First off, let me say how sorry I am that it has taken me so long to update everyone. I’ve been on the road and as soon as I got home I have been on the go trying to make up for lost time. Of course, that’s a good thing. I am ecstatic to say I have had a lot of graphics work for my company, Tough Girl Designs. Trying to work all day and keep up with school has been a challenge but I am very happy to report that I have been able to keep up. Of course, not without my share of late nights and early mornings but I’m okay with that.
I am a little sad to report that we were unsuccessful in qualifying for the last two events in Las Vegas and Pomona, but I am extremely proud at the same time. This year, I was really the one who struggled. We had power during the season and we came out really strong in Gainesville with my first six-second run. My team, and especially my dad, Charlie, and Mark Savage, worked really hard at putting a good bike underneath me. Then I developed a bad habit. I was short-shifting the 1-2 shift really bad. After you make that shift early, it becomes extremely hard for the motor and everything to catch up and make a good run. Even though I usually hit the other four shifts one time, my runs were not nearly as quick as they could have been.
This habit made it extremely hard for my team to tune on the bike. It is hard to tune when you don’t make clean runs. In Las Vegas, I have to be honest, I came back to the pit and I just wanted to hide. I knew that even though my dad didn't say anything he was getting tired of seeing the same mistake over and over. I was really beating myself up after the first pass. On the next pass, I did the same thing again. So then I was really frustrated with myself. I knew that without fixing this habit, we were just sitting ducks out there and we weren’t going to qualify. Everybody was working so hard on giving me a great bike, and until I started to ride better we weren't going to improve.
On Saturday, something happened in the clutch. Which to be honest was a blessing in disguise for me. When I put the bike on the two-step, and went to let the clutch out, the bike didn't move. Of course right as I relaxed my body and went to pull the clutch lever in, the bike took off. I was caught way off guard, and tried to get caught up. However, I got into the rev limiter in first gear. After that I just pulled the clutch in and aborted the run. However, being behind the bike and running the first shift into the rev limiter seemed to help me break my habit.
On the final qualifying pass on Saturday, I felt amazing. After my pass I felt the best I have in a long time. My dad came down to get me and he just said ‘Katie you did a great job’. We both knew that was the pass we had been waiting for to bring us out of the slump. As we opened up the graph of the run on the computer, my dad just smiled and gave me a hug. I had finally broken the habit that caused us to struggle quite a bit this season.
The next weekend, we stayed in Las Vegas for the Division 7 Lucas Oil series race. We put in our new Pro Stock engine and we set out to do some testing and bracket racing. I felt great after that weekend, even though we went out in the first round. I felt like we had done exactly what we set out to do. We broke in our new motor and I was able to get some more valuable seat time.
Going into Pomona with a fresh motor, I had a lot of high hopes. I felt like my riding had improved and we had some great data to tune from. We went out and made four complete runs down the track. I felt like everybody helping us and my dad and I put everything we had into this last race. Unfortunately we seemed to be down on power. After our last pass though, we went back to the trailer with our heads held high because we are improving.
I can't believe I have been so lucky that this is my third season racing an NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle and I am still only 20-years old. Ever since I first got into a race car, and then on a bike I have had a huge drive to win. Pro Stock Motorcycle is a lot more challenging than I ever thought. I have been greatly humbled with the challenges it has given me. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for the day we are standing in the winner's circle holding up a big Wally and I know that day is coming. However, for a small town family, who does this out of their pocket, because of the passion we have for it, I could not be more proud of what we have accomplished.
Every time we step out onto that track, we have walked away with more knowledge. I know our day is coming, and we are going to keep working and doing whatever it takes to make it happen. Thank you so much to all the people who have supported us this season. I am constantly receiving emails and face book messages from fans telling us they know we can do it, and I can't tell you how much that support means. Happy Holidays everyone!