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Well it started off by getting to the track, unloaded, and to bed by 3:30AM on Saturday morning. Got 3 hours of sleep then got the bike to tech and got everything ready. Skipped first practice and just ran the second to try to conserve my tires. I felt completely foreign in practice and felt like this was a bike I hadn't rode...well...ever. I had no flow and nothing was coming naturally. I tried to put practice behind me and concentrate on not concentrating on it haha.
First race of the day was GTU. I was gridded 2nd row. Got a pretty good start and ended up 5th going into T1. On the 2nd lap I get passed By Riley Rogers in T3 and keep up with them until I have an extremely messy lap. I lose concentration and miss my downshift for T6 and go wide. I then also go way wide in T9 trying to make up time and finally finish the sloppy lap with a decent 11-12a. A few laps later Alex Guilbeault passes me on the inside of 3 with his famous T3 pass. I try to execute the strategy that Gino and I talked about but couldn't. I ride him all the way until T12a when his rear slides out and he almost highsides. I get by him and shoot down the straight. My sights are now set on the 53 of Gene. I finally get by him in T6 thanks to the great blocking of Brett Babian (thanks dude). I run a few laps and start to get very tired. I had forgotten about proper body position so my left arm was killing me and my legs were both shaking every time I got off the bike. Due to that I started to slow down....anddd he comes back in T1 with 2 laps left and passes me on the brakes in T1. I push myself to keep up, but find myself falling behind. Managed to finish 6th behind him with a new pb of 1:16.013.
Second race was MWGP or the dash. I was gridded 3D...YES! Perfect grid. Just as we were finishing our warmup lap it started to sprinkle. The threat of rain had been looming all day and now it might deliver. The flagger drops the green flag and we all wait. It seems that they were trying to make a decision whether to run the race or not. Everyone starts revving their engines to try to pressure the staff to make a decision. The flagger then picks the green flag back up and the 2...then 1 board drops. Green flag waves and I get a great start. End up getting 5th into T1 behind Houk. I lose my rear a little on the T2 pavement triangle and barely collect myself when Houk's rear slides out. He chops the throttle and his front slides out from taking all the weight. His bike goes right and he goes left. I stand by bike up to try to brake, but he ends up being right where my bike is pointed. I hit him, do a handstand on my bars, and then get flung up into the air and onto the pavement. Finally stopping when I hit the airfence. I then just have enough time to see Sean Pigott (Pigman) headed towards me. All I can remember is seeing that black and white 66 headed like a train that jumped the tracks right at me. All I have time for is to think...oh shit. He manages to just hit the airfence the throw me into the other piece of airfence. I finally stand up against the wall and look around with confusion. All the amateurs are now coming through and the red flag is out. Thank god. Houk is ok and standing and so is everyone else. Pigman makes sure I'm ok then rides off. I get my bike up after everyone has left and ride it back to the pit. Turns out the forks are all twisted up, peg and rearset bracket are bent, go pro and lap timer both took a beating, fairing stay is broken, front brake reservoir mount, and a few other little things. I decide that I will not be racing on Sunday after that and tell everyone that I'm just not into it mentally after the off. Pete insists I try to fix the forks. So everyone digs into it and we loosen the bottom clamp, take the wheel off, and get everything straight again! Gino takes the bent bracket and peg off and leaves it there for when I get parts. We finish off the night with some Canadian jokes at the bar and hanging out with RSP and T1A crews.
I get up the next morning at 6:30...and...I want to race. Why the hell am I here if I am not racing?!
I get right to work on the bike and get the front wired and together, Mike Weyant goes and gets me a new rearset bracket from Street and Comp, Adam Butler gets me a new aluminum race stay from Street and Comp, Pete helps me zip tie the front master reservoir, Geno and Lou help me get the tank guard stuck to the tank again after the zip tie broke, John Linn jumps up in my truck and takes my rear wheel off of my FZ6 so I could change tires fast between races, and Chuck helps with the assembly too. I miss both practices, but tech it and get it ready to rock. Before I tech Tyler Sweeney goes into geek mode and flashes my ECU. He puts 1:1 throttle on it, eliminates engine braking, raises my rev limiter, raises the idle to help with an oiling problem the 06-07 models have, and puts my custom map on the stock ECU as well. He told me to be very careful because of the new power the bike will have with the 1:1.
As my first race MWSS approaches I am posed with the question of what tires to run. It has just stopped raining and the track is still wet and the air is humid. Will the track dry during the race? I consult my team as well as Tyler Sweeney. Sweeney first says to go with full rains, but I question it because I don't want to burn up my rains. He then suggest that I run a rain front and DOT rear. Gino and Pete then join the conversation and agree. We get to work swapping the front with the help of Mike Weyant and Chuck Boucher to get it done in time while keeping the front on the warmer for the MWGP which had been rescheduled to Sunday. The race starts and I get a killer start. I am in second place right behind Scott Greenwood. My rear slides out when I try to get on the gas in T2 and a few people get by. Rear tire traction gets into my head and I try to analyze when it will be an issue. The guys with the full rains just pull away. I just see the halfway flag when the red flag starts waving. Rider down in T2 I believe. We go back to grid and the staff asks us whether we want to restart or call it a race. The vote determines we will race. The course is drying up nicely now, so this will be interesting. I get another killer start and end up in 3rd place behind Greenwood and Hildebrand. Killmeier passes me and I start chasing them down. Killmeieier is exactly shadowing Hildebrands lines so I know I have an opportunity to pass him, as Hildebrand is tentative with his rains. I managed to get by Killmeier and set my sights on Hildebrand. After following him for a lap it's apparent how hard his traction control is working. His rear is sliding just perfectly when he gets on the gas. I make my move going into T1 and manage to squeak by him on the brakes into T1. It wasn't a lap later that Killmeieier passes me back in T12 on the inside. I don't remember where but I again pass Killmeieier for 2nd (I think it was in the bowl). Last lap and I am still in 2nd. I push hard through 9 and 10 to try to lose him, but I also know he is on Dot's which are favorable in these conditions now. I round 11 and head towards 12 when I see him on the inside...DAMMIT! I should have known he would try that again and should have ran 11 wide and took 12 tight! I tried to resurrect a run down the front straight, but he manages to keep everything he had. I am still completely STOKED! My first expert podium! 3RD! This was beyond my wildest dreams and a complete dream!
I am tired of writing so the last 2 races will be short.
MWGP-15 out of 18.
MWSB-11 out of 12. Yeah I have no idea what happened the last 2 races. Something got in my head.
Again...just want to thank everyone. All my sponsors in my sig, my team mates, and my friends. I really couldn't have done it without you guys this weekend. And especially Tyler Sweeney. It's a whole new bike now. Can't wait to see what I can do with it. Thanks bro.