Colton Facciotti

Birth date: April 18, 1988
Residence: Aldergrove, BC

Colton is one of Canada’s Next Big Things who actually became “The Big Thing.” After spending much of his amateur and pro career racing for Kawasaki, Facciotti switched to Blackfoot Yamaha in 2007. After earning second overall in the MX1 class that first season, Colt won nearly every moto this past year to claim his first national championship.

Off the track, Colton Facciotti has a deceptively introverted, shy vibe- he won't talk your ear off, that's for sure. Talk to him for a few minutes, however, and it becomes obvious that behind the shy, toothy smile, there is a sharp mind turning everything over, sensing everything, processing it all. Watch him on his Yamaha YZ450F for a few minutes and you'll see why Blackfootdirect Team Toyota Yamaha has Facciotti pegged as young up and coming rider with literally unbelievable potential.

"He's got all the skills he needs," says Blair Morgan, the team's elder stateman. "Nevermind tomorrow. He can win right now. He just needs the maturity and experience that comes with just throwing down, race after race."

What makes Blackfootdirect think they've got such a good rider on their hands? First, his athletic ability. Facciotti is 6'0", 160. Second, he's fast. His athletic ability, coupled with his fitness level, enables him to use his size and strength to manhandle his Yamaha into and out of corners quickly and get up and hit the throttle just those crucial fractions of a second faster.

"I have, like, zero percent body fat," Facciotti jokes. "It's super hard to push yourself in practice. For me, practice is more about fitness. Some guys might look fast but you look at their lap times and they are slow. If your fitness level costs you maybe a half second every lap, that's the difference between being a contender and just another rider. You have to be smooth and consistent."

Look behind Facciotti's introverted side and you'll find a rider who's quickly building as much confidence as any rider on the team. How confident? Facciotti is the first to admit he's fast.

"When I was riding in the States, there were always ten other riders I could battle with, and that's what made me fast," Facciotti says.

When he came back to Canada, however, Facciotti says he missed those battles.

"There wasn't too much competition up here," he says, "so there's no reason for me not to win big this year."

As confident as he sounds, however, Facciotti is careful to avoid being overly confident.

"I think maybe I'm faster in the whoops than other guys," he says. "I like the whoops. Those guys might be better than me at other stuff, maybe. It's all about knowing your strengths."

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