This weekend was the annual May Springfield events. I really like Springfield. It has that feel to it that you don’t find anywhere else. After the TT rained out and was rescheduled for monday, our first event would be the Springfield Mile on sunday. I have really high hopes for the twins season this year. I feel like I am riding a twin very well and we have them dialed in for the most part. With the backing of Harley-Davidson, it really has me confident that I will be up front on these bikes. I have also had some good finishes thus far in some pro-am events on the XR750 so I felt ready to go. The program was shortened so there would be no semi’s and just heats. We had some issues in qualifying that we only got straightened out the last session and before then it was too late and I qualified way back in the mid 30′s. I went out for my heat race on the outside 2nd row and started picking guys off and I was up around 6th trying to work the outside. Around halfway my motorcycle seemed to be loosing a lot of power down the straight-aways and it was also handling really crappy in the corners. I thought I was running on one cylinder or something. I barley lifted the throttle the whole heat race and I finished 8th, 2 spots out of the main which the 6th place dude was only 10 bike lengths ahead at the finish. I was confused and frustrated. I came off the track and the thick metal # plate we use was pointing straight to the side. It’s about two and a half feet long of thick metal. It was catching a huge wind parachute. I know I wasn’t riding my best all day, but I know I was at least for sure main event capable and maybe could of squeaked in around 10th, but this definitely wasn’t the way I wanted to start of the twins season at one of the biggest races of the year with a lot of my sponsors being in the house.
 
The next day was the TT. I have not only been struggling on TT’s, but on the 450′s in general. I had some bad luck in Duquoin and being by myself in Salinas really hurt me as well. I wasn’t sure what to expect on the TT but to just ride my best and try and get this new 2011 CRF 450 dialed in. I felt like I was riding descent in qualifying. Not being in the first group with the top guys really hurts you because you don’t know how hard you can push. Not only that, I have been HORRIBLE in qualifying all season long which definitely needs to change if I want to succeed. I was running descent in my heat race, then a restart came out and I was in 18th. I fought up to I think 13th or so. My mechanic asked me what he could do to the bike and I said nothing. The bike was working good, it was just me. I knew I had a chance if I could squeak my way to the front somehow. I had the worst spot on the 2nd row in the semi. They take three in this one and I had a pretty stacked semi with Smith, Russell, Gough, Kirkness, Carver, Mataya, King, Jimmy Wood, Bacher and some others. After a few restarts, I came around turn one in like 8th or 9th. I worked my way up to 5th and was catching the 3rd and 4th place guys who were battling, before I blew the outside of the jump and couldn’t make up anymore ground and I finished in 5th. A huge improvement from all day, and I felt we had more in us. It is only the 2nd time I have rode the new bike and I think we are starting to figure it out.
 
So overall, the weekend was a struggle and we missed both main events by 2 spots, maybe a second or two from transfers each day. I am very frustrated in my struggles at these grand nationals, but I am going to keep plugging away. To be racing this season is a blessing and to be doing most of it on our own is something to be proud of and when we do start winning, it will feel that much better because I know we have it in us. I just need to qualify better, put myself on the front row and do what I know how to do. Until that happens, I am just going to try and stay confident and enjoy everything else in life as much as possible.