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Dusty Klatt interview By: Kyle Carruthers
Everyone knows Dusty Klatt as the fast kid who dominated the MX1 series in ‘06 and dethroned the great King - JSR. After heading down and testing the waters in the states for the last couple years, and after getting second overall in the ‘08 CMRC Monster Energy MX nationals, Klatt is back to his old self. Known for his aggressive riding style and the way he attacks the track, Dusty feels that he’s ready to show his stuff again, and prove that he’s not a quitter. After some time off this winter, a clean slate and armed with a new Yamaha and on the team that helped win him three titles in the past, Klatt is looking to get back to standing on top of the box. Klatt gave MXP the inside scoop on his years in the states, his team, and what it’s going to take to get that number one plate back. Read more to find out!
Kyle: Hey Dusty, What have you been up to lately?
Dusty: Not too much. I just got back from Calgary this morning. I’m just taking it a little easy, and I’ve been riding some BMX. Today was kind of a relaxed day I guess, that’s about it. Kyle: Can you take us through your weekend at Calgary and how your season is going so far? Dusty: I think it started off alright. It’s definitely better than last year. I’ve ended up with two second overalls, and I’m just trying to pick it up and hopefully grab that number one spot one of these days. I’m just trying to plug away during the week here, you know, just trying to keep things moving. Kyle: Obviously, your teammate Colton is going pretty good now carrying his momentum from last year. What do you think it will take to steal your first win from him? Dusty: I think I know things I need to work on that I can improve. I mean, that’s what I’m trying to do right now. Hopefully I can pick it up these next two races, I don’t want him to get too much of a lead on me. Colt is riding really well right now and it’s definitely showing, so I’ll have to figure something out to try to bump him off. The Yamaha/Toyota/Blackfoot people have been doing an awesome job keeping my bike going, so it’s just me figuring it out to get that number one spot I guess. They’re pretty pumped obviously since we went 1-2 the first two weekends. Kyle: How does it feel to be back with your old team that has helped you win three championships in the past? Do you feel more at home? Dusty: Oh yeah, definitely. I love being with them. The team is really well rounded and professional, and if there is anything you need it’s always there for you. It’s awesome! I’m definitely pumped to be back with them. Kyle: Going back over the last couple years when you were down south, how do you feel about your experience and racing supercross and the outdoor nationals down there? Dusty: It was definitely a rough two years. I mean, I can regret some of it, but I don’t because it was a good learning experience. I definitely thank the teams that gave me an opportunity to ride down there who gave me a shot at it. I think a lot of people don’t understand how hard it is to make something go. You take our fastest guy from Canada or the couple fastest guys and you’re pretty much thrown into a group of guys who are only a few seconds off your pace. That’s pretty much the whole field, and then the top guys are still however many seconds ahead of you. The level of competition in the states is quite a bit stronger and more consistent through the whole field. Kyle: This kind of leads to my next question. From a fans perspective, do you feel that the Canadian fans were a little hard on your results when you were down there? When you raced for Star Racing Yamaha, you consistently made the mains with some good finishes, as well as some 450 mains last year with the Cernics Kawasaki team. But then when another Canadian goes down and just makes the night show everyone jumps on their band wagon. Not to take anything away from our Canadians trying supercross, as we all know how hard it is to make it down south to the night show, but do you feel there was a difference on how you were being judged by the fans? Dusty: I think maybe because I won my three championships, and maybe they kind of expected more from me. It’s not like I didn’t put anything into it when I went there. I know I have true fans out there that are behind me a 100%, but some people are just kind of, you know, “I’m a Dusty Klatt fan, Blah blah” and then smash me as soon as stuff doesn’t go right. I mean I felt I was riding really well, and honestly I felt really good when I was on Star Racing. I was able to push hard in my motos right to the end. It’s just a tough game down there. I was a big kid on that 250F, and that’s one thing that really set me off from riding down there with those guys. Having those kids that weigh 130 pounds when I’m a buck eighty riding a 250F was hard. Crap man, I’d get pulled so much it was just ridiculous; like at Washougal going up horsepower hill. Villopoto was right beside me going up it right at the very bottom, and by the time he was at the top he was two hundred feet ahead of me. It was ridiculous, it was just so fast. Kyle: Going down south, the equipment plays a bit bigger role than up in Canada especially if you’re a big kid, would you agree? Dusty: Yeah, if you’re a big kid, it’s absolutely pointless to ride that small bike class - outdoors anyways. If you try to keep up to those guys and you’re a big kid, you’re just wasting your time. Even the big bike class is still a really tough class, especially in super cross. Those are things people don’t see, but yeah, it was a bigger bummer how fans let me down and all the rest of that stuff or how they would smash talk me, but there’s a lot of stuff they didn’t see or know about. I don’t need to go and spill my beans just to try and suck them back up. I mean, whatever, if you’re a fan, you’re a fan. If not, you can be that way. There’s a lot of stuff they didn’t see. I had a really rough two years. A lot of people smash talk me for being a quitter and stuff. I crashed at Anaheim 1 and had burns on my back that were the size of a milk jug on the lower part of my back, and a couple second degree burns higher on my back. I rode the following weekend with that and finished fourth in my qualifier and was running third in the main for five laps until Lawrence cleaned me out. I mean, if you want to call me a quitter for going out there with that stuff on my bike, then you’re retarded. Kyle: I, as well as many other Canadians, have great respect for riders that go down and try. Like they say, you lose every race you don’t enter.
Dusty: Yeah, I’m not trying to trash talk any of our Canadian riders when they go down there and try to put it up in the main. But when I was on Star, I made every main event that I raced in besides Anaheim 1 when I crashed and couldn’t race. I rode every weekend and still made it in. In the 450 class last year, I had a bit of a tough time when I broke my collar bone two weeks before the opening round. It was really hard to get back into it half way through the season when all those guys are already in the game and have all their butterflies out, and I’m going in there and saying to myself “okay, where am I going to finish then”, you know? I was just trying to work my butterflies out half way through the season, especially since I had never been in that class because that is definitely where all the big named riders are. It was a tough game for that. Kyle: On a lighter note, you’ve been back in Canada since last year. For ’09, you’re back with your old team you won the championship with. You have to be pretty pumped on how your season is going so far? Dusty: Oh yeah definitely. I took a lot of time off this winter and it was exactly what I needed for sure. It gave me time to think about things, what I want to do, and be with the team. When I was coming back to Canada, I didn’t want to be on any other team but Blackfoot. They do such an awesome job and I get along with the guys well. It’s just a fit for me being with them. I’ll probably continue with my career here with them. I’m happy being here and just want to race for all my fans back home. Kyle: When you were on Blackfoot before they were Honda’s main team. Now that they have switched over to Yamaha, how do you feel about the equipment you’re riding and your bike set up so far? Dusty: My bike is hands down awesome! I love it. The Yamaha is a really good bike. I was a little skeptical coming back on a Yamaha. I really didn’t like it to much in ‘07. I didn’t really think it handled that well, but they have changed up the chassis and stuff since I’ve ridden it last and Joe with his SSS Suspension has made it exactly the way I want. It’s freaking just a killer bike this year. I’m pumped to be on that bike, and I definitely love it out there on race days. It’s definitely making it a little bit easier for me. I just need to step it up a little bit more and start rubbing my teammate a little bit. Kyle: Do you have one track you’re looking forward to going to the most? Dusty: Honestly, I’m down for any track as long as it’s prepared properly and well watered. There are tracks that, for me, change every year. Some years I like the track and sometimes it’s like “what the hell did they do this year?” It really is just how much preparation they put into it. This weekend they did an awesome job. I just think that maybe they over killed it a little bit. Going into Sunday, they just made sections that were too deep and muddy, and they didn’t clean some of the outside lines so it just made the track super one lined, and there was no outside lines you could use to make passes. The first moto when I got stuck behind Carpenter, I was just killing myself trying to find a line to get around him. It was just a bummer, but I mean I was riding right behind Colt there in the second moto, but he was riding a good race. They did groom some sections for that second moto and the track was a lot better than what it was for the first moto. Kyle: People say it’s harder to win your second championship than it is your first one. Do you agree with that as you’re going for your second MX1 title, or even relating to your MX2 West championships? Dusty: Honestly, everyone probably has their own thing. It just depends on how well you can handle the pressure of having that plate on your bike. I know when I had it I knew that I could win that class. That gives you the high horse, the high chair or whatever you want to call it going into the first round when you know you won last year. So there’s no reason why you can’t go out there and do it again. Honestly, to me, it’s just a number on my plate, and as long as I go there prepared and ready, that’s all I can ask for. Kyle: Anyone you want to thank? Dusty: I would like to thank Team Toyota, Yamaha, Blackfoot racing, Fox, Blackfoot direct, Michelin, Renthal, DRD, power finance, Yamalube, GYTR, Haan Wheels, PR2, SSS, and everyone else helping me out. Kyle: Thanks Dusty!
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