Round 6 .....British GP at Silverstone
I don't think there is anything cooler than being on the same track, on the same weekend as my race heroes....except for being in their championship. I got my first taste of this weekend last year when I came over to do my first wild card ride with Microlise. It was spectacular. This year, the excitement goes up two fold cause I am sharing the track with my brother and coach Sean Dylan Kelly (Moto2 American Racing Team). This hasn't happened since 2019 at Road America for the Mini Cup.
Walking around this paddock just does something to me. My blood rushes, I am constantly excited and the sounds are so sweet. Bikes everywhere, heroes everywhere and every once in a while, someone I don't know calls out my name and wants to say hi or get an autograph! That is super cool! I got to go on stage and talk to the crowd about my season, I got to hang out in the American Racing box, along with take pictures on the finish line with the moto2 and MotoGP racers.
Being able to share this experience with my dad is awesome as well. I want to believe that this is some form of me saying thank you to him for everything he has done and continues to do for my dreams. I know he enjoys it, he loves this sport and it really shows out in these paddocks. Man, you should of seen him when he saw Jorge Martin on the track during the track walk...he got so excited. I don't think I have ever seen him smile so hard; well I lie, my podium here had him just as excited...lol. The way he sees things and then how he expresses them to me just works. I am so blessed to have this relationship with him. Sure its not perfect, but it works for us and we know how to understand each other. We spent a lot of time just talking about where we are currently, what we need to do to keep moving forward and just having fun with each other in the moment.
Alright, lets get to the race weekend stuff. Friday was super busy for us, being the MotoGP weekend, our schedule is very different. I had to complete Fp1, FP2 and Qualifying on Friday. So I had to groove with the track and find my fastest pace by then end of day 1. I was feeling really good on the bike, but was still rather slow through most of the straights. I have been struggling with a proper tuck position for awhile. So at the end of the day on Friday we adjusted some items to see if Race 1 on Saturday would be better. The other tough part of the day was not having access to data to see what I was actually doing. Man that was tough to talk through something without seeing what the bike was actually doing. So we were guessing on the areas we thought needed a different approach. If we had the data I think I could of advanced much quicker. Positives were that I was already faster than last year and performing much better. I qualified P14 when last year I qualified 20th for Race #1.
On the grid and ready for Race 1....all of the excitement and buzz around the track kind of goes silent. I know I have an up hill battle and I need to get into that lead group. But....I had a crap start....swallowed by turn 1. Went from P14 to P20 in a matter of seconds. This race just got even harder. I put my head down and I got to work. There are bikes everywhere, small spaces here and there to squeeze in. I start making moves and catching up to the front of this rear group. We are all fighting for P10. White flag comes out and its the final chance. I am sitting in P14 and struggling to get through. My lap times aren't the best, but I am working. I cross the finish line in P12 and this rush of adrenaline takes over me. I am ecstatic with this race. Not once did I think about anything other than get to the front of the group. Passes happened, drafting happened, battles happened and I was all about it. Man it felt so good. Granted I needed to get a better result, but individually and internally, I felt like I won the race!. I even got off the bike and cursed at the team owner in excitement....lol. Sorry John!
Came back to the pits and got into the debriefing of the data. We finally had access to it. Good news, I am progressing each session, bad news...I need to make it all connect for the final race on Sunday. The one factor that keeps standing out is how slow I am on the straights. My poor tuck is really impacting my speeds and we needed to do something. Sunday morning came and we started really looking at what needed to change. I had no way of telling them cause to me I was comfortable in my position...I just wasn't getting my elbows in enough. I sat on the bike and started going through the motions of racing on the track. Immediately the team noticed my knees locked in place and not really moving along with the rest of my body. They went and changed some of the ergonomic pieces. Again, this is happening prior to Race 2. It can either go really well or really bad if I can't ride the bike. I had nothing to lose at this point, the impact was major and I had dropped in points in the championship as well. So as reluctant as I was to do this, we did. Here comes race 2!
Starting P14 in Race 2. Need a better start and need to grab ahold of the lead group. I took advantage of the warm up laps to see if I can work with the new changes and they feel really good. Lined up and ready for the lights. Lights go out and we are off. Decent start, didn't lose any positions but didn't gain any either. I lose sight of the lead group by the first lap and am battling in my group for P8 through P16. We swapped positions for awhile and I took the lead for a handful of laps. I managed to bring my group closer to the lead group and I can see them. But the rider behind me makes a reckless attempt at passing me and pushes us both wide....that slows us all up, gets us both swallowed and that lead group disappears again. Back to work I go. Sitting in the tail of this group now. White flag waves and I start making my moves. I get back to the front of the group and just grab P9 at the line from my team mate. Best result I have had in a while and I am feeling really good. Truly a successful weekend in my books.
British MotoGP is complete and I have left everything on the track. Still miles of work to do but we are chipping away at it. I am having fun on the bike and feeling like myself again. The battles are invigorating and the chase to the front group is getting closer and closer. Its a short week before we get back on the race track on another new track for me.
Thank you again to Microlise Cresswell for their hardwork all weekend. My dad for coming to spend it with me. Jay Dexter and his family for their support and always being there. Mike and Sean for always being available as well.
BRING ON THRUXTON!
