Very nicely done Mikey!

This past week marked the start of the 2010 Dirt track series, the first race on the new Daytona short track, and my very first pro race riding for Mack Daddy Racing!

My dad and I flew into Daytona late Monday night, met George Mack and we went out to dinner with the team to get to know everyone. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the practice day on Tuesday.

When we got to the track and they unloaded the bikes I was in shock with how nice and well-prepared they looked. After making a few little adjustments on my bike, we walked out to inspect the track and it looked pretty good, appearing that it was going to take on some rubber and groove up. So we changed tire air pressure and I got suited up to try the new bike and new track. It took a while to get used to just how slick the track was, and where to find a good line and traction. But I felt very comfortable on the new bike and after getting in a lot of track time I was definitely ready for the races to start. After a long day of riding we left, got a bite to eat and went back to the hotel to rest up for the races on Wednesday.



RACE DAY #1

Upon arriving the next day, the first thing we did was look at the track and it was dramatically different than the conditions of the previous day. The track prep people had dug up the top three inches of surface and there were now large rocks scattered all over the track. So we made some changes to the suspension and hoped it would work for timed practice. The horn sounded for us to get into staging for the first round of practice. As soon as I got out on the track, I realized just how rough and rutted it had become. I tried to run a high line but going into turn three I ran in a little too deep, threw it in and almost low sided but it caught and straightened up and then I was headed straight for the wall. I was thinking that this was really going to hurt! But thanks to the AMA’s use of air fence, I came out relatively unscathed, only a little embarrassed to have fallen in the first practice. When I got back to the pits George humorously said, "Now that you got that out of the way, are you ready to race?”

So it was time to go out and get my second session of timed practice in. I was a little apprehensive of the track conditions and just tried to put in some smooth laps. I ended up qualifying 18th. Looking at the heat race line ups, I realized I had some work ahead of me as I was to start on the back row of my heat.

Before the heat races started, they had once again changed the track by wheel- packing and watering and it looked much better. That gave the team confidence that there was going to be some good racing. I was lined up third from the inside on the second row and I knew I was going to need a good jump and get to the bottom as soon as I could.

The green flag fell and Jeffery Carver and I arrived at turn one at the same time so I backed off and fell in right behind him and followed him through and we both made some strong passes. There was a downed rider between turns three and four and I narrowly missed him and actually clipped his rear tire. Surprisingly it gave me some traction and I got a good drive and it set me up to make a pass into the final transfer spot. I kept my head down and made some more passes late in the heat and ended up fifth. I was very happy to be in the main.

When the mains were posted I noticed that I was lined up in the same spot as in my heat race, second row third position over. After the rider introduction I was ready for business. The only thing on my mind was getting a good jump off the line and getting to the bottom into one. That's exactly what I did, and after a little rubbing, coming down the back straight I was in about 6th. JD Beach and Brad Baker then made contact, and were both going down. Carver and I committed to the high line and it was a struggle to keep the bikes upright in the loose dry stuff, but somehow we managed and avoided the wreckage.

The crash did bring out the red flag and I knew I was going to have to get another excellent start and come from the back again. However, this time there were two less riders in front of me on the front row, so that made it a little bit easier. I spun up a bit off the line but still my start was good enough to shut the door on the two riders underneath me. This time everyone managed to stay on two wheels even though we were all sliding around, swapping positions and trying to find traction on the slick surface. After a couple laps we were all settled down, the field spreading out and I found myself in fifth. I knew I had to make a move fast to get into fourth and start chasing down the front runners. I got a good drive out of four and made the pass for fourth, and started to catch up to the top three. When the halfway mark came around I saw the riders in front of me were beginning to chase the cushion up high the track. I stuck to my bottom line and tried to make it work the best I could but they pulled away a couple of bike lengths and I ended up the night in fourth place. Not bad at all for my first pro race and it was a great start to the season.

RACE DAY #2

After the race on Wednesday, I knew exactly what to expect and tried to use all the information I learned about the track and bike to my advantage. This time I knew that I couldn't tiptoe around in timed practice and I had to put in a good lap. We only had four laps of qualifying so I tried to stay smooth and but also go as fast as the track would let me. The times were all so close and there was only a one second difference from first place down to twentieth, showing how tough the competition was.

I was thrilled to see that I qualified with fourth fastest time as that gave me a front row start in my heat. I had second pick and was lined up with Brad Baker on the inside and James Rispoli to the outside of me. The light was held for a long time and I almost went too early but instead timed it perfectly and Brad and I got out front early and pulled away from the rest of the field. I was right on his rear tire the whole race but we both were getting the same drive out of the corners so there was no advantage for either of us. I ended up a respectable second place, and earned a transfer into the Dash for Cash.

The Dash for Cash was only four laps so I knew I needed to get out in front as fast as I could. The first couple of laps we were all skating around trying to find traction but I had little luck and ended up fifth in the dash.


I had a front row start for the main, fourth from the pole and I knew it was going to be a challenging start. I came out of turn one in sixth place and after a couple laps made a pass on Rispoli for fifth but by then the top four had pulled away just enough to where I couldn't make a move and I finished my second AMA Pro Sports Race in fifth place.

MY SPONSORS

I can't thank George Mack enough for all of the time and effort he put into the bikes for this week. They were awesome and worked great. He is a great guy and I can't wait to work with him for the rest of the season. I would also like to thank the mechanic’s Shawn and Rob for all their help.

Thanks so much to all my sponsors Mack Daddy Racing, Rod Lake, RHC Products, Boughner Racing, Arai Helmets, Troy Lee Designs, Motion Pro, G2 Ergonomics, Slideways Racing, JE Pistons, Web Cam, and Crave Co.