July 10, 2014 - Well for those of you that don't know we ran at Hagerstown Maryland on Saturday night. As you all know this is my Rookie year in the expert class and I am really going through a big learning experience out there with these experts. I feel like I am doing fine for my first year just lots of little things to learn about being on a twin. We will get there eventually. The trip out to Hagerstown went pretty good. Between Lima and Hagerstown I stayed in Illinois to help keep the trip expense down as everyone knows how expensive it is to travel.

Going into Hagerstown I was pretty excited. I think Hagerstown is one of the slickest tracks on the series. It kinda reminds me of riding daytona just in a smooth half mile form. I new getting into the turn on the 450 last year was pretty jittery, so I was nervous for that part on the twin. I started the day off with pretty much the same set up as Knoxville. After practice I didn't feel the best on the bike. The track was a little rough and my gearing was off a little ways. Before my second time out on the track I decided to throw some teeth at the bike and play with my shock and move my forks a little. I felt pretty good in qualifying number one and was sitting eleventh after that session. Before the last round out on the track I decided I would try a couple more little things just to try. I figured I already have one decent time in I might as well give some other things a try just to see what it would do. After the second round I was twenty fifth or something. The changes I made didn't help me at all and caused me to go backwards. I ended up putting everything back to the way it was. I ended up qualifying thirteenth over all after the combined all the times.

I was in the first heat race on the front row. I was fifth off the bottom which I felt was not a bad place to start at all. They did a ton of track work between qualifying to heat races. They were just trying to make the track more smooth and open up more lines to make it all more race able. I got an awesome start in my heat race but I ended up spinning it up really bad coming off all of the turns. I think I got too excited and couldn’t calm down from that good start I had. I quickly got ate up and moved back really fast. As I started to fall back wards in my heat I found myself spinning up just as back as at the beginning of the race. I tried moving up the race track to keep my momentum up to help with my drive off the turn but it really didn't seem to help me at all. I tried positioning myself differently on the bike to help with traction and that also did not help me. I finished seventh in my heat. I was pretty frustrated with how I did. I think my gearing was to short now and I couldn’t get the bike to squat for a bite on the track. After my heat I just went to work on the bike. I noticed I had a little blow by on the filter dripping on my back tire so I changed out that filter and took a little oil away from the bike. Then due to the fact that the bike still has a heavy spring on it I back the shock spring way off trying to get it to squat and I took it all way soft to make it more set up for me. Due to the fact that the track was pretty smooth I kept the rebound slow hoping to get a better bike. I checked my swing arm angle and it was right where I wanted it to be. Then I took one tooth off but looking back I wish I would have taken two off instead of one. I just about missed the start to my semi.

In my semi I was on the second row far inside. I got an awesome start and I think I came off turn two in about third. Once again I spun up really bad a fell back very fast. There is almost nothing that frustrates me more then spinning up and falling backwards. Towards the end of the semi I really started to figure out what I was doing wrong and felt myself closing back into a transfer spot, but I was a couple laps too late. I really learned a couple things there at the end of the semi. I finished fifth in my semi and only top three went to the main. Two weekends in a row I just missed the main and I hoping I can use this as more motivation to put the bike in the main at the next national.

I really have learned a lot about riding a twin this year. My throttle control is going to be a big deal on the Kirkland racing Suzuki. I will have some help at the next couple races so that should hopefully help me focus in more on racing then working on the bike. It is defiantly tough working on the bike weekend and week out at the track and trying to race at the same time. I have to thank everyone that has given me a hand at the track when they have a second away from there own bikes it helps a ton. I defiantly could not of won the championship last year without the help of my dad at the track last year yet alone all the support from sponsors. You all are the ones that make it all possible weekend and week out and I have to say thanks for all the help with my racing. If you would like live up dates on my racing during race day go like the Kirkland racing page on face book.