As seen in our latest issue of MXP Magazine, Red Bull Thor KTM rider Kaven Benoit talks about how he is now healthy and ready to put 2017 behind him. For the past few months, Benoit has been at ClubMX in South Carolina training hard for the opening round of the outdoor nationals in Calgary.
Photo by James Lissimore
A few weeks after this year’s Superbowl, I was watching Tom Brady speak about the New England Patriots’ gut wrenching loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. During his interview, Brady spoke about the big game and how it obviously didn’t go the way he or his team expected it to. He went on to say that sometimes you prepare the way you want and you give your absolute best effort but still come out on the losing end of things. This is not only a situation that arises in sports, but it’s also a great life lesson for school, family, or your job. Tom Brady’s words were spot on and it’s how we all should go through life. Just give the best effort you can and see what happens. Sometimes you’ll be successful but sometimes you won’t be.
When you look back at Kaven Benoit’s 2017 season, you have to feel badly for the way things transpired. Just as Tom Brady was talking about, Benoit did everything he could to prepare for what was supposed to be his best season as a professional motocross rider. Heading into last season, everyone figured that it was going to be Benoit’s best year. At the time, he was coming off a solid 2016 season that saw him not only finish third overall in the CMRC MX1 National series, but he also won his first ever MX1 National in his home Province of Quebec. When the 2016 CMRC Nationals were complete, Benoit travelled to Italy as a member of Team Canada to compete at the MXONs. At that event, with the world watching and the Maple Leaf on his back, Benoit turned in the race of his life against the best riders on the planet. It was a magical conclusion to his dream year, and when the sun finally did set on his 2016 season, Benoit couldn’t wait for 2017 to begin. Unfortunately, the best made plans don’t always work out. When Benoit broke his ankle at an early season supercross in Germany, it signalled the start of what was going to be a very challenging 2017.
Kaven Benoit reflects on last season:
“Last year was so difficult in a lot of different ways. Getting hurt is not great at anytime, but when you get injured overseas it just adds to the pain of everything. My trip home from Germany and the weeks that followed were just awful. I worked hard to recover from that and I tried my best to get ready for the opening round in Kamloops, but my ankle was still not right. I led the first moto for a while and should’ve won, but my ankle could not hold up. I knew I needed more time to heal, so I took the next month off and tried to prepare for the eastern rounds. The race at Gopher Dunes was so tough, the track was rough and I was still riding in pain. Then the following weekend at my home track I was running near the front and had an unexpected crash. The crash was very hard and it once again put me on the sideline with another injury. That was the end of my 2017 as I didn’t ride again until the fall. Looking back, I probably should’ve just shut things down after Kamloops for the rest of the season and had my ankle fixed properly. My second crash in Quebec only happened because I was not prepared to be racing at that level. I guess you live and learn and I will not make that mistake again.”
With his nightmare season over, Benoit immediately set his sights on 2018 and what he hopes to be his comeback year. After getting his ankle fixed for good last fall, he is now pain-free as he begins his preparation for the 2018 outdoor portion of the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series. With virtually the same bike as last year, Benoit’s early season laps at ClubMX in South Carolina have him feeling very confident. As with athletes in any sport, Benoit didn’t realize just how badly he was favouring his injured ankle last season until he was able to get it fixed. Now, with it back in the condition that he needs it to be, he’s able to ride the way he wants and also complete the training he needs to do off of the bike. With almost all of his competition competing in the early AX rounds of the new Triple Crown Series, Benoit opted to sit out and focus his attention on the nine outdoor rounds instead.
Kaven Benoit talks about his decision not to ride the AX rounds:
“I have heard a few people comment negatively about me not riding the opening four AX races of this new series, and my first thought is that these people don’t know what they’re talking about. First off, with having my last surgery only a few months ago, I was only recently cleared to ride. After the season I had last year, my only concern was to get healthy and make sure I would be ready for 2018. The last thing I wanted to do was rush my preparation and then go to the opening AX events and have something happen. For me to do that would be foolish and I just wasn’t going to make another bad decision. My team also didn’t think it was a good idea to race in those early events as they just want me to be ready for Calgary in late May. By the looks of how the track was in Abbotsford, I didn’t miss anything as it looked awful. As I said, my first concern is getting ready for this summer and to have a solid season of racing. I know my speed is still there, so I think I can have an incredible series on my new Red Bull Thor KTM. Once I get the summer over, then we can talk about 2019 and maybe I can ride a few of the indoor events, but first things first. I think I’ve earned that.”
As you can tell, Kaven Benoit is looking for complete redemption in 2018. With a healthy body and a solid team continuing to be behind him, there is no reason to think that Kaven will not be able to find his way back to the podium in the MX1 class. He will definitely have some tough competition in the MX1 class with Colton Facciotti, Matt Goerke, as well as his Red Bull Thor KTM teammate Cole Thompson. However, as history has revealed itself, Benoit has always been at his best when he feels as though he has something to prove. As the gate drops on the 2018 season, Kaven Benoit is looking to have one of the greatest comebacks we’ve ever seen in this country. Look for him to begin his long climb back to the top of this sport on May 26, 2018 in Calgary, AB.