The Off Season

The off-season is something that at some point in everyone’s season is a time to look forward to. Something to help you get through week in and week out and something that also becomes a source of motivation to finish the season. For some, it is a relief the day it finally comes after a long hard fought season. Mid season when you are tired, beat up, and everything becomes a struggle nothing can sound better then relaxation time. To be honest this year I was looking forward to some time off, and now I have had a chance to do so. Funny thing is that after a week or two I began thinking about only what I had not accomplished that I set out to.

I signed a factory contract much better then anything I expected, an awesome team, and awesome people around me but still I felt cut short. I felt cut short of what I did not do my last year in Europe. A lot of it was out of my control but in my eyes I failed. Nothing feels worse then that to me. The final race in Italy in September,  I got two 7th place finishes and finally got some confidence only to have a 5 month off season. The feeling of your work not being finished and not being able to do anything about it just digs and digs inside. Everyday I train or ride, all I can think about is that day, and that moment is going to make me that much stronger when I line up on that first GP starting line. The feeling of being able to be 100% and the feeling of knowing I deserve to be there and deserve to be in the front of the pack is something that I am waiting quietly in the corner for.

People say your only as good as your last race. This is a saying I have heard so many people say over the last few years and it is something I disagree with 100%. Example… Jeremy Mc Grath was known as “THE KING”. Towards the end of his career he had some not so good races. Even a guy like Ricky Carmichael, AKA -“the Goat” fell off at the end. My point is that you are not as good as your last race or whatever it is people say. You are as good as the work you put in, the time you sacrifice, the blood sweat and tears you suffer, and last but not least, you are as good as you believe you are. Anything you want in life you can achieve. I know what I want, and I am on a mission of my own to achieve that.

No Boundaries

  People always tell me you get what you put into anything you do in life. I think of myself as someone that puts their heart and soul into my passion and love for racing and expect nothing but the best of myself with my chosen career. From injuries to breaking boundaries I believe my 10 years of racing I have given100%. Set back after set back, let down after let down, I felt like I never got what I deserved for my efforts toward my racing. Being here in Italy is a bit of a dream come true. It is the first time that I feel worthy of what is at hand for me. Not only do I feel worthy, I finally feel ready to use this opportunity to my maximum potential. I am 19 years old and am riding for my first factory team with a group of really good people around me. Not to mention the best food in the world… besides my mom’s cooking. I guess that is just a bonus.  HAHA. I know it is not going to be all fun and games here racing the GP’s, although I am thankful for the opportunity I have been blessed with and looking forward to 2011.

   Now a question I know a lot of people are wondering. Is the bike capable of really doing well? My opinion is the bike is plenty capable of doing well. To be honest, I love the bike and look forward to every chance I get to ride it. Compared to the other bikes it is like riding a bicycle against a Haley Davidson. The bike has plenty of potential and I know that factory Husky is going to use every bit of technology they have to make the bike everything it can be. The 2 times I have ridden the bike we have improved it drastically and I already think the bike is not so far away from a GP level. Only time will tell from here.

   So now for some fun stuff here in Italy. Before the preparation for 2011 with testing, training, and back to work for the next 11 months, I thought it could be good to have some fun here. Well not to say that I haven’t been having a blast here, but you know what I mean. Ha-ha. I decided to head down the hill from the town I live in called Guiglia, to a town some of you might know as Maranello. For those of you that do not know why Maranello, Italy is so important, you might know the name Ferrari? Maranello is the home of Ferrari. Every car, the gallery, and the Formula 1 team are based in this town. I have the pleasure of living 20 minutes from there so with a day of not much to do my mechanic Francesco and I headed down there for the day. In one word, unbelievable. I got to drive the Ferrari 458, which is a new car for Ferrari. 100 mph in about 7.4 seconds? I have always wondered what driving an F1 car would be like, but the truth is I could not handle the thought of being in an F1 car. The 458 was unbelievably fast and sounded like nothing I have heard in person before. I had a really great time there. Got to do things that few people have ever done there at Ferrari and wont ever forget it. So as there are 2 days in a weekend I decided day 2 would be heading out to Venice, Italy for some sight seeing. Streets are water, sidewalks are 5 feet across, and looks like pirates of the Caribbean.

So without going on to much more about Italy it is time to head back to Husqvarna this week and do some more testing and training. There is also the biggest motorcycle trade show in all of Europe this week called Eicma Expo. I will be there 2 days as well as riding the other 2 days… then back to USA till beginning of next year. Very excited for what is to come in the near future and for now it is back to work. Catch up with me in 2 weeks for another update. Ciao!!!