When we left Valdosta I had the biggest butterflies in my stomach because I was so excited to finally be on the last stretch of my long road trip to Gainesville for the Gatornationals. I was towing one of the trailers, and my friend, John Widmann, was following me with the other trailer. With my adrenaline going, I could barely sit still for the drive. When we finally reached the race track, I was ready to be out of the truck.

My dad was not able to make it out for the race. He had to work back in California, which was a big bummer. I missed him a lot during the weekend. My mom still made it out though; I was excited that she had made the trip all the way from the West Coast to support me. I really do believe I have the greatest parents ever.

The rain delayed the progress of the race. We were scheduled to have two qualifying passes on Friday, however due to the rain we were only able to make one. We had three qualifying passes total this weekend, instead of the usual four and looking back, I probably could have used the extra run. The pressure was on to get things right in a hurry. The Gann Custom Suzuki sounded great this weekend. The bike did exactly what it was supposed too; unfortunately I struggled a little with my riding.

As much as I wish I was a perfect rider, I do make mistakes sometimes. It is tough riding a Suzuki because hitting the shift points on time is crucial. I have a problem every once in a while were I don’t hit my shifter button hard enough and the bike doesn’t shift, so I have to hit the button again. Usually, that means you’re going to hit the rev limiter, which hurts your elapsed time. I am running with the best of the best out here, and when I struggled on the first pass I let it get to me a little. On the second pass I made the same mistake. On our last qualifying pass I was determined to correct my riding. I sat on my bike before we went up to the line and made about 30 or more practice runs in my mind. When we went to the starting line I cleared my mind and just rode the bike the way I knew I could. Even though the pass wasn’t perfect, it was a huge improvement. I went a 7.10, which is my quickest run on an NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle. We didn’t qualify, but I could not stop smiling after the pass. I was stoked to have improved so much.

Even though I struggled a little this weekend, I still had an amazing time. As my friend, John helped me to remember, everybody makes mistakes. Learning from your mistakes and working on correcting them is what is important. I learned a ton this weekend, so it was a very worth while experience. I also had a great time seeing my crew in the zebra print shirts we had made before I left California. Big thanks for your help guys and for being such great sports about the shirts.

Our original plan was to continue on to Charlotte and Houston after Gainesville, however after having a long talk with my dad we decided the best thing for our team was to come home. I really want to finish my own bike and keep consistently riding one bike. I have been on many different bikes in my career and I think it is time to focus on just one. As much as I want to go race the next couple of races, it makes more sense to sit out a couple and put our own operation together. I am very excited to get home and get rocking on our bike. We will be boogieing down the track in no time. We also have this class on the West Coast called Top Alcohol Drag Bike. We are going to put one of my slower Pro Stock engines in the bike and go race with those big boys. By running that class I can get more seat time on my Pro Stock Bike.

Even though the race is over, I am still in Gainesville waiting for my friend Uncle Ronnie (Ronnie Alves) to fly in so he can ride home with me. My trailer is jam packed with parts, a golf kart, and two drag bikes. I am going to spend the night in the trailer tonight to keep an eye on things, because I had to move the trailer out of the race track. The living quarters is packed with parts, but I cleared myself a little path to the bed. I am beginning to understand why some people think racers are crazy. I love this sport though, and all these adventures I get to go on.

 I also want to give a big congratulations to Shawn Gann for going all the way to the final round this weekend. Great job to the whole team.

I will keep everyone up to date on our progress putting my bike together and our future race plans. I hope everyone is amazing. Take care.