The track on Saturday afternoon looked perfect but some heavy rain at the motel that night looked like it was going to be a mud fest.  It turned out they didn’t get as much rain at the track and after the kids and morning race got done racing they had churned our track up to be almost perfect conditions.

After warming up, I got off to a really good start, grabbing my first holeshot of the year and entering the woods first.  The first lap was good and I stayed in the lead trying to push a little and then also trying to learn the track some.  I made a small mistake at the start of the second lap and dropped back to third. I got used to the track and started going again, after my first gas I tried to get going and caught back up to the lead, I made a pass for the lead at the end of 6 but had to gas again with two laps to go. 

I caught back up on the last lap and I went down in a tricky section while trying to make a pass.  I caught back up not long before the finish and tried to make a pass in the last few corners before the finish. I couldn’t make a pass stick and was prepared to get 2^nd when Charlie dropped it in the last corner, I cruised around for the win.

I was lucky to get this win but I felt comfortable the whole race and was happy with how I was riding. It was unlucky for Charlie as he rode a good race.

I’m excited for the next race in South Carolina next weekend and I’m hoping to keep up on top of the podium.

Thanks for all your support.

The weather had been good with a little bit of rain to make the track pretty perfect for Sunday’s race.   After riding the track on my Trek most of the morning I was ready to go race again.

Once again I got another good start, I entered the woods in 2^nd place.  The first lap was pretty good, it was hard to tell what mud holes were soft and what lines to take as there was so many. I moved into and out of the lead a few times on the first few laps.  The racing was fun but it was frustrating when you made a pass and a few minutes later you had moved back three more places than where you were in one small section of track.

With three laps to go myself, Paul Whibley and Thad Duvall started to pull away from the rest of the field and had our own little battle. 

I got caught up behind lappers in the single track section on the second last lap and had a little gap on the last lap. I pushed hard but couldn’t make up any time on Whibs but managed to pass Thad after he made a few mistakes.  I finished in 2^nd place

I was happier with this result, I’m not really happy unless I win so I’m going to keep working hard and get some wins in the next few races.

Thanks to everyone for all their support and help

I had half a day of Riding in Florida to break in my bike and get a little used to the sand and then it was off the River Ranch to the track.

Tuesday morning after walking the track I was ready to get to racing.  I had practiced a lot of starts in the off season due to my poor starting technique last year, my practice paid off and I managed to enter the woods into 3^rd place which I was happy about, I moved into 2^nd and then into the lead about half way around the first lap. 

My time away from racing hurt me a little bit in the first few laps as I tightened up a little more than I should have and dropped off the pace and back to about 5^th place. 

With three laps to go I started feeling better and riding a little stronger, I had moved my way back up to third and felt like I was catching the leaders.

On the second last lap I dropped my wheel in a whoop with a bunch of tree roots in it and went down pretty hard twisting up my bike a little.  I dropped back to fourth and I was unable to make up any more positions after my crash finishing the race in 4^th.

Overall I was disappointed with my result, I have worked hard again this pre season and to get a 4^th place was not in my cards. The good thing is I scored points which I was happy about.

I look forward to the the next race.

With the pressure of the championship off my back I was hoping to get back to starting my bike good, I got off to a decent jump and entered the woods in about 7th spot. Usually this would be a good position but the track this year was super dusty and it was so hard to see already. I worked away on the first lap, and then by half way through the race I had moved up to second and was feeling good. I started to catch Whibley and after catching him I couldn’t make a pass and followed him for a full lap. I finally made the pass the next lap and with two laps to go I had moved to the front, I was feeling pretty good but from the not so good start and following the leaders up until this point I had been in the dust, my filter had been dusted and I had sucked a fair bit of dirt through into the engine. Coming into the pits with one lap to go I was forced to pull out of the race.

I was bummed about not being able to finish the race but I was happy I had wrapped up the championship the race before.
Congrats to Paul on another good race and I look forward to racing him again next season.

Thanks to everyone who have supported me this year and helped out.

I think the pressure got to me straight away as I didn’t fire my bike again off the start, this is the third race in a row where I have started from the back and its crazy because I can do 20 practice starts and fire first kick. 

I made a few passes before the first mud hole and then slowly started passing people. I got up to 6^th at the end of the first lap and then moved into 4^th on the second lap, half way through the second lap I crashed at the bottom of a gully and had to ride to the end and then manage to stall my bike going back to 8^th spot.  I was beginning to think that this wasn’t going to be my day so I just put my head down and raced and tried not to think about any of it. 

With three laps to go I moved into 4^th, I kept pushing and going into the last lap I was about 8 seconds behind Charlie.  I pushed hard and caught him and then we both put the hammer down and rode hard towards the finish, I went to make a pass not far from the finish and clipped a tree and went down. I kept pushing and had almost caught him again before the pits, he over shot the pit corner and I knew I could catch back up.  I knew I was super tired and I figured he was also because he was making about as many mistakes as I was so we were both running on empty.

With only a little uphill out of the woods I got next to him coming out into the field, Charlie came over and we hit coming out of the woods at a pretty fast pace.  I was able to square him up on the next turn and make the pass.  I rode as hard as I could to the finish almost passing Glenn Kearney in the last few turns.

I crossed the line in third but made enough points to wrap up the championship.

Congrats to Paul on his first win of the season!

That was one of the toughest races I have ever done but it was all worth it!

Thanks to everyone for the support.

After walking some parts of the track on Sunday morning I was excited and ready to go, the track looked like it was going to suit me and it was going to get a little rough which I liked also.

My starts this year have been nothing special, I have had maybe four good starts and the rest have been pretty bad, this was similar, I get nervous or to excited at the start and grabbed a handful of gas when I go to start ruining any chances of a holeshot or being in the pack going into the first corner.  With the first field section being pretty dusty it was hard to make up any positions until I got into the woods.  I came around at the end of lap one in 4^th after making a few passes.  The second lap was a little quicker as the fresh track was cut in and we kind of knew where we were going and could push a little faster, Charlie Mullins got out and pulled a little lead early on, after I got into second I made up the ground and him and I started going at it for the rest of the race putting 40 seconds on third place on that lap.  I passed him at the start of the third lap and tried to get a gap.  He stuck like glue and I couldn’t get him off my rear wheel.  A lapper went down half way through the race and took me out with him, by the time I got up Charlie had about 15 seconds on me, I had to push hard to catch up and then I made the pass in an open field section again.

The last two laps were good and our last two laps were the fastest of the race.  I managed to stay trouble free and just ahead to win the race by about 1 second of Charlie.

I was stoked with my win and it stretched the points out a little more with two rounds to go.  I’m looking forward to the next race in Ohio as I like that track and have fun on it also.  Thanks to all the support.

GNCC

After getting to the track on Friday and washing and setting up the truck i was excited to be back.  I have been to Unadilla 5 times now and Saturday was thew sunniest and warmest it has been in the 5 years I have been there.  The track looked dry but looked like it was going to be good.

Sunday morning turning up to the track was typical NY weather, overcast, cool and wet.  Luckily it didn’t rain a whole lot as it would have made the track pretty difficult, after the morning guys got done on the track it was actually in pretty good shape. 

I got a horrible start and managed to make a few passes going around the first mudhole right off the start, I rode pretty steady on the first few laps and worked my way up slowly. By halfway I was riding in and around the top 5, going from 3rd to 6th and back again so it was pretty fun.  I felt pretty good but I struggled with lapped riders a little more than the other guys i think.

On the last lap I was in 5th and made a pass into 4th not far from the finish and was able to hang onto that to the end.

I felt good and was super happy about the changes I made with my bike, I was just a little off the pace but I was happy to extend my points lead a little further.

I’m back In California now so I’m looking forward to this week and next getting in some good practice and get ready for the next GNCC in TN in two weeks..

Thanks for all the help and support

With this being my first national in the US i was excited and looking forward to going out and trying to qualify and score a few points.

After getting to the track and walking around I was pretty impressed with the whole scene at Redbud,

On Saturday after the first practice I finished up a little tight and I could only manage a 30th fastest time which i wasn’t to happy about but i was sure i could improve on.  Second practice was better for me and i loosened up alot but only managed to get 28th fastest giving me 28th pick of the gate.

The first moto was lined up and I was pretty nervous, i got off to a decent jump and rounded the second corner in about 20th.  I went back and fourth most of the moto and also tightened up a little but finished up in 20th, scoring one point.

The second moto i got an even better start and came around the second corner in about 10th, with the pace of the front guys i was slotted back to about 15th on the first few laps, at about half way i caught my foot on a rut and i tweaked both my ankle an knee pretty bad, after that i rode pretty steady and dropped back to 28th.

Overall Im pretty happy with how the weekend went, I would have like to have scored points in both motos but for my first MX  i guess it was ok.  I now have a few weeks off and im going to try and do the Unadilla and Steel City MX in the break also.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me and helped out.

The track was getting pretty technical and some sections were  getting hard to ride on. 

Towards the end of the race i made a few more mistakes and dropped back to 6th spot.

I was not to happy with my end result but I keep my points lead going into the summer break so that will have to do.

I’m looking forward to the summer break and will be looking forward to the last four races after the break.

Thanks for all the support.