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SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2025 – Transport and Travel
As we did when we competed in our first round of the season at Road Atlanta, we sent our bike and gear ahead by ground transport, and flew in to meet up with our team. I try not to let my superstitions get the better of me, but when we landed at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, we learned that just about anything that could go wrong during transport, did. No, our transport crew did not crash – thank goodness! – but that’s about the only Murphy’s Law they broke. The transport van, apparently loaded to, or beyond, capacity, with our bike and gear, along with two other race packages, had cried “No Mas!!” One mechanical issue after another threatened to not only delay their arrival in Ohio, but potentially prevent it altogether. With my overactive superstitious mind, I prayed that this wasn’t a harbinger for things to come over the course of the race week and weekend…
MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2025 – Track Day / Test and Tune
Somehow, the crew, with safety wire, zip ties, and duct tape, managed to keep the transport van together just enough to limp to the track, and our pit was already set up by the time we arrived early Monday morning. There was a moment the prior evening when we were all thinking that the van would be left on the side of the road a couple hundred miles from its destination, and we would be scrambling to come up with a miracle plan to get the bikes and gear the rest of the way.
When we arrived, it was obvious that our transport crew was completely wiped out. Not only did they have to make multiple stops to repair the van along the way, but they were also operating on fumes, none of them getting more than a few hours of sleep over the past couple days in the long haul from California.
But if there’s anything that can brighten the mood of a race team, it’s being at race track with a full day of riding ahead of us. I had never been on this track before and would be racing on it in my final round of the 2025 MotoAmerica Super Hooligan National Championship in less than a week. I was overcome with my customary mix of excitement and anxiety at the thought of this prospect.
Over the course of my first (nearly) full season of MotoAmerica, I came to understand that one of the most critical skills necessary for success at this level is the ability to learn and adapt to everything as quickly as possible – including, if not especially, new and unfamiliar tracks. I remember the early days of my track riding experiences, when it could take a season or more to get comfortable on a new track or a new motorcycle. I no longer have that luxury as a MotoAmerica racer, so getting up to competitive speed within a couple of sessions, if not a few laps, has been absolutely crucial. Given that three of the four tracks that made up my MotoAmerica season were entirely new to me, it was fortunate that I not only developed this skill but honed it over the course of this season. Better yet, I have grown very fond of learning new tracks with no time to spare. Because of that, I was enjoying more excitement than anxiety, as we got ready for this single track day of practice prior to the races scheduled only a few days away.
At the riders’ meeting, it was clear that most of us were here to prepare for our upcoming MotoAmerica races. There were, of course, some “track day guys” who were just planning on having a fun day at the track, while the rest of us were just hoping they wouldn’t be in our way.
Based on last year’s pole time, and projections about how much faster the fastest would be this year, we had a pretty good idea about what a qualifying cutoff time was going to be. We always run faster on race day than on a track day, so I had no expectation of breaking any lap records today. But I figured if I could score a few consistent “qualifying” lap times, then I could work my way to a mid-pack spot for the races.
At the 5-minute call for my group, I warmed up the bike, zipped up my suit, stuffed my earplugs in, and donned my helmet and gloves. At final call, I pulled my warmers and stands, threw my leg over the bike, and made my way onto the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course for the very first time.
It’s always a little strange entering a new track and making my first lap. No matter how many YouTube videos I watch in preparation, or how much I’ve studied the track map, every turn feels like a complete mystery the first time around. Heck, even entering and exiting the track is confusing. Fortunately, the rider I followed onto and around the track for my first lap seemed to be much more familiar with the layout, so I was happy to hang back and get a gentle tow.
Mid-Ohio is a fun track with lots of flowing turns, a couple of big sweepers, mild elevation changes, a variety of camber, and a decent length back straight that ends in a heavy braking zone and into a sharp, 90-degree right turn.
With each lap, I picked up speed and got progressively more comfortable. Most importantly, I began tying the turns together, able to anticipate each one so I could get set up in the prior turn. By the end of the first session, I was still seconds off a qualifying lap time, but at the rate that I was going, I was confident that I would be up to speed within the next session or two.
My tire budget strategy for the race weekend included a plan to run the same tires all day for the track day practice. These were the same single-session tires from the previous round. I didn’t see any reason to invest another $450-500 to gain a small advantage before it really counted, and I had learned that I could confidently predict how much faster I could run on fresh rubber and adjust my predictive times accordingly.
That said, as I got faster and more confident throughout the day, I was also having to ride around the deteriorating grip of my tires. But that’s what we do, and I still felt really good about my progression.
Before lunch, I was already spinning laps comfortably within the estimated qualifying time. I kept setting new lap time targets, hitting them, then stretching my goal. By the end of the day, I felt good, fast, and competitive. I was ready for the race weekend and looking forward to it!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2025 – Load In Day
Our friend and teammate, Andie, lived about an hour away from the track, which meant we got to hang out and explore Columbus and other parts of Ohio for a couple of days. We had a lot of fun sightseeing and checking out a bunch of local landmarks, including the AMA Hall of Fame! I did my best to stay present and really enjoy the adventure and activities, but I couldn’t shake the growing excitement for the race weekend that was fast approaching.
So, as much fun as I was having, I was relieved when it was finally time to get to the track and set up. We managed to score another great paddock spot, and Andie’s family loaned us an RV to use for the weekend. We set up our pit next to the RV and were all pretty pleased with the results. That said, Mid-Ohio has a somewhat unique layout with three separate paddocks that are all fairly spread out. It also seemed that it would be unlikely we were going to have a lot of foot traffic from spectators, so our mental health exhibit was going to be less of an attraction for fans than it had been at previous rounds. We certainly weren’t going to be in the middle of the action, but we were close enough and knew that it could certainly be much worse.
This was the first round that I didn’t bother taking new headshots, since I and MotoAmerica had plenty by now, so the only formalities for the afternoon were the tech inspection and riders’ meeting. Once those were done, we just made dinner, relaxed, and then went to bed.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2025 – Practice and Q1
As usual on race weekend, I woke up early and tried to keep my anxiety at bay by distracting myself watching TV with my headphones so I didn’t wake Shanea, or anyone else in the RV, for that matter. It was the Austrian round of MotoGP, so I watched the fastest riders in the world get up to speed during free practice for their race weekend, while I waited to do the same in just a few hours for mine.
The Super Hooligan National Championship had become the most popular class for riders in MotoAmerica. For this season finale round, there had been 48 entrants, the most of any class, and the most for any SHNC round this year. As a result, MotoAmerica implemented its Track Density Procedure to limit the number of bikes on the track at any given time, particularly during races. In addition to the normal cut-off lap times for qualifying to earn a grid spot for race day, there would now be cut-off times for Friday’s sessions just to earn the opportunity to compete in Saturday morning’s Q2. Additionally, Friday’s sessions were split into groups A and B to divide the entrants into smaller practice and qualifying groups. Based on my past performance, I was assigned to group A, the faster of the two. I was pleased by this, since it meant I was less likely to be held up by slower riders and more likely to get a tow into a more competitive lap time.
Considering last year’s pole time and factoring in the faster pace of this year’s front-runners, we calculated a projected qualifying time of approximately 1:44 or less, and 1:46 just to advance to Saturday. No problem!
As the final call to start group A practice was announced over the radio, I zipped up my suit, put in my earplugs, then pulled on my helmet and gloves, and threw my leg over the bike. My team, now very efficient after a season of practice at sending me out, pulled my tire warmers, removed the stands, and sent me on my way to the track for the first time of the race weekend.
I made my way through our paddock – the “middle paddock” – then through the much busier front paddock, and onto the track entrance. There were a couple bikes in front of me, and though I didn’t know who they were, I knew I was on track with the fastest Super Hooligans in the sport. So, I wasted little time getting up to speed. I did my best to hang onto the faster riders, but when they pulled away, I didn’t get discouraged, and instead just tried to pick up my pace and go faster. It was only practice, after all, but at this level, I had grown accustomed to treating every session like a race.
I finished the practice session and made my way back to the pit. According to my lap time, my unofficial best time was about 1:43, comfortably within the margin to earn a Saturday spot, and even below my projected qualifying time. Once the bike was back on stands and warmers, and I removed my helmet and gloves, I checked the official results and saw that I achieved a 1:43.557, and finished the session in P16. Not great, but not bad.
As I was prepping the bike for this weekend, I noticed that the exhaust can had developed a thin spot in the carbon fiber along the inside, bike-facing section. Before the bike left my house for transport, I had fashioned what I hoped would be a fix that would hold for the weekend. Well, it didn’t even make it through the first session of the Monday track day, so I upgraded the repair job with stronger materials that I felt were certain to hold up. Wrong again!
A quick inspection of the bike after it was back in the pit following the practice session revealed a new, even larger hole in the exhaust. The packing had blown out and was coating the rear tire. We were clearly going to need an even beefier patch-job solution. So, we used the time between practice and qualifying to head into town in search of stronger materials to patch the hole.
There was plenty of time between sessions, so when we got back to the track, we were able to get the exhaust repaired to our satisfaction well before I would need to put it to the test in Q1.
Finally, the time arrived, and calls were coming through on the radio, counting down the minutes until we would be competing in our first official speed test of the final round of the season. With two minutes until the track was to go hot, I went through my final routine, and so did my crew, then I made my way to the track.
I was still feeling confident about my pace, but the intensity of the moment was reverberating through my body as I pulled up to the pack of riders waiting to be released at the track entrance. The marshal replaced his red flag with a green one, and all at once, we took off and jockeyed for position as the 20-minute qualifying clock began ticking down.
I pushed from start to finish, gaining time with every lap. I felt strong and fast. I kept up with a bunch of the other riders, occasionally getting passed, but also making my fair share of passes. I raced through the checkered flag, completing the session, then made my way around the track for the cool down, before exiting and heading to Parc Ferme.
My team put the bike on stands, and I dismounted and removed my helmet and gloves. I checked my official times. Crushed it! I got down to a 1:36.794, and finished in P15! I was super proud of my performance and looking forward to enjoying the rest of our Friday.
After being released from Parc Ferme, a.k.a., “bike jail,” we returned to the pit and put everything away for the day. For the remainder of the afternoon and evening, the team relaxed, had dinner, played some games, then headed off to bed.