Well the hometown race is a couple days away and I can’t wait. This season has been so fun so far I just need to get out there and put in some more laps hoping to learn some new things and improve my results. I have made all the mains so far this year minus the mud bog in San Fran. I would like to say that I’m more then happy with this but I really want to try to get in that top ten. I guess the key is to keep taking baby steps and my results will come. This is what everyone keeps telling me but I want it bad. I will tell you one thing I have been in the top twenty in points since the first round and riding in that seeded practice helps more then anything. You get to ride with the guys you are going to be in the main with. To get in to the top ten I need a little over a second a lap to get the job done and my main problem has been me not letting it hang out enough during the Main event. That is easier said then done but I need to just drop the hammer and hang on!
Lat weekend at Anaheim was a crazy weekend to say the least. The first lap of the first practice my chain broke. While I was sitting on the track watching all these guys just throwing down some insane laps I’m thinking how is this happening to me I need more time then anyone of these guys to figure this track out. In the meantime my mechanic Ryan runs back to the truck grabs another chain runs back down to the track hoping he can get me out there for a couple laps. He succeeded I went charging out there blind just huking every jump and section I could in the little time I had. I ended up getting three total laps and was relived that I got done what I got done. My day qualifier went well with a solid third and it was time to get ready for the rest of the night.
My program that I have is really good because I only have pressure from myself to do well. The problem is I want to make everyone else happy that puts time and effort into what I’m doing. When the gate dropped in the heat race I came out third and was passed by Darcey Lange in a turn before the woops. I was pissed so I knew that I needed to try to jump the section that I hadn’t jumped yet. This was section where you jumped the whole entire staircase or some call it dragons back. Well I went for it and made the pass on Darcey but the wind came out of my sales when I went for it the next lap and I didn’t make it I was like oh no this is bad! I tried to wheel tap off it but I ended up looping out and having to ditch the bike in the mid air. To add insult to injury I was wearing the helmet cam so if you watch Speedvision watch the first heat race you will have a hell of a ride. I had to got to the LCQ with the last gate pick and I was not to pumped to say the least. I ended up getting a great start on my rocket fast KTM and made it to the main with a third place.
For the Main I knew what I needed to get done and I did a good job getting the start inside the top ten but I would end up with a 15th. There was an interesting event that happened during the Main when one of my best friends who is in the title chase got a bad start and was working through the pack pretty well until he got to me. Here is the problem I was battling with his teammate that happens to look the exact same and only one digit different the lap before but he crashed and I did not know that. When my buddy is trying to get by me clean I’m not letting this happened because I think it’s his teammate. To make a long story short he was not happy with me. Where do you draw the line? I want my friend to win the championship more then anything but I have to race for points also. This is tough racing your close friends at this level but we have a job to do and that is the bottom line! We are still friends and everything is worked out but I guess you have no friends on the track. I want to thank all my sponsors for all there help and the great comments from everyone who reads my articles. See ya at the races!
Mike Sleeter
