At the final stop of the GNCC Championship in Crawfordsville, Indiana I walked away with what was one of the biggest achievements of my career in my eyes! After winning the Unadilla GNCC I was quite proud of my achievement although I needed to win again before I could celebrate. I wanted to prove to myself that I could win outside of New York, and also in good conditions when everyone was riding well.
I went to both of the last two rounds in Ohio and Indiana visualizing another win. In Ohio, it just wasn't in the books but I think my 6th place finish there was one of my best rides ever so I can tell you it was something I was very proud of anyway. In Indiana I was looking for another win but this time I did something quite different. In the last four races I haven't had one sip from my drink pack during the race so I decided to ride without it this time and it worked out perfect for me. After a few laps I found a good rhythm and I ended up having an awesome ride.
The start of the race was typical for me as I was slow off the line, although this time there was a short bit of grass track before we went into the woods. I was about 20th going into turn one but I was very aggressive and didn't get bunched up with everyone going for the insides in the turns. By the time we headed into the woods I was up to 6th. It was a good group; ahead of me were Mullins, Jarrat, Andrews, Jenks and Hawk. I thought I would be able to move through to the lead quickly but everyone was running a really fast pace.
I was mostly just staying with the lead pack and looking for a pass while also trying to hold off Kearney who was behind me and trying to pass me. I had a good line near the end of the lap where I knew I could pass all of them if they didn't know about it, so I just tried to hold my position until then. When I got to that line, Mullins had already pulled out a bit of a lead and Juha had come from nowhere and moved into second. I then made my charge and moved up to third behind Juha. It didn't last too long though as I crashed jumping across a small ditch and lost the spot to Andrews.
For the first and second laps I was up and down and couldn't find a good rhythm. I had been making mistakes and ended up getting some arm pump. I was running 5th during the second lap but I decided to let Hawk by so I wouldn't have the pressure from him. I was able to ride by myself for a bit and find some smoother lines and think about how I was riding. I then passed Andrews who looked like he was getting up from a crash. Once I was finally riding the track and no longer following someone else, I was able to put it all together and loosen up.
At the end of lap two I started to come on strong and by the time I started lap three I was just 16-seconds down on Juha and another 5-seconds and 15-seconds to Hawk and Mullins respectively. On lap 3, I recorded the fastest lap and was running in 4th, only 16-seconds behind Hawk in the lead. By that time I was "on", or "Giving Full Gas" as I will learn to say next year. I was riding as good as I ever have, using no energy and putting awesome lines together without ever even sitting down. On lap four, I finally caught Juha. He actually yielded the track to me in a field section and waved me by. I thought for sure there was a problem as that is not like him, although when I spoke to him later he said that he saw me coming and was just being courteous. I then reeled in Mullins and Hawk and we were all going really fast. I don't remember when I passed Mullins but the pass I put on Hawk was one that I will not forget.
There was a fast section featuring a couple of long sweepers that led into a 100 yard straight into the woods. I knew that straight was coming up and I had an awesome outside/inside line that set me up for the chop in the straight really well. Every line I had leading up to it was the opposite of Barry's lines, which worked out perfectly. As soon as we shot onto that straight, Barry and I were side by side and both of us were going for it. At the end of the straight we needed to turn 90 degrees to the right. I was on Barry's left and we were both going to go deep into the outside rut. At the last moment when I could see he was committed to the outside line, I locked up the brakes and cut underneath him to take the inside rut.
From that point on I led all but one part of the race where I took a line around a crashed lapper allowing Mullins to briefly pass me. It didn't last very long though as my buddy Shawn pulled me in for the second pit stop after lap five and Mullins had to pit on lap six which was right after he passed me. For sure, I think all the credit for this win should go to Shawn for pitting me on lap five instead of lap six with Hawk and Mullins. Had he not done that I would have started the last lap behind Mullins and that would not have been the best thing. This result moved me from a tie with Shane Watts for 9th all the way up to 6th in the overall championship standings!
One thing that has been a hot topic that everyone has been asking me about since this second win is whether or not I will still do the Husky deal in Italy. I can assure everyone that I have never once looked back since I signed my name on that contract and I still feel I have made the best decision for myself. If I hadn't yet signed that contract and I had other offers here in the US, I would still make the same decision to move to Europe and take on the WEC. This is something that is not about the money, it is about bettering myself as a person and as a racer. For sure I will come back to the US one day, whether it is in one year or five years, but in the meantime I will take a pen, paper, open eyes and ears, and learn everything I can from this experience.
Thanks again to all my sponsors and fans!
RER Motocity, Yamaha, SHIFT, One Helmets, Maxxis, Factory Connection, Zip Ty, Spectro, Dragon, Works Connection, Moto Tassinari, Fastway PMB, Tag, Powersport Grafx, DP, Sidi, Asterisk, BRP, Am Pro, Asterisk, Autumn Sky Development, Jilcon Development, Charlotte Homes, Woodys Construction, Pro Active Health, Dave Bradley and Steve Hatch.
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