Round 1 and a 3rd Place Finish...
The buildup in my mind, my body and soul was immense the week of my first race weekend for 2022 in the British Talent Cup. I was excited, anxious, scared, nervous, sick to my stomach and even got that butterfly feeling...ALL AT THE SAME TIME! But I knew I was here to a job and to keep progressing on my path to my dream of racing in the world championships.
Some of you may already know the outcome of my weekend, but I can tell you right now, that was not anywhere near the target we thought we would be aiming for. We had a quick progression planned but for the first three races of the season our goal was to aim for Top15 and keep up with the way we left off. Sure, the test at Snetterton gave me a huge boost in confidence but I wasn't thinking that I would be leading races or achieving podiums this weekend. Don't get me wrong....that is always the goal but wasn't part of the plan.
Now, granted, I have been to the Silverstone National round last year for my wild cards, so I know the track and felt really lucky my first race was at a track I had been to. The test on Thursday was nice to have before the race weekend. It allowed me to get back into race mode and reset the mindset for the weekend. I think going straight into the weekend would of been tougher without having this option. Test day went well, we tweaked and tried a couple different scenarios to see what the bike would feel like and it all worked out well. I truly felt so good on Scarlett
The blog isn't really for me to provide a full summary of what happened. For that you can head to my Instagram or Facebook and can get that information. This blog is a bit more personal for me and I want to give you of a more inside look of what I saw, felt and was dealing with.
Friday came around and it was another "Practice Day" so no true impact to the championship, but my mentality for this adventure is to try and squeeze every last bit of knowledge and data I can out of everyone around me. This isn't a vacation by no means. Yes, its cool to be in UK, but being away from home is tough and not seeing my family is tough as well. So when I am in the paddock, I am here to work and make sure I can get better and better each session out. That has always been the main goal for this....the LEARN, KEEP PUSHING and ALWAYS BE IMPROVING. We did just that threw the weekend.
Saturday was my first real look at seeing where I would stack up with the rest of the pack. I had been strong in every session so far so I knew I wanted it and I could get it. Qualifying P2 just made that hunger so much stronger. I kept visualizing the race in my head and seeing myself winning this one. I had the chance to win it a couple of times, but I did make some mistakes during that race and although I did learn a ton, some of those choices made it difficult for a better result. Plus, I was so focused on the race, I kept forgetting to look at my pit board and lost track of what laps were remaining. Next thing I knew, the checkered was out and missed my chance to make moves. Finishing P7 was not what I was expecting after my strong qualifying, but I was reminded again that it was so much better than the plan we had for the weekend.
After studying the video, data and getting info from those around me, I knew what I had to do for Race 2. I wanted that podium so bad and knew I could fight for it. I had to start P7 this race and getting a great start would be the key. We fought so hard for 22 laps and I studied the entire time. I tried different lines and approaches, noticing where people would spoke or close etc etc. I had all 8 of them scoped out before the last two laps. On the last lap I made my move in one of my favorite corners and took five (5) riders at once. I saw the opening and just took it. No hesitation or second guessing. I just went for it and it stuck. Finishing P3 in race 2 was just WOW!
We have done so much work in the past 2 or so years. So many miles traveled, so many hours and sweat and blood spent prepping for weekends. So many miles spent running, cycling and training. So many conversations, data lessons, learning experiences and just trying to prepare for what this weekend would become. All though my team from USA is not here with me....I am here because of them. Beyond that, Jay and Elle for giving me their home, Microlise for the opportunity to showcase what we can do. It's a lot to put into words and I still don't think I am doing it justice. Just simply put....THANK YOU! This one is for all of you that have been or helped or participated on this path I am right now.
Happy 40th again to my mom and looking forward to Round 2 at a new track for me. So let's see what this next weekend brings.
