Brett Metcalfe is returning home to Australia to race full-time in 2017. Originally from Mannum in South Australia, Metcalfe raced select rounds of the Australian Motocross Nationals in 2015 and 2016, while also racing the Canadian Motocross Championship.
In a deal announced yesterday, Metcalfe has signed with SD3 Husqvarna to contest both the Australian Motocross Championship and Australian Supercross Championship this year.
“The decision was fairly simple for me and my family,” Metcalfe said in a team statement. “I’d done some brief stints in 2015 and 2016 with the SD3 team and we have a successful working relationship established with good sponsors. Our 2016 run was in some ways a trial run, and we learnt what a standard Husqvarna FC450 is capable of; we won races and had podiums. I know we have a product that can win, a team and company of people committed to work and most importantly, we want to make it fun and creative for the team. I wanted to be a part of this!”
Metcalfe, 32, debuted in the U.S. in 2003, riding a KTM competing in the 125SX East Region. He spent the next 12 years competing in the U.S. riding for teams such as GEICO Honda, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and factory Suzuki. In 2010 he finished a career-best second overall in the 450MX Championship. The following year, he collected his first career overall win at the Southwick National. In 2013, Metcalfe signed with Leading Edge Kawasaki to race the Canadian Nationals and won the overall MX1 title that year. He spent the majority of the next three years racing in Canada.
Having spent much of his career racing internationally, Metcalfe said it was a huge factor to bring his family to experience the Australian lifestyle.
“A huge factor is bringing my family down for the season to experience the lifestyle Australia can offer. It will be nice for the kids to visit new places and make new friends and memories. We have a unique team with owner Steve and Dimity McKinnon having four kids, myself with two kids and now Luke and Kirra adding to the clan with a baby expected in March. So the lifestyle for us revolves around family and racing. It just fits right now.
“Last year the competition was intense,” he added. “You need to go back many years to find that depth and talent. It was how Aussie MX needs to be! 2017 will be no different. I expect the same players plus a few new entries to run up front. I may be the oldest in the field now, but I embrace that. I want to win more than ever and I believe in myself and my team.”
Team owner Steve McKinnon added: “We are over the moon to have acquired Brett’s services for next year. To have him come back last year for one Supercross and four motocross rounds was just brilliant, so to have him for an entire Australian motocross and Supercross championship season is mind blowing for what I consider to be our still-little race team. We love having Brett and his family around us, we’re a family team and Brett fits in beautifully to that with Sheena and the kids. To secure his services is a real coup for our team and Husqvarna and I think we'll have a fantastic 2017.”
