Round 9...Targets Achieved
Only a week home before heading back over for the final round of the British talent cup season. After a very positive round at Oulton I was really excited for Donington. Donington is by far my favorite circuit on the calendar which made me even more excited for it. Pops came along this time as well which is always cool to have him there, it makes it feel like back at home. After Oulton I took a lot of time to analyze the races to see where I can improve for the future. Coach Torres and I came up with a plan so I was ready for the pack racing. Thursday track walk went well, we’ve been to the circuit before so the goal is to get to pace as quickly as possible. I adore this track because of the iconic Craners curve. What a sector! A massive downhill, flat out 6th gear on a moto3. By far the most enjoyable sector on the calendar.
The English weather caught up to us at the end of the season, overnight before FP1 it rained. The track was damp but had a drying line and I took the opportunity to go out on slicks. Got really comfortable early and topped FP1 by half a second. The second race of the weekend was looking 50/50 so to have those good feelings was very positive for the weekend. There was some things we wanted to try from what we learned at Oulton park and improve them at Donington for FP2. Didn’t really feel too comfortable with the changes but overall the pace was good in FP2 and I was ready for qualifying in the morning.
I must say, after such a positive Friday, Saturday morning was disappointing. Never got that clean lap to push and I took too long to come in and get a clean lap. P11 is one of my worst qualifications so my confidence wasn’t the highest going into race 1...good thing I had the tools to flip that feeling right around! My dad, Coach Torres, and I have been working on bringing my aggressive side out on track. This was MY race, I felt like nothing could stop me all race. This was the best I’ve ever felt ever on a bike. My dad asked me after the race what made the difference and I told him that I couldn’t even tell him what happened because my mind was turned off and my body was just doing it. I feel like this is the piece that I’ve been missing for so long. From p11 I finished p2 with the best race of my life. I feel like I’ve been too kind to the riders on track and let them bully me and now I was doing the bullying and it was a feeling I’ve never felt before. A feeling that I can’t even put in words.
Having my dad there for the entire experience made it that much more special. Having my dad at home makes it difficult to enjoy the race weekends because I’ve been so used to him being there all my life. So to have this result with him there makes it an unforgettable experience. I’ve had a very tough run at things lately so when I crossed the line, all the emotions came running and I couldn’t help myself from crying on the cool down lap and in Parc Ferme. Overall it was an amazing afternoon after a poor morning. Now it was full focus on Race 2.
Race 2 started off damp and we were forced to make a split second decision to stay on dry setup on wet tires. Unfortunately as the race went on, the rain got much worse and suited the wet setup more than the dry setup. For the circumstances, I rode a great race to come home in P6 but more importantly P5 in the Championship!!
This was the target at the beginning of the season and we were able to achieve it. From P12 in the championship last year to P5 this year is amazing and shows the value of how much work we have put in to advance this far. Every race weekend I was more prepared, I was faster, I was more confident and I was hitting my targets. I can’t thank the whole Microlise Cresswelll racing team for everything this year. We’ve worked flawlessly and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I’ve got a couple more things on the agenda for this year but I’m ready to work as hard as possible to come home with that championship next year.
