Update
- Posted 9/19 @ 1:32pm -

Well the outdoors are all over now.  I've been meaning to update this sooner, but I had some problems w/ my html editor and was having a hard time updating my site.  I got it all figured out now, though.  As you know, I had planned on racing the last 6 outdoor rounds so here is an update on how everything went.  I had quite a bit of bad luck as you will see, but that's just part of racing.  Sorry it's a bit long, but if you're interested, here is a good summary...

Thunder Valley in Lakewood, CO was the first of the rounds I was attending.  The elevation is really high there so the bikes ran a lot different.  I had a hard time getting mine to run good all weekend.  I made several calls to John Mitchell and he helped me out the best he could, but I still just couldn't get it as good as it could have been.  It was hard to over the phone and especially since I'm not a mechanic, haha.  I also made several calls to him to try to get my suspension dialed.  That track was WAY rougher than anything I'm used to riding so my suspension wasn't set up right.  I couldn't do a whole lot with it, though, but I did as much as I could w/ the clickers.  It was just too soft, it needed to be re-valved.  I hurt my back during practice.  As some of you know I occassionally will have bad back spasms (I did last year before Loretta's and while at Loretta's).  I had to pull off during my first practice it hurt so bad.  I couldn't even jump all the jumps it was too painful.  I had Seiji (former team PDL Racing trainer) work on it.  He did what he could to help it feel better, which was some, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do.  So I had to just suck it up.  My qualifier didn't go very well.  I got a horrible start and a big rock flew up the first lap and hit me in my collarbone.  I think it probably cracked it.  I never got it x-rayed, but the Asterisk guys there said they thought I cracked it.  It hurt and got swollen up.  Anyways...I got tangled up w/ a rider in a corner the first lap and lost several positions and then made a mistake the next lap and went off the track and lost a few more spots.  I ended up 22nd.  In my LCQ I started around 10th.  By the 2nd corner I had gotten into 6th and moved into 4th by the end of the first lap.  Jeff Gibson and Matt Karlsen ended up passing me before the end of the race and I finished 6th.  Usually they take top 6 from the LCQ to the motos, but at that race they only took 5, which was a bummer.  So I missed them by one spot.

I headed to Washougal after Lakewood.  I didn't ride all week due to my back hurting.  I tried to give it some rest so I would feel good for the race that weekend which definitely helped.  During Saturday's practices I noticed my bike was spitting out quite a bit of oil and losing coolant pretty quick.  After practice I checked it out and the oil and coolant were mixing together.  The little hole under the water pump was leaking a little bit of coolant so I figured the seal went out.  I pulled it apart and replaced it.  Unfortunately that didn't help, because it was still doing it during Sunday's practices.  I went ahead and rode anyways.  I had a decent start in my qualifier...around 10th probably, but got hit by another rider in the 2nd corner and almost crashed.  I was hanging off the side of my bike and ran into a few other people, but saved it.  Unfortunately about half the pack passed me since it was right off the start.  I was passing some people back the first lap and got tangled up with a rider in a corner.  My bike seemed like it was losing some power and making a weird noise during the qualifier...like it wasn't getting enough lubrication.  I decided to sit out the LCQ.  I didn't want to blow the bike up and risk hurting myself in the process.  I packed everything up and headed home to get it all fixed up.  I was going to go straight to Millville from Washougal, but I wanted to get everything taken care of including my suspension re-valved stiffer and make sure my bike was 100% for Millville and since there was a 2 week break it was a good time to do that.

I did some talking w/ my parents on my way home and we came to the conclusion that I was going to get back on Hondas and finish out the rest of the outdoors on those.  I have always had good luck w/ Hondas and I feel that I have always ridden them the best.  So when I got back I got a Honda and started ordering stuff from my sponsors to get it all ready.  I didn't get my motor modified...I went to Millville with a stock motor...just a Dubach Exhaust system, which helped some.

I was excited for Millville.  I thought I wouldn't have any bike problems and that everything would finally come together.  But it didn't.  During Saturday's practice the bike started making a funny noise.  Almost like a grinding from in the motor.  I couldn't tell what it was.  I took it over to SoBe Honda and they listened to it, but they couldn't tell either.  They hadn't heard that before.  They said it sounded like a transmission problem or a clutch problem.  Which is what I had thought originally.  So after my qualifier on Saturday I tore the clutch apart, but there were no broken plates or anything.  It was pretty burnt, though, which I thought was weird.  I only had about 5 or 6 rides on it.  I put a new clutch in and hoped that would help.  It still made the noise on Sunday, though.  I debated sitting the race out because if it were a transmission problem I knew it was just a matter of time before it would lock up on me.  I decided to race anyways, though.  I figured it was more than likely a clutch problem since the transmission wasn't shifting abnormally or anything.  I missed my first practice due to the fact that I was changing my flywheel cover gasket.  I had checked my flywheel the night before to see if maybe the noise was coming from there, and on Sunday it was leaking some coolant out of the bottom of the cover so I had to change the gasket.  During my qualifier the clutch started to slip.  I only had about 15 minutes of practice on it from that morning so I knew that whatever the noise was, it was causing my clutch to go out.  I ended up 18th that moto.  They took top 12.  In the LCQ it started slipping even worse and it was affecting my performance.  I ended up 13th.  I headed home after Millville.  I was going to go to Binghamton, NY straight from there, but I had to get my bike fixed...again.

I took my bike down to JM Racing when I got back and they tore it apart.  The clutch basket ended up being the problem.  The gears that slide into it were pretty loose and it was causing it to walk (wobble).  Also, two of the washers were put in the wrong way, one before the other and the clutch hub was rubbing against the basket, making the noise I was hearing.  I guess it came that way from the factory because I hadn't torn that stuff apart before.  I also got him to re-valved my suspension stiffer.  It was too soft at Millville.  The tracks are so rough I needed it to be pretty stiff to be able to handle the bumps.  It was kicking me around a lot at Millville.  I had to miss Binghamton, NY because of that.  It was ready in time for Steel City, but I wasn't going to be able to afford to drive to Steel City in Pennsylvania and then all the way back to California.  It was going to cost too much in gas w/ my trailer.  I decided to head down to California early to get some good riding in instead.  I got there on Monday and rode all week.  It was awesome.  Riding there is a lot better.  The tracks are rough, rutted, and there are quite a bit of fast riders who show up.

I felt pretty good Saturday at Glen Helen.  I finished 12th in my qualifier on Saturday.  On Sunday I finished 12th in my qualifier.  They took top 12 so I went straight to the motos.  Unfortunately the 2nd or 3rd lap I hit my heal down pretty hard in a corner and hurt it again like I did at Millsaps' house a few months ago.  It was really bothering me.  I still got into the motos, though, so I was happy.  Finally.  My heal put a damper on my riding in both motos, unfortunately.  It was pretty painful.  I couldn't walk on it and every time I hit some rough sections or landed off jumps it would shoot a pain through my foot.  I didn't get a very good start the first moto.  Probably around 30th-35th.  I was on the far outside, and a stock motor just didn't compare to those factory bikes, haha.  I fell in a corner a few laps later and knocked the wind out of myself.  I ended up 28th that moto.  In the 2nd moto I got a pretty good start I thought.  Around 15th-20th I would say.  I was excited.  Coming down one of the downhills the first lap another rider must have gotten out of control because I got plowed from behind and it threw me off my bike.  Someone ran over my bike and bent the bar mounts up pretty bad and tweaked my front end.  I got up and the right side of the bars were a few inches farther than the left side.  My front wheel wasn't lined up at all.  It was very hard to ride.  I went off the track on the next uphill trying to go up it, but I couldn't steer up it right and came to a stop.  I had to turn around and go back down the hill to get a run at it and go back up.  I stopped after the next downhill and kicked my front wheel a few times and straightened it out.  My bars were still way jacked, though.  I got lapped before I did one lap.  I was going to pull off since I couldn't really ride.  I figured there was no point in trying to, but I decided I would stay out there and try to get any positions I could from people who did pull off.  I wanted to be out there anyways.  I stayed out there and cruised around.  I couldn't hardly steer through the ruts and going up and down the hills.  It was sketchy.  I ended up 27th that moto with the help of other riders DNF'ing.  I ended up with 30th overall.  I definitely think things would have gone better had my heal not hurt and had I not crashed both motos, but it was a step forward to the other 3 rounds I raced.  I didn't have any mechanical problems and my suspension felt pretty good.  I knew I was capable of qualifying for the motos and finishing decent I was just having some bad luck the previous rounds.  I'm excited for next year.  I kind of know where I stand after that race and I know what I need to work on.  I plan on finishing in the top 20s at every round I race next year if I don't have any problems.  I don't think I should have any problems doing that.

This year was a good experience to show me just what Supercross and the Outdoors are like.  They are a lot tougher than I had thought they would be.  The tracks are technical and rough.  The riders are fast and the bike set ups are a lot different.  I learned a lot this year and I'm going to use all of that to help me for next year.  I will definitely be a lot more prepared come next year.  I'm going to be racing several local races coming up including some PC series races, the Pro Challenge, and the Thanksgiving race at Cycle Ranch.  I will be posting some newer pictures  later today so check back.  I'll keep you guys updated...

Update
- Posted 6/29 @ 6:02pm -

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated.  Sorry about that.  My older computer crashed a while back and I just hadn't gotten around to updating this since then.  I'll be sure to keep it updated a lot more often for sure.  Not a whole lot has been going on lately...just practicing a lot and testing suspension.  Trying to get ready for the last 6 outdoor nationals.  As you know, I did some of the supercross rounds.  They went okay.   I think I rode well, I just need to pick up my speed.  But all in all, considering I only had 2 weeks on a supercross track before I started, I don't think I did too bad.  I went to Orlando, which was my first one, and made the night show, which was my goal.  After that I went to Davi Millsaps house and rode with those guys for a few days.  I had a great time there.  Thanks to the Millsaps for letting me come out.  Davi helped me in his whoops quite a bit which was awesome since he is definitely one of the fastest riders in whoops.  Also, his are really gnarly at his house.  Unfortunately I hurt my heal the last day I was there and had to skip out on Detroit and Houston.  I went to Dallas, Seattle, and Vegas.  I made the night show for Dallas and Seattle, but didn't in Vegas.  I missed it by one spot.  I didn't ride as well as I am capable of, I wasn't having a real good flow on the track there.  You can check my 'results' section out to see how my qualifying results were.   I am definitely looking forward to SX next year.  I am going to start preparing in September for it, so I will have plenty of time to work on everything I need to.  I expect to make every main next year.  My laptimes were about 2 seconds off each lap from getting into the main at each round, so I know with a few months of preparation on SX tracks only that I will be ready...I will make sure of that.  After that, I started getting ready for outdoors.  My original plan was to skip the first round since gas money would be so expensive to go from Hangtown to Highpoint.    I wanted to do the next 5 rounds after that since they were all northeast. I signed up for the 2nd round: Highpoint, the 3rd round: Southwick, and the 4th round: Budds Creek, but didn't get accepted into any of those so I decided to skip Redbud and Unadilla and just sign up for the last 6 rounds.   I guess I didn't pre-enter early enough to be able to get into those 3.  Since I don't have any points from this year or last year, and since I didn't pre-enter for the entire season, my entry comes after those who have.  I'm hoping that I end up getting accepted to all of the last 6 rounds since I pre-entered for those quite a while ago.  So as of now, I'm just practicing and training a lot, trying to get as prepared as I can be for those.  I'm looking forward to them.  I think I should do better at the outdoors since that is what I'm more accustomed to riding.  Check back soon, I'll keep you updated.   Also, I might be posting some new pictures today if I get permission from the photographer, so check back for those.

SX - It's coming
- Posted 2/26 @ 11:58pm -

Just wanted to give you all an update on what I have been up to and what my upcoming plans are.  I have been preparing for SX the last couple weeks.  I have been practicing and testing, trying to get as ready as possible.  I decided I am going to sit out the Lake Whitney Spring Classic this year and just focus on the last 6 rounds of the SX series and then the Outdoor Nationals.  I think that will help me get more prepared for SX both in my training and getting my bikes set up and ready.  I will be racing the last six rounds of SX like I stated...Orlando, Detroit, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, and Las Vegas.  I will be riding the 'Supercross' (250) class on my KX450F.  I am really excited to taking that next step in my career and in life.  I really enjoy riding SX.  I will be driving to each one of the rounds.  I am hoping that I will be able to leave a week early for Orlando and stop at the Millsaps Training Facility to get some good riding in for a few days, but I will have to see if I'll be able to when that time is closer.  I will keep you all updated on how everything is going.  Wish me luck...

O'Reilly AX Rd. 2 - Ector County Coliseum - Odessa, TX
- Posted 1/22 @ 6:30pm -

It's been a while since I've updated.  Not much has been going on besides practicing and training a lot and getting stuff set up and ready for this year.  Last weekend I went to Little Rock, AR for round 1 of the O'Reilly AX series.  I had some good rides.  I fell in the 125 main on Friday night in the first turn, but the rest of the mains went pretty well.  For my results on that round, check out the 'results' section.  This past Friday and Saturday I went to Odessa, TX to race the 2nd round of the O'Reilly AX series.  I felt good, I felt like I was riding really well and smooth.   I was putting in some fast laptimes.  On Friday night I won both of my heat races.  I won the 125 main by about a half a lap and lapped 4th place.  In the 250 main, I got a last place start and worked up to finish 2nd place behind Nick Metcalf.  On Saturday night, I came out and won both of my heat races again by quite a descent margin.  In the 125 main, I crashed in the first turn and tweaked my front end.  I bent both of my bar mounts and my front brake lever was straight up and down where I couldn't reach it.  I tried to knock it back down, but couldn't so I wasn't able to use my front brake the whole moto which made it hard to charge my corners as hard as I had been.  I was only able to come back to 7th place.  In the 250 main, I got the holeshot and got out to about a 4 or 5 second lead.  Unfortunately, I struggled w/ some lappers that didn't obey the lapper flag.  I got held up w/ a couple and lost about 2 or 3 seconds.   After that, with 2 laps to go, another lapper didn't slow down and tried to race around me in a corner when I went inside to pass him and we came together, tangling our bars.  I almost went down, but saved it.  I lost another 2 seconds and that allowed Nick to get right up on me.  At the white flag, I went inside in a corner to protect my line and he was able to carry his momentum and pass me coming out of it.  I finished 2nd right behind him.  It was very upsetting.  I feel like I had that race won, but had some bad luck w/ the lappers.  I'll be racing the 3rd round this weekend in Waco, TX.  Check back in a week for updates on how it goes.  I am really looking forward to it.