So this weeknd just gone was my first stop on the ABA National series in Charlotte, North Carolina. It also being my first ever ABA race. The racing is very diffrent to what im used to say the least. Back home in Australisia and at World Cups im used to big steep ramps and medium height hills to start off of. Over here the hills are very very flat so power, strength and horses really come into play. Also the level of racing out here in America is second to none! Every race has thee worlds best attending. The current Olympic Gold medalist, World Champ and the top guys from Australia, Europe and all over the world, making the aba circuit pretty much the toughest series to race in the world, second to the World Cup series.
Willy and i flew into Charlotte on the thursday and where luckey enough to meet, chat, airport hop, and be sitting on the plane in front of Travis Pastrana. If you dont know who he is, we are no longer friends haha. Legend of the moto x world for sure!
Practise came around friday night and got the gate and everything sorted on the track ready for the first day of racing saturday.
Saturdays racing came around and i qualified through motos and semi finals. The mains here are run over 3 races. In the first final i placed 4th and had a solid lap coming out of lane 6. Second final i didnt quite get out the gate to well and go the squeeze heading down the first straight and was stuck mid pack and couldnt find my way back through to place 6th. Then the last main i got probably one of the best gates of my life and was first equal to the first jump but overshot the first jump a tad and at this level, that was enough for the guys next to me to gain an inch and shut me down straight away. I placed 6th over all for that day. i walked away happy to make the main, and happy to make some $$ for sure but not so happy i wasnt on that podium.
Day 2 was a little different. Felt the burn big time from the previous days racing but once the gate dropped all that went out the window and got on with racing. Once again easily qualifed through motos but things were a little difrent once i got to the semis. Drew lane 6 on the outside of a short first straight. I got down the first straight solid and in the front 3 but being on the outside, got held up and bombed making it to hard for me to fight back to the top 4. That was my day done with a 5th place in the semi and leaving me to cheer on my buddy willy from the sidelines in the final.
This weeknd made me relise that 1 inch is 1 inch and theres no way anyone is going to back off no matter what. When it comes down to it once you go through qualifying, in a semi final and final at this level over here, there are 8 guys heading down the first straight within 12 inches into the first turn not wanting to budge or move for that inch! Where unlike back home, the comparison to that inch is usually around 2-3 bike lengths.
I flew back into cali late lastnight and hit the tin yard this morning. Time to make some gains, refuel and continue building the machine before my next race stop in 3 weeks in Nashville, Tennessee.
BOOM! Peace
Willy and i flew into Charlotte on the thursday and where luckey enough to meet, chat, airport hop, and be sitting on the plane in front of Travis Pastrana. If you dont know who he is, we are no longer friends haha. Legend of the moto x world for sure!
Practise came around friday night and got the gate and everything sorted on the track ready for the first day of racing saturday.
Saturdays racing came around and i qualified through motos and semi finals. The mains here are run over 3 races. In the first final i placed 4th and had a solid lap coming out of lane 6. Second final i didnt quite get out the gate to well and go the squeeze heading down the first straight and was stuck mid pack and couldnt find my way back through to place 6th. Then the last main i got probably one of the best gates of my life and was first equal to the first jump but overshot the first jump a tad and at this level, that was enough for the guys next to me to gain an inch and shut me down straight away. I placed 6th over all for that day. i walked away happy to make the main, and happy to make some $$ for sure but not so happy i wasnt on that podium.
Day 2 was a little different. Felt the burn big time from the previous days racing but once the gate dropped all that went out the window and got on with racing. Once again easily qualifed through motos but things were a little difrent once i got to the semis. Drew lane 6 on the outside of a short first straight. I got down the first straight solid and in the front 3 but being on the outside, got held up and bombed making it to hard for me to fight back to the top 4. That was my day done with a 5th place in the semi and leaving me to cheer on my buddy willy from the sidelines in the final.
This weeknd made me relise that 1 inch is 1 inch and theres no way anyone is going to back off no matter what. When it comes down to it once you go through qualifying, in a semi final and final at this level over here, there are 8 guys heading down the first straight within 12 inches into the first turn not wanting to budge or move for that inch! Where unlike back home, the comparison to that inch is usually around 2-3 bike lengths.
I flew back into cali late lastnight and hit the tin yard this morning. Time to make some gains, refuel and continue building the machine before my next race stop in 3 weeks in Nashville, Tennessee.
BOOM! Peace
