When we look back at a few of our most successful Canadian riders, there are obviously a lot of differences between them. Where they’re from, their riding style, and what years they were successful are a couple of things that stand out. However, as different as they are, one of the common denominators that all champions share is their will to win and their distaste of losing. I mean, let’s face it, we all hate to lose, whether it’s a game of basketball, a race, or even a card game during this lock down that we’ve all be in. But champions and people that consistently find success absolutely hate to lose and they start their days like that. It’s not a reactionary emotion, it’s part of their preparation. I’m not sure if some of you have been watching the new Michael Jordan series “The Last Dance” on Netflix but it really goes in depth showing what an animal MJ was during his long and successful career. He not only hated to lose on a daily basis, but peak performance and the need to improve consumed his thought process from sun up to sun down. Again, like all champions he cared so greatly about the little things and left no stone unturned in his pursuit of excellence. He was hard on his teammates during practice and in games, and pushed them to be the best they could be, even when they didn’t want to be. Like all of the great leaders from our time, he never asked anyone to do the difficult tasks that he wasn’t willing to do himself. Like a Tiger Woods or Ayrton Senna in their prime, Jordan did everything humanly possible to win and was driven by the fear of losing.
I don’t want to start a debate here about who are or were our best Canadian riders. That is the beauty about opinions, everyone is allowed to have one. We’ve been so lucky in Canada to have had so many great riders over the years. However, if I were to pick three from the past four decades then those riders would be Ross Pederson, Jean Sebastien Roy, and most recently Colton Facciotti. This trio won multiple titles, enjoyed success on a global scale, came back from injuries numerous times, and during their respective era were considered the rider to beat by their competition. Even though these three riders came from different places and had many different attributes (both on and off the bike), they all shared the same work ethic and mental state of mind of a Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Because, at the top level of any sport all of the athletes are talented, which is why they’re competing there. But at some point, the going is going to get tough and that is when these guys really shine. I’ve been lucky enough to know all three of these riders quite well and I’ve seen them all perform under pressure, seemingly when others cannot. I’ve also witnessed them away from the races and I can tell you that each one has given me examples as to why they’ve been so successful. I don’t want to leave out any details so I’m going to split this into three parts this week and look at each rider separately.
For Part 2, let’s take a look at the rider who nicely filled Ross Pederson’s shoes and pretty much dominated the next 15 years of Canadian motocross. JSR turned pro in 1991 and entered the premier ranks in Canada as a fast but erratic young Quebec rider. Unlike Ross, who was built like a refrigerator with a head, JSR was lean and lanky. However, just like Ross, JSR also had a very strong work ethic as well as an abundance of self confidence. These were JSR’s greatest attributes; he wasn’t afraid to train hard and he had a deep belief in his own abilities, especially in times when it mattered the most. Finally, one of the things that made beating JSR difficult was it was tough to hate him. With Ross, pretty much everyone he lined up against wanted to beat him and they had most likely spent all week thinking about it. But with JSR, he was just so darn nice off of the track that it was difficult to find that “I hate this guy” mentality when thinking up ways to beat him. It wasn’t uncommon for JSR to wish you good luck before the race, tell you that you had a good ride after the race and mean every word of it! This is actually a great lesson for every rider out there. Regardless of how good you are and how much winning you’re doing you can always be decent and respectful to your competition.
Back in the decade of decadence (aka the 1990s), JSR and I first started hanging out in 1993 when he took my bikes out to the western rounds of the Canadian Nationals and we hung out in between rounds. It was still early in his pro career so he hadn’t started winning yet. That year was also challenging as Ross and Carl Vaillancourt were still racing and winning motos. For a couple of 20-year-olds, beating those two legends just wasn’t in the cards. However, what caught me eye early on with JSR was his attention to detail off the track. At the time, he was still a little wild at times on the track but off of the track it was a completely different story as everything had a time and place. If he had a training session scheduled at 10am, then he was ready to go at 9:55am. If lunch time was at noon, then he was eating by 12pm sharp. JSR was a prepared racing machine, and years later he told me that it was this preparedness that gave him so much confidence on the starting line. Every time he lined up, he knew that although he might not be the fastest rider on the gate or the most talented, he knew he was the most prepared.
A few years later in 1996 we spent more time together racing a few SX events overseas, and then in May of that year I invited him to stay at my house. For about five days we rode and trained together, and again I saw his work ethic up close, which was impressive. At that time, he was beginning to focus more on racing in the USA. Although he didn’t have much of a budget to do so, he was still highly motivated to head south and battle the Americans. During that week we didn’t just do moto after moto, we worked on corners and technique and other sections of the track. They were great days, and also, my Mom loved having him there because he was so polite and neat. Definitely another great lesson for all riders out there: be polite and always make your bed, regardless of whose house you’re staying at.
It was no surprise that I went on to have one of the best seasons in 1996 after spending time with JSR. He not only made me a better rider but he made me feel like he wanted me to be a better rider. That gave me a lot of confidence.
Years later when he went on his run of five Canadian Championships in a row, he was as dominant as anyone during that time. Like Ross, JSR wasn’t a natural talent by any means, but he had a great sense of timing and of knowing what needed to be done in order to have the success he wanted. Looking back, those early years were foundation building for JSR. What he learned from 1991-2000 racing in Canada and in the USA gave him the tools necessary to win those five National titles in the early 2000s. If we can take anything from JSR’s incredible career it would be that success doesn’t always happen overnight. Yes, JSR won races in the 1990s, but he also lost a lot of races, hit the ground a few times and had to battle back from a few serious injuries. It took a decade of racing education before JSR won his first 250 National Championship in 2001. So, kids, work hard, be a decent human being and don’t get discouraged if success in the pro class doesn’t come right away. If this formula can work for JSR then it can work for you! Enjoy the journey, thanks for reading and stay tuned to Part 3 when I talk about Colton Facciotti.