INTERVIEW
FIM SUPERENDURO WORLD CHAMPION, AMA ENDUROCROSS CHAMPION COLTON
P124
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. [Defend-
ing the championship] is a new
position for me."
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
how 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 op-
portunity to be better, even if you
think you had a perfect year."
Part of that plan, and another
testament to Haaker's commit-
ment, is a new place to train and
prepare in Coeur-d'Alene, Idaho.
"We got a house in Idaho just
for outdoor Erzberg-style train-
ing," Haaker explained. "You
can ride in the woods, or in the
rain. It's another place I can
Together with his long-time
friend and mechanic Josh
Schaecher, Haaker celebrates
his world championship.
