The Julian Calendar...May 2025 Was Jam Packed
May absolutely erupted with an epic two-week training stint in Spain with Riders Formation, and let me tell you, it was a whirlwind of speed and personal bests! I hammered down an absurd amount of kilometers on the bicycle with Moto3 rider Valentin Perrone, then swapped two wheels for two wheels, hopping on the bike multiple times. I even got a day out on the CBR600 at Karting Mora, laying down some seriously respectable lap times! And of course, the Kayo wasn't left out; I drilled technical skills and cranked out some scorching laps at Karting Vendrell, even setting a new personal best on fresh tires. With the BTC season right around the corner and a packed three weeks ahead, I'm feeling incredibly prepared and ready to take on anything!
After an absolutely electrifying training block in Spain, it was time to swap the sun-drenched circuits for the iconic asphalt of Donington Park, a personal favorite on the BSB calendar! With incredibly positive tests under our belts and the new team gelling perfectly, my excitement to hit the track for the BTC season opener was through the roof.
Friday started a little differently; with some of the riders, including George, having exams, our first session wasn't until 5 PM. But the goal remained crystal clear. After tackling media obligations and reconnecting with the team, FP1 finally arrived. I wasted no time, dropping a super respectable lap early on, feeling completely at one with the bike. I held P2 for most of the session, ultimately finishing P5 for the first session of the year. Not ideal, as we aimed for at least a top-three spot, but the overall feeling was fantastic, and I felt incredibly comfortable.
Saturday: Pushing the Limits and a Race 1 Heartbreaker
A good night's rest had me ready for a jam-packed Saturday with three sessions. FP2 in the morning was another quick one for me, but still just outside the top three. Heading into qualifying, I knew it was time to leave absolutely everything on the track. I improved my time again, but it was only good enough for P5. Honestly, I was stumped. The pace I was putting in felt incredibly strong, yet it just wasn't quite enough to crack the top three. Still, I knew I could easily run with the front group and be right there in the fight. We huddled as a team, meticulously crafting our race plan, ready to execute.
Race 1 kicked off with an unexpected technical challenge. The cooler weather led to a strategic adjustment to retain engine heat, a detail I unfortunately overlooked. As the race began, the bike quickly started to overheat, causing a significant loss of power on the straights and leaving me struggling to compete. It was a bewildering and frustrating experience, especially realizing at the end of the race that the issue was entirely avoidable. Despite the setback, we quickly shifted our focus. Race 2 on Sunday became our immediate and motivating target.
Sunday: A Gut-Wrenching DNF and Looking Ahead
Waking up on Sunday, I felt fresh and ready for a new day. A solid warm-up, finishing P2, had me buzzing for the race. I had a really strong start to Race 2, right in the thick of the fighting group. Then, around lap six, I felt my shifter start to give way. Coming down the front straight, it completely fell off, forcing me to retire from the race while running in P4 and firmly in the lead group. This was an incredibly tough pill to swallow. Not only did I lose a huge chunk of points to my rivals, but it was completely out of my control. The team and I were equally frustrated – it simply shouldn't have happened. But, that's racing. We chalked it up to experience and immediately shifted our focus to Silverstone MotoGP in just a couple of days. The fight continues!
After a couple of chilled days with George, I hopped on the train to Manchester to link up with the boss man, and then it was full steam ahead to Silverstone! Arriving on Wednesday evening, we had to be at the track bright and early Thursday morning for move-in and, of course, to snag those coveted weekend passes. Just rolling into the circuit and seeing all the massive MotoGP trucks and riders casually strolling around like it's no big deal? It's genuinely a surreal experience every single time.
We got set up in our tents for the weekend, and then it was time to catch up with Dani, Sergio, and Valentin from Riders Formation. The absolute highlight? Getting to step inside the legendary VR46 MotoGP team box with Dani! I couldn't grab any footage or photos – it's super confidential in there – but I can tell you, being inside that inner sanctum was absolutely unreal. After that, I swung by to say hi to some familiar faces in the American Racing box, then kicked back to prep for the intense couple of days ahead.
Friday Frustration and a Damning Discovery
Friday dawned with me feeling super good and ready to attack the weekend. But FP1 immediately threw a wrench in the works: a shifting issue. Not ideal, to say the least. The team couldn't fix it in pit lane, so I had to make the best of a bad situation, grinding out laps with the problem. This was beyond frustrating – not only did it eat into our track time, but it was the exact same shifting problem that killed us at Round One! After some serious investigation, they finally realized the was faulty, swapped it out, and we were good to go.
FP2 was a much cleaner session, but our position wasn't where we wanted it. While we did manage to beat my qualifying lap from last year, we were still a fair way off the top guys. And after poring over the post-session PDFs, something felt really off. We'd noticed it at Round One, but here at Silverstone, it was glaringly obvious. The team launched an investigation, but I had to clear my head and focus on qualifying and the race for Saturday.
Hunting data and information to be Prepared...
Qualifying was a grueling session, and I held a front-row spot until the very last lap, ultimately finishing P5. It was a solid performance for us, but we were hungry for more. We went back to review data and track maps, along with information from the previous years to see where I can gain advantages for the race. It was on and I was ready.
Race Day Fury: Near Misses and a Gut-Wrenching Highside
Despite the utter farce, we had our race plan, and we were ready to execute. Before Race 1, I had a quick FaceTime with my dad, and I'll admit, I broke down crying out of sheer frustration. They were the reason my "on paper" performance wasn't stacking up, scratching our heads on how much stronger we were compared to last year and still so far off...just didn't make sense. My dad's words – to use it as fire for the race – ignited something fierce inside me, and I was prepared to do just that.
I had a really strong start, right there in the front group. For the first time this year, I actually led a race, fighting constantly. I had so much swirling in my head that I'll admit, I made a few mistakes I shouldn't have. On the very last lap, in the final sector, I made contact with the rear wheel of another rider mid-corner, leaving me vulnerable. I dropped to P4 for the podium. I wasn't pleased with the P4, but I was incredibly pleased with the fight and proving that we can absolutely be in contention.
I was more than ready for Race 2, which was going to be a wet one. It absolutely poured in pit lane right before the race, so we knew what we were in for. My data tech, Alan, was confident it would dry quickly, so we gambled on a "half-and-half" setup to maximize our advantage when the track dried. I had a great start, though the feeling with the bike was a little off, as expected in full wet conditions. Around lap four, I worked my way up to P2, with P1 clearly in my sights and a decent gap back to the group. I was feeling great, so I pushed to catch P1. I nailed Turn 1, then attempted Turn 2 wide open... and that's all she wrote. The bike highsided me over the top, and that was the end of our race.
Looking back, I should have waited a lap or two to push fully and allow the track to dry a bit more. But to be completely honest, all I had in my head was "win, win, win." With everything that had happened this year – the "incontrollable" scenarios – all I wanted was that victory. Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be. But I took the risk, and if it had paid off, it would have paid off big time. That's racing, and we take it on the chin.
Finally Home! (Briefly!) Then, Road America Bound!
After another seven weeks away from home, the moment finally arrived: it was time to go HOME! Sure, it meant another 9.5 hours on a plane, but honestly, that's just the norm for me now, haha. Stepping off the plane, I was greeted by my entire family, and let me tell you, it felt so incredibly good to be back with them, sharing laughs and just being home.
My time home was short, but I made sure to squeeze in some quality time with the little man, Gray, before hopping on another plane – this time, bound for Round 3 of the MotoAmerica Talent Cup at Road America! The best part? My two incredible mechanics, Tim and Buch, were joining me, and even my amazing girlfriend, Jaymee, was coming along. Having the whole team assembled again, right here from home, felt super cool and just solidified that we're ready to take on anything!
Road America: New Track, Clutch Woes, and a Photo Finish for the Record Books!
Touched down at Road America and immediately met up with the whole squad for our team photoshoot – let me tell you, the pics came out so sick, and we were absolutely buzzing for the weekend! Coming off that awesome wet podium at Barber, we knew we had to replicate that fight here. I'd never ridden the big track at Road America before, so I hit the books hard, studying every inch to be as prepared as humanly possible.
Clutch Calamity and Qualifying Woes
The first session wasn't too bad, thankfully I had the track all to myself to learn the lines before Q1 later in the day. But then, disaster struck: clutch problems. It was slipping badly on all the straights! We lost some crucial track time, though luckily the track was a bit damp, so the time loss wasn't as critical for lap times. Tim and Buch, the absolute legends, got the clutch sorted, and we were ready to go again in the morning.
In Q2, I managed to shave off a good chunk of time, but unfortunately, I did the lap solo, so we didn't get that crucial slipstream top speed. That put us in P8. Not where we wanted to be at all, but as we all know, the race is where it really counts. The team had done a brilliant job dialing in the bike's handling from the last two rounds, so I was confident we could pull off something special in the race.
Race 1: Brain Fades, Battles, and a P5 Finish
Race 1 started strong – I got a brilliant launch and immediately rocketed into the front group. But then, heading into Canada Corner, a rider had a massive brain fade and freight-trained through three other riders. That allowed the top three to break away, leaving me stuck in a two-rider battle with my good friend, Ella Dreher from SFLminiGP. It was a super fun race! I ultimately finished P5. We now had a clear strategy for Race 2. Tim and I made a slight change to the bike we were both super confident in, and then it was time to prep for the next day.
Race 2: Red Flags, Record Laps, and a Photo Finish Heartbreak!
Warm-up on Sunday morning was fantastic; I dropped even more time and felt incredibly good heading into Race 2. My start was unreal into Turn 1, launching me straight into P3-4! But then, down into Turn 5, another big incident caused a red flag. Not ideal when you've had such a killer start, but you just reset and go again.
Another solid start saw me back in the front group. I got pushed wide by another rider and lost the top three again, but this time, I wasn't going to let it happen! I sliced past the two riders ahead, and by lap two, I was right up with the top three. That's when I laid down a lap record – absolutely obliterating the previous time! I was properly in the fight now. I made some incredibly decisive moves, and on the last lap, I chose to lead for basically the entire lap. I wasn't super confident in my ability to draft past for the win on the final straight, so I led out of the last corner... and we were so close! Just 21 thousandths of a second was the margin to victory.
P2 is nothing to be ashamed about, especially considering all the obstacles we've had to overcome. And here's a funny one: from lap one, I had no clutch whatsoever! Something internally happened, but it wasn't slipping or anything – it just wasn't engaging at all, LOL! Rolling into Parc Fermé felt amazing; it was such a good feeling to be there again, and I was genuinely proud of that ride. Gave the whole team a massive hug and stood on the podium.
We're leaving Wisconsin with a nice trophy and an all-time lap record in our pockets! Extremely pleased with the weekend, and I think I've finally started to figure out this weird bike. I'm already buzzing for the next one!
Home Sweet Home (for a Bit!): SFLminiGP and Snetterton Bound!
Now, I'm finally back home, soaking up every minute with my family and, of course, keeping up with my relentless training! This weekend, I'm absolutely stoked to hit SFLminiGP and get back on my sumo – can't wait! Then, it's back across the pond for Round 3 of the BTC Championship at Snetterton! The season's heating up, and we're ready to bring the fight. Stay tuned for more action!
