By Danny Brault  

We’re probably getting ahead of ourselves referring to BC’s Brett Turcotte as the next Blair “Superman” Morgan. It takes more than a silver medal at Winter X to gain Superman status. However, Turcotte is turning heads in the snocross world this year. In his first year pro, Turcotte has been leading the Blair Morgan Racing Ski-Doo Team in results, and was the only member of the team to qualify at X-Games for the Snocross final. Turcotte, who raced the MX2 West for Leading Edge Kawasaki last summer, is anxious now to get back in the dirt.


RXC: Brett, you had quite the weekend in Aspen!
Brett Turcotte: I did! It went really well. It was so much fun. The track is always so good there. It’s such a relief after pounding our brains out on these shitty tracks.

[Laughs] The track definitely had some big jumps and technical sections.
There were. I think the biggest one was 110 feet. The technical sections were gnarly. The take-offs were so shallow compared to the landings. You had to pitch the sled nose down like a bike to be smooth. It was technical, but a lot of fun. It’s still sinking in right now.

The weekend started out well with a win in your qualifier. Take us through that race.
I got a good pick; I think was second. I had a couple of fast guys in there, but I had beaten them during the year. I got a good start and pulled out a decent lead. I started riding a bit tight; it was an eight-lap sprint and everyone was pinning it. I was ahead of Ross Martin and he was pushing me the whole time. I ended up having the third fastest lap time of the night, so I got a good pick for the final.

And the main event?
My start was actually kind of shady. I got pinched off, slammed on the brakes, and let those guys push to the outside and I moved up the inside. I came out fourth. I stayed there for a few laps, and then passed Steve Taylor after block passing him in a corner. I just played catch up from there. [Tucker] Hibbert and Eckstrom were on the gas. By lap 16 I passed Eckstrom after the finish line on the uphill. I was nervous, but I was relaxed at the same time. It was the coolest feeling, thinking, ‘You’re in a silver medal position, just keep going!’ Blair was pit boarding for me, so that helped out. He just kept telling to breathe and relax.

That’s pretty incredible, Brett. That’s like the A1 of snocross. That definitely has to be a chart topper for you.
Yeah, it’s huge. I believe we were riding at 8,000 feet so my fitness pulled through. I’ve been working with Todd [Schumlick] from PerformX. I’ve been doing a lot of visualization on the start line, trying to picture myself in a medal position. I actually went into it thinking of it as a motocross race: you have 20 laps to work on guys. I knew my fitness was good because I was passing a lot of guys at the halfway mark at our nationals this year.

What’s the difference between training for motocross and snocross?
Snocross is more intense and focused on muscle training, where as we try to stay lean and physically fit for motocross. You just look at the weight difference between a 225 lbs bike and a 450 lbs sled. Our races aren’t as long, but I think they are more work. I’ve talked to a lot of motocross guys and they can’t believe we throw those things around that long. It will be interesting this year. I’ve worked a lot harder than I have in the past, so I’m looking forward to getting back on my bike.

Not only were you the only rider on the Blair Morgan Racing Team to qualify for X-Games, but you’ve also been their top guy all year, right?
It almost seems like that. I don’t want to be the Devil’s advocate; maybe I’m just having the rookie luck. I don’t know what it is. We’re struggling with our Open stuff, but our mod stuff seems to be working well. Every time I ride my mod, I get some good results.

It was surprising not to see Blair qualify for X-Games the second year in a row. There’s no way a guy like that can lose his touch.
I don’t think he’s forgotten. I watched him in practice and he was flying. It’s really unexplainable. Maybe his luck has run out with the medals he won previous? It seems like he’ll be in there and then, all of sudden, he’s not. I watched his start and I’m pretty sure I was as bummed out as he was when he had to flip his sled back over the fence.

Following your success in snocross this winter, it must give you confidence heading into the motocross season.
It does. I closed out the season pretty well on my bike. I don’t have a ride right now, but if it comes down to buying a bike, I will do that. I think I will do some of the western rounds; it looks like there is one in Edmonton, so that will be cool. I’m looking forward to buying a house this spring too.

Wow, that must be nice, Brett! How old are you, 19?
[Laughs] I actually just turned 20.

That’s good, though, that things are going well and you’re making a living.
Yeah, I want to settle down a little. I’m 20 now, so no excuses for being a teenage kid. I wouldn’t be living in it during the winter, so it would be good if I could rent it out to a buddy who is going to college or something.

Was there a decent bonus attached to your silver medal?
I definitely reaped a little bit of the benefits [laughs]! It’s not so much about the money. A good friend of mine passed away in December, and I did it for him, his family and friends back home. My phone was on fire, and I shut it off an hour before the final. I turned it on ten minutes after I got back to the trailer and the thing was just buzzing. I came home with the silver medal on my neck in the airport [laughs], and people were just looking at me.

So which do you prefer: motocross or sleds?
It’s hard to say. I’m making a living racing snowmobiles. Motocross is so much fun; it’s not minus 30. I look at snowmobiling racing as my career and money source. They each have their benefits—I don’t have to clean my filter every time I ride my sled [laughs]!

Oh, and did you go out and have some fun in Aspen off the track after your big ride?
Yeah, I definitely did [laughs]. We went out at the top of this mountain for this Monster Energy party. It was a big chalet with all of the pro athletes. Lil’ Jon was there, and pro skateboarder, Ryan Schekler. That was pretty cool.

Thanks, Brett. We look forward to seeing at the track this summer!
Thank you.