by Steve Cox
5 Minutes with... Brett Metcalfe
Wednesday, September 8, 2010 | 9:00 AM
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PrintGEICO Powersports Honda’s Brett Metcalfe has been trying to do better than third overall for the last couple of races. He set that goal at Southwick, and then nearly won the opening moto before running out of fuel with a few turns left in the race. But at Steel City, he actually pulled it off, grabbing second overall, and once again nearly winning the first moto, only to get outfoxed this time by Kevin Windham. We caught up with him after the race to get his take.
Brett Metcalfe: Well, the only thing that’s missing is crossing the finish line first. Actually, just crossing the finish line this week was good. That first moto, I made that mistake and stalled it. I think if that didn’t happen, I would have really went on with it. It’s just a silly mistake. It’s always that I need to eliminate that. It’s something I can control. Like I said, everything is really clicking. I’m riding well and my starts were decent today.
The second start wasn’t great...
The second one wasn’t. But it was solid. I was up there. Now, I feel like I have good momentum and some confidence and I’m leading more laps than ever right now. It’s time to press for the win and today was really, really close. Close is a bad word. This next weekend is going to be good for me, I believe. I’ll just go for it there.
You’re relatively familiar with the track. I know you’ve probably been out there quite a few times.
Not since they’ve made changes; I haven’t been there for months. The dirt and everything is a typical Cali track, so I think I’m going to dig it. It’s awesome; I like it. I’m looking forward to that. It was a good day today, actually. I enjoyed racing with Kevin [Windham] in that first moto. It was cool getting to battle with him. I’ve never raced with Kevin until these last few Nationals.
There was Unadilla last year, but you were probably a mile ahead of him...
Well, that didn’t count. So, it was cool and actually enjoyable. We battled and we were a little aggressive at one point, but never anything crazy.
It was actually interesting to watch you two because your riding styles are so different so you were kind of going faster in different spots.
Yeah, it was a cat-and-mouse game. I felt like I was really good in some spots and then once I kind of heard what was going on... This track is very good for Kevin. It’s a Kevin Windham kind of style track. With his bigger body, I think he was really good in some spots where I couldn’t be very good.
Brett Metcalfe finally stepped up a spot on the podium, landing second overall at Steel City.
Photo: Steve Cox
Bigger body for planting the bike in the slick stuff?
Yeah, planting the bike, charging in hard, turning on a dime... That’s where I struggled to get traction. That comment was exactly how I felt. I would pull and then he would pull and get me and I’m like, "Man, I have to change things up!" It was a cool race. There was a point where I thought I was going to run out of gas again, for real. It crossed my mind. I’m like, "Dude, I’m going to run out. Should I start letting up? What should I do?" I was scared to run out.
Now your head’s all messed up... Where are you in points now?
Second. But not by much.
Yeah, but that’s progress. Your first ever year on a 450, to be running second in a championship with one round to go... That’s good. You’re racing MX1 for Team Australia and Jay Marmont is MX3 with Dean Ferris in MX2. I know that it’s a staple of the team to have Chad Reed on it and usually Michael Byrne, because they’ve been around forever. This year, you guys are doing without both of them. What do you think about your chances as a team?
Well, I think we’re in with a decent shot to get a top-three. To pull off a win, there are some teams that are really strong and that’s going to be a longshot, but I think we’re in with a shot for an overall top-three. In years past, with Byrner, me and Chad, we had been going for the win and it’s been backfiring and not working out. Maybe this approach is something that will move us forward and won’t backfire. We’ll see what happens.
What’s going on with your hand? You’ve been favoring it...
When I ran out of gas at Southwick, in the first moto there on the last lap, obviously I was pretty pissed at that instant. I slammed the crossbar with my hand – just punched the crap out of it – because apparently it was the crossbar’s fault that I ran out. I was like, "You damned crossbar!" So, I punched it as hard as I could with the meat of my hand, like a hammer, and never really felt it at the time. It was not even a problem. Then, after the moto, I’m sitting there cooling down and I’m like, "Man, why is my hand hurting so bad?" I realized it was swollen up and thought about it and it was from punching the handlebars. It’s not a problem now, it just hurts whenever someone shakes my hand. It just really kills right now, but it’s all good.
No, that’s not me. I try and hold my emotions in, which is a good thing and a bad thing also. That part of me right there was kind of letting some anger out. After I let that out, I left it on the track, went back and was totally cool. We went on for moto two and there was no problem. That’s part of me that I don’t really enjoy – being angry – but sometimes you have to let the anger out.
And for the last thing, do you feel like this is the top of your riding level so far in your career?
Yeah, I do. Every year you look and every year I want to try and get better and better and find ways to improve – find new things, techniques, dieting, training, whatever it is. It’s an ongoing process to become better as a racer, so I do believe this year in Supercross was my best ever result, and outdoors of course is going great. I definitely feel like the 450 has helped me propel myself big time and just continuing to get better as a rider, too.
That’s the irony of Brett Metcalfe: Everybody pigeon-holed you as a 250F rider and then you rip on a 450. People should have known that three or four years ago...
That was a choice I had to make at the end of last year. I just had to push. I knew I had to get off of the 250 and I had been feeling it for a couple of years. If someone came to me and said, "Hey, we have an awesome team and 450 for you to ride," I would have taken it, but it didn’t happen. It’s the common thing here, where people say, "He needs to win the Lites class, the championship, or win races," and this and that. I was going for that. I was always chasing that carrot there in the Lites and I never got it, but here I am in the 450s and I’m way closer to winning races than I was on the 250. Sometimes, you have to re-evaluate and chase something else.
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Love Metty. Hope he can get on the top step this weekend. He is the modern day Jim Gibson. Lokk him up!
I am still mad about Southwick!!! LOL Good dude, I hope he gets 2nd in points, If he got the Starts Short gets he would be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of Short. He is going forward and Short is going backwards every race.
Have a feeling he will put a hurt on the boys in sx next year if he can stay healthy,Always have liked Metty.
Metty is more of an MX'er than SX'er.
Whats funny is Metty is riding Kevin Windhams bike over at Geico. So in other words Windham was battling his bike for the win only that Metty was riding it while he was on Millsaps Factory bike. Pretty cool.
I thought Metty was on the Geico Team way before KW got the Team Honda ride ?
Metty has new life since he moved to the 450's. I bet he wishes he rode it last year. I think he may have had something for Reed. It would have been real close.
Metty was on the 250 right up until the outdoors, then jumped on the 450 ... just as Kevin was jumping off it after SX. Thus, Metty's kind of riding K-Dub's bike. BillC, you're like a broken record with the Shorty thing. Give it a friggin' rest. SCIENCE, I don't need to look up ("lokk up?") Jim Gibson -- part of the mighty Team Honda from the early '80s.
METTY RULES!
sef154,,, did you ever see Jim Gibson race ?
The facts are the facts Sef, Weather U like it or not it is what it is. So why do i need to stop saying the truth??
Sef, I meant no disrespect regarding Gibson. I was lucky enough to see him race to second place numerous times. He had many fans/great bikes/talent/style yet never could get the elusive win. Kind of like Metty. Hope that 24 pulls one off.
Sef is the gramer police too science. Talk about a broken record, Give it a rest Sef and I will back of on Short a bit.
That would be the "grammar" police. I love how in America it's not "cool" to be able to spell anymore. And yes, Billy Boy, Short's having an awful season, isn't he? So when Metty goes against the MX1 riders and Short competes against the MX3s, let's see who does better. My point is you've brought up the "fading" like - what - dozens of times? Zzzzz. SCIENCE, no disrespect taken; just pointing out that some of us are old enough to have seen Gibson race. (Hell, I saw Hannah and DeCoster go at it at Unadilla. And I was already old enough to drive to the race!)
sef154,, you seem to know just about everything, don't you ?? Is my spelllllling OK for you ??? I would hate to have you correct me on that also.... Its pretty obvious you jumped down SCIENCE's throat when he said look up JG.. Just cant admit your wrong, can ya ?
Has Nothing to do with Being "COOL" sef, It's U, You tell me you don't want to hear about Short fading but u don't like it when people tell u to stop being the grammar and spelling police. see? Also what does The MX1 VS MX3 have to do with anything?? Head to head Metty kicks shorts butt so what is your point there?? That one make no sence at all.
BillC,, I couldnt agree more..
I think metty's a fool for staying on a little bike for so long. He rips and is in control at all times on a 450 it seems. My biggest question is is metty gonna be Dungey's teamate over at suzuki? Thats what i've been hearing, metty might be riding yellow
I think it was more of a case metty couldnt get a ride on a 450. Im sure ive seen in an interview he wanted to step up earlier but the team wanted him on a 250. could be wrong though.
I realize that things only make sense when you say so, BillC, but along with your "fading" mantra, we've been discussing Short's MXdN selection. Short will be in direct competition with the other MX3 riders - where he should do quite well; Metcalfe with MX1. Sorry you can't make sense of that. But really, several times a week with the fading? No new ideas?
Funny, mxmofo, how the person I was actually addressing (which wasn't you) didn't make any mention of my "jumping down his throat." (“I don’t need to look up Jim Gibson” is jumping down someone’s throat? You must be a real sensitive kind of guy. Wouldn’t think that with the tough guy username and all.)
One of ol' Bill's favorite strategies is to completely ignore the holes I regularly shoot through his arguments and attack me as the "gramer police." I just didn't realize it was so difficult to read your post before you click "comment." Frankly, it sucks to "discuss" things with people who see that you've disagreed with them and turn it into a personal attack contest - and don't seem to know the difference.
I agree sef. The big discussion with Short being selected was that he has been "Fading", and he has. But then he gets compared to Metcalfe, and Metcalfe has been riding great. But with the Des Nations complaints about Short, is that Short will not be racing against Metcalfe at all. So when it comes to the Des Nations it means nothing.
"we've been discussing Short's MXdN selection" Not in this thread Sef. Also where did I turn this into a personal attack contest?? Boy talk about being a real sensitive kind of guy, Was it not U who asked in another thread if we are playing Tiddily winks??
As for shooting holes in my arguments... Where did that happen. All U did was say "So when Metty goes against the MX1 riders and Short competes against the MX3s, let's see who does better" Thats like saying we will make RD start dead motor backwards on the line and let K-Dub start in the first turn and see how he does. It was a dumb coment in a thread that has NOTHING to do with the MXD.
When it suits you, each thread is in a vacuum, right, BillC? You're dragging out tiddly winks (which referred to racing, not posting, btw), but I'm not allowed to mention (recent) past threads? Ha! I guess that justifies your repetitive jabs at Short. Just remember, Short will be done racing someday, but illiteracy will go on long after.
Yes but there is hope I will get better..... Short.... Not so much.