Jean Turner | December 24, 2016
FIM SuperEnduro World Champion, AMA EnduroCross Champion Colton Haaker: Marching to the beat of his own drum has led Haaker to an extraordinary 2016
There’s a lot more to being Colton Haaker than having skill on a motorcycle.
True, he is the reigning FIM SuperEnduro World Champion, and the newly crowned AMA EnduroCross Champion, but these accomplishments in his career are only the beginning of his vision. Setting his sights on a goal, challenging himself to find his own way to get there and constantly broadening his horizons have led the trials rider turned off-roader to extraordinary heights in 2016, a year that will be hard to top in his life. But Haaker (pronounced hay-kur—don’t call him hacker!) hopes this is only the beginning of his titles, his family and his new company Plaeco.
With two championships, getting his own business off the ground and getting married, 2016 truly was Colton Haaker’s year.
For Colton, 2016 started off on the right foot—with an FIM World Championship in March after an epic showdown with his archrival Cody Webb at the season finale.
“[2016] was incredible from the start,” Haaker said. “Superenduro, getting that championship, the way it went down, it was just so dramatic. It was a pressure-cooker of a situation. It was a two-point difference [between him and Webb for the championship] going into the final race and I knew that Cody and I had to step up to the plate. We both pretty much left everybody with a 35-second gap by the end of an eight-minute race. We both pushed each other to the very limit. I just had a little bit more when it came down to it. There was a lot riding on that one last lap! [laughs] I was really proud of the fact that I was able to achieve that.”
Photography by Husqvarna Motorcycles and Turner
Taking the final step onto the top of the podium was a logical progression for Haaker, who pointed out that he was fourth in AMA EnduroCross in 2013, third in 2014, second in 2015 and therefore due for his championship this year.
His sheer speed and talent have always been evident; but the consistency is what famously eluded him. Haaker explained the key to that was good old-fashioned practice.
“Just a lot of laps were logged, that’s for sure. When I bought my house that I currently live in, I invested in my career as an endurocross racer. I built a track and started putting in serious time.”
It all paid off in 2016, as Haaker headed into the AMA EnduroCross Series with the confidence of a world championship, and the consistency to take points away from Webb by winning heat races and main event Hot Laps (both of which award additional championship points at each round). It was those pesky points that cost Haaker in 2015, where he had as many wins as Webb, but was behind in the championship heading into the finale. The tables were turned, and it was Haaker who would not be denied.
He came into the final round at Ontario only needing a seventh-place finish in the main event to take the title. Despite Webb’s best effort, Haaker sailed to a second-place finish, and his first AMA EnduroCross Championship.
Haaker managed to stay ahead of his main rival, Cody Webb (1) to take the 2016 AMA EnduroCross Championship—his first ever.
Both abroad and at home, Webb and Haaker have left no doubt they are in a league of their own. Among the world’s best endurocross and superenduro racers, they have lapped nearly the entire field at times, showcasing how far they have pushed each other.
“A lot of people don’t know our history,” Haaker said of his archrival, Webb. “We rode together in high school and were riding buddies, riding trials when we were 15 to around 17. By the time I was 19 I moved out and moved to Southern California. From that point we weren’t riding together every day anymore, but we became ultra-competitive at the premier level of the sport.
“Between the [FIM SuperEnduro] World Championship, we were battling in Europe and battling here. We’re ultra competitive but at the end of the day, we’re still going to probably have a drink together no matter who wins or how it goes down, we’re still going to shake hands at the end. We ultimately just push each other to be faster and better and stronger.”
Due to a change in KTM/Husqvarna’s racing programs, the Austrian brands will no longer be sending riders overseas to compete in the FIM SuperEnduro Series. As the reigning champion, Haaker will be returning, but his key rival will not.
“My direct competition won’t be there, but there’s still a lot of really good riders in Europe and I can’t take anything for granted, whatsoever,” Haaker said. “I’m in a whole new position, too, going into it with the target on my back. I’m doing the same amount of training that I was before endurocross even though I’m already pretty much up to speed. I just don’t want to come into this season giving anything up. I definitely can’t take it for granted and if I have any kind of slip-up or anything, I’m sure anyone would be happy to take my place as number one.
“I just want to treat it like I did last year going in as a rookie. I just had an open mind. I didn’t get too stuck in ‘I need to win’ or thinking about points. I just had an open mind about it all. But it’s a whole new ball game. [Defending the championship] is a new position for me.”
Haaker’s season started out on the right foot when he won the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
While Haaker might have made it look easy in the arenas, there were other areas that gave him trouble in 2016. Extreme enduro events such as Erzberg and the Tennessee Knock Out proved to get the better of him—something he plans to remedy in 2017.
“I learned a lot at Erzberg this year so I can take that into next year, preparation wise,” he explained. “I’ve already started thinking about it. It was such a new thing for me, going over there and doing that race. I’ve thought a lot about my race and now it went down, and how my bike was set up. I’ve had that in the back of my mind, honestly, since I left with a bad taste in my mouth. I’m definitely looking to finish a lot stronger next year. That’s one of the bigger races for me. There’s always an opportunity to be better, even if you think you had a perfect year.”
Part of that plan, and another testament to Haaker’s commitment, is a new place to train and prepare in Coeur-d’Alene, Idaho.
“We got a house in Idaho just for outdoor Erzberg-style training,” Haaker explained. “You can ride in the woods, or in the rain. It’s another place I can go to train in different type of terrain. A change of scenery is always nice.”
If Haaker’s interests and commitments stopped there, it would be impressive enough. But racing is only the beginning of his current pursuits.
In part of building his own brand, Haaker began creating short video clips a few years ago, ranging from funny bits with his friends to incredible stunts like his renowned 360. The videos became an instant hit on social media, but Haaker soon realized he was limited in the quality and the distribution.
Together with his long-time friend and mechanic Josh Schaecher, Haaker celebrates his World Championship.
“I was definitely into the social media thing but at the same time I just realized that, at the end of the day, Instagram and stuff is just very saturated. Especially with the new algorithm that Facebook runs it as. With their new algorithm, I’ll look at things and it will be like five days later. It’s really hard to pinpoint the viewership and in what way it’s being shown or who even sees it. I feel like the social platform is really dictating where and what is being seen now. It’s been frustrating because I think a lot of athletes want to push their name and they are struggling to get the same viewership that they once had.”
Haaker’s solution? Create his own media company. Partnering with his friend Jimmy Bowron, Haaker created Plaeco, a media company that also offers clothing and apparel.
“Plaeco, as it’s slogan, creates rad shit,” Haaker explained. “Rad things if you’re 13 and younger. And that goes from apparel, clothing, hats, t-shirts, accessories to footage, videos and films.
“I really want to make things that last longer. Have a little more impact. I’m inspired by Gymkhana videos, I’m inspired by Danny MacAskill videos and I have my own spin on those.
“Our very first film was Heater, which was obviously a big hit.”
Heater, the first Rare Exception Film from Plaeco, was released in October 2016, and was immediately a success. The five-minute video showcased Haaker on his home endurocross track at his home in Perris, California—the “Haaker Hacienda.”
Haaker was proud to introduce “Heater” in October, 2016—the first feature release of his new media company, Plaeco.
“That was something that I thought of and created with Jimmy Bowron, who filmed and edited the whole thing. Between the two of us we created this film that you would have thought would’ve taken a quarter-million budget and 10 guys and the whole nine yards. But between the two of us we were able to do something pretty—I felt really proud of and special. I think a lot of people in the industry also felt that it was fresh and new. That’s what we wanted to bring to the table, something that’s fresh and new.”
The feat also earned Plaeco the opportunity to create films for other companies. Haaker and Bowron are currently working on a video project for his next venture—a bid at the Winter X Games aboard a snow bike.
Racing isn’t the limit of Haaker’s scope—the 27-year-old has creative ambitions and a sharp mind for business.
“I’m going to ride a Timbersled Husqvarna 450 in Winter X Games,” Haaker explained. “We’re going to document the pioneering aspect of the journey. I’ve basically been in the snow twice in the last 10 years so; it’s all new for me. It’s pioneering for me and it’s a pioneering story for Husqvarna Motorcycles, taking a dirt bike into the snow to see what it’s all about. We’re going to go down to the Timbersled Headquarters in Sand Point and have them put it together and do testing with those guys and in the end hopefully come out with an X Games medal.”
Typically, it would be the manufacturer creating the video of the rider, not the other way around. But true to form, Haaker has subverted the status quo in the quest to pursue his own vision.
“I have a lot of creative vision that I want to bring to the table in the industry. I don’t want to be only the subject but also I want to be the one that has a lot to do with how the video is shot and produced. I want to give my own creative touch on things, which is cool—branching out of just riding a dirt bike and also having the vision and shining your own light on it.”
Putting his own “spin on things” has been a hallmark of Haaker’s career, whether it was running out of his own privateer team or qualifying for a Pro Motocross national in the off-season.
Outdoor extreme enduros such as Erzberg contrasted with Haaker’s indoor success—something he plans to remedy in 2017.
“It’s all about challenging yourself,” Haaker said, matter-of-factly. “At one point, everything in the world to me was a podium in an endurocross race. And the next thing, everything in the world to me was winning one, or a certain point, everything was about making a motocross national. These are just goals. You just set life goals. I don’t believe I’ll ever stop setting goals to accomplish throughout my life. They’ll just change. They’ll become bigger and different and greater and it might not have anything to do with motorcycles at some point, either. But I just think that’s what life is all about. Evolving and just experiencing as much as you can, right?”
So what’s next on the goal list for the extreme enduro champ-turned entrepreneur? Lots of racing as the new FIM SuperEnduro World Championship gets started, along with preparing for Winter X Games and King of the Motos.
“Right after Christmas I leave for Germany for SuperEnduro. That’s on [January] 7th. Then right after I get back from that, we have two weeks until Winter X Games, so I’ll just be on the Timbersled the next two weeks for that,” Haaker said. “Then the next weekend after Winter X is King of the Motos. Then I think the weekend after that is the next superenduro. It’s a lot! [laughs] And it’s all different bikes, too. It’s a 450 snow bike, an endurocross bike, it’s an extreme enduro two-stroke 300—there’s a lot going on.”
True to form, the post-race celebration was a big one.
It’s going to be a busy year for Haaker, and he has a task ahead of him to top 2016. But he is ready to “Create Rad Shit” in the pursuit of an even better year.
“It’s going to be hard to top [2016],” Haaker said. “At this point I hope it’s not the very top of my career. I have a lot going on, but I’m just striving to keep the ball rolling and make everything better. Just keep it going.” CN
Husqvarna recaps Haaker’s season and incredible finale at the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
