships. We have to have at least one rider per class on the track at all times in case of the unfortunate chance of an injury to a teammate. We have always had contact with Kyle but the timing was never right. Kyle has always had the heart and desire to win, and lots of support on and off the track. It just seemed like the obvious choice as he has always been loyal to Yamaha and his sponsors in the past. That speaks volumes to us.
Dusty finished a respectable 2nd overall last year and was left without a ride so we started discussions with him. The MX1 class will be a stacked one this season and we need the two best guys to be there every weekend. We have history with Dusty and know he can be there every weekend with the proper support both on and off the track. Colton sustaining an injury in the first round last year could have been devastating to the team. This is obviously a concern for us. We knew Colton would be unstoppable last summer but all of his preseason preparation almost came to a halt when he went down. We never want to be in that position again. Blair had a great year as well however, and Jimmy rode solid which ensured we had exposure last year. With the recent changes Dusty was the obvious choice, plus he is a Canadian racer who can win!!! Dusty has proved in the past with us that he can be that guy. We will be looking for the JSR/Morgan battles of early years again now with the Colton/Dusty combo. MXP: You obviously have experience with Dusty having won the championship with him in 2006. It seems like he hasn't been the same since. What do you think will be different with him in 2009? DT: Dusty won a Championship every year he was with us (‘04/’05 MX2W & ’06 MX1) and he knows what works. He hasn’t forgotten the feeling and has assured us that his number one desire is to get back to his winning ways. He is going to have his work cut out for him with Colton and Carpenter, but he has every intention to be fully prepared. I can’t speak for Dusty’s past while not on our team, but I do know that he is very happy to be back. For our team, it doesn’t really matter what rider wins because we all do well if the team wins. That is the difference; everyone works together and Dusty has always thrived on that concept. MXP: Do you think Kyle Beaton will finally realize his true potential now that he is with the Blackfoot Team? DT: That kid has the biggest heart and wants nothing but to win! I have been watching him for years and have shaken my head, not in a bad way though. I just wanted to help him out so badly, but it seemed from the outside he wanted to do it his way and show the big guys (Blackfoot included) that he could do it on his own. While I respected his decisions, there comes a time when you take the next step and get the support you deserve. He has had so many loyal sponsors and a core group of people behind him that I have always respected and admired for their commitment to his program. On the other side of the coin, I don’t think he or his supporters realized exactly how our team worked, the support we have for our riders and why we do the things we do. I think now being on the team he no longer has to have any distractions or concerns that come with being a privateer. We groom Champions and we believe we can work with Kyle no differently than we have done with Dusty and Colt. We are looking forward to having Kyle being part of our "Blackfoot Family" for years ahead, and hopefully help him get closer to his goal of racing on a factory team in the US. MXP: Going back to Regina last year, what was it that seemed to flip the switch with Colton? He went from struggling at the beginning to winning motos by 30 seconds then winning the championship. Was there one thing you noticed or just a combination? DT: Colton is a prime example of “what you put in is what you get out”. He started preparing so early last year that no one, including himself, expected anything less than the Championship. JSR worked with Colton to get him on the same track as what JSR was on for so many years past, and Colton just soaked it up like a sponge. Once you get that taste of victory it is like a drug and it is the only thing you can think of. Colton tasted that all summer and never wanted to lose it. Every rider out there wants to win, but there only a few who are willing to make the sacrifice and put in the work it takes to make it a reality. Colton is one of those riders. He used every tool and support mechanism we made available to him, and it turned out perfect. We do not force anyone to do anything, but rather suggest and offer what we know has worked in the past. The rider needs to be motivated and hungry, which Colton was!! MXP: When will the Blackfoot Team officially get together and start preparing for 2009? DT: The guys already have their practice bikes. We have numerous motor configurations that will be tested in two weeks with a full test south of the border to follow shortly after that. This is the biggest jump we have ever had on a season since we started 10 years ago. Last year we purchased a new race shop where our full semi, our machining tools, and all of our storage went under one roof. This set us back a little as we only got moved into this awesome facility by the end of March. We still thought we were close to being prepared last season, but now that we are moved in we have time to be even better prepared for the ‘09 season. We can now try a few other things we always wanted to test but never had time to do. MXP: Are there plans to ride any of the US Supercross rounds in 2009? DT: The only thing we will be doing regarding SX is possibly participating in one race to keep the riders’ SX endorsements intact. I know this is something that the fans want us to do but there is so much to consider. The risk reward factor is just not there. Our sponsors pay us to win Championships in Canada and we spend every penny to do just that. We hire the best riders, prepare the best motorcycles and have the best staff. To do that takes a lot of resources and planning. To go south and burn up the budget just trying to make main events like we did in 2006 was tough. The SX bikes are completely different from the National bikes so it is not like we are using it for development. The riders have nowhere to train and practice so they run the risk of injury thus jeopardizing the summer’s National program. I guess the answer is if we cannot do it 100% there is no point in doing it at all. We do, however, plan on supporting some of the Future West Canadian and European rounds for our riders involved. If we were ever offered the proper budget for a SX effort we would sure take another run at it as I know we could field a top team! MXP: Thanks for your time Dean. We wish you all the best in the coming months. I personally think you should sit down in 10 years and write a book about everything that has gone on since the team started in 1999. It seems like there have been very few dull moments. DT: Never a dull moment, that is for sure! I would just like to thank all the parties involved that made this deal come together as it is a big step forward for all of us. Thanks to Bryan Hudgin and all the staff at Yamaha Motor Canada for working with us and getting Toyota and Yamaha back on board. They see the importance of bringing an additional outside sponsor such as Red Bull to the fold to ensure the continued success of the team. Thanks also to Jaimeson Keegan at Red Bull for putting this before Red Bull HQ’s in Austria and really believing in this relationship. Dennis James from Fox Racing has been with us for many years and is such a pleasure to work with. His passion for racing in Canada has always shown and it is greatly appreciated. Also, I must say a huge thanks to our staff that are so committed to the racing program and insure that we are prepared at the highest possible level at every round. Really, there are so many people to thank that were all part of the evolution of this team to the point. It is now our new team hats are off to them. |
