COLTON HAAKER INTERVIEW ON THE 2024 ENDUROCROSS SEASON PRESENTED BY PROGRESSIVE WITH TWO ROUNDS LEFT

With two rounds to go in the 2024 EnduroCross season, MAVTV sat down with five-time champion Colton Haaker to discuss his hunt for a record-breaking sixth title and his takeaways from the year thus far. 

Question: At the first round of the season, you finished sixth overall. What was going through your head at that point? Were you in panic mode at all?

COLTON HAAKER: At the first round, getting sixth was not ideal. I actually had a bike issue, which was the main culprit of the poor result. Ultimately, that was not how I wanted to start. That put me in a hole for the rest of the series, since it’s is only six rounds and finishing outside of the podium makes it more difficult to land a championship in the end.

So that’s what I was up against. I basically didn't sleep for two days after that. I was not very happy, just replaying in my head what was going on. Then later that week, the team figured out what was wrong with the bike. It made a lot more sense in the end, we’ve rebounded now and we're having a good time.

Question: There are a lot of emotions involved in this sport and that was on display with you and Trystan Hart after the checkered flag in Idaho Falls. Can you explain exactly what happened and talk about how intense those moments are?

COLTON HAAKER: It’s always intense, especially when you're in a position where you come down to the final checkered flag and finish so close to each other. Then, when someone crashes over the finish, there's this moment of wondering, “Is it my fault? Is it their fault?” There's obviously a disagreement in those moments and emotions were high that night. Trystan throwing his goggles was a heightened emotion.

I wasn’t going in there to put anybody in a headlock, but I was going in there to tell him that I didn’t feel like I was at complete wrong in that situation. The dad in me just kind of came out and I went straight to have a talk with him about it, because I didn’t want to see that behavior continue.

Question: With two rounds left in the EnduroCross season, what are your main goals to accomplish at these final races?

COLTON HAAKER: I just want to go out there and win. If I can do that and just focus on myself, put myself in the best position and execute races like I know how to, it’ll make it fun. The crowd pays to get a good show and I’m part of that show. I want to put my best foot forward and provide good entertainment for them.

Question: You’re currently chasing a sixth championship — something no one has achieved thus far in EnduroCross. What would it mean to you to be the first to six?

COLTON HAAKER: Winning six definitely puts you on an exclusive list. But if it takes you a hundred years to get to six, does it really matter? (Laughs) That's kind of the mindset I have about it.

Awhile back, I got to win four titles in a row, in spite of the really stiff competition I had during that time. Those were all monumental victories and championships in their own right. I would say that winning four years in a row was really, really cool and monumental for myself. But the guy who's tied with me (Taddy Blazusiak), he won all five championships in a row.

Like I said, if I’m going to be out here for a hundred years, six titles is not that commendable in the end. But if I could win this year, that’d be awesome. I still feel very competitive. 

Question: What keeps you coming back to EnduroCross year after year?

COLTON HAAKER: EnduroCross has been a lot of fun. Not just racing, but practicing it. It's something in my life that I have complete control over. The amount of work I put in, that shows in my results on the racetrack. I can get back as much as I give. If I wake up early and I go do my riding and I practice the right things, then I can get a return on that time, which I really enjoy. 

Yes, there’s a mechanic. Yes, there's a team manager. Yes, there's the bike. Yes, there's parts of the bike. There are a lot of different factors, but ultimately there's one person that's controlling the destiny of where that motorcycle lands on the podium that night — me. 

I get to look at myself in the mirror at the end of the day and say, “Hey, you weren't good enough in these areas.” I'm brutally honest about those things and I try to be better every day, which is a lot of fun. I want to do my best while I have the opportunity. 

But I have other interests too, as a dad, as a family man and as a business owner. Life is awesome and I think there's a lot more to it than racing, but while I still have my youth and the ability, there’s no reason to not want to achieve more.