Dirtbike Star

Chapter 4: My First Supercross Season

Chapter 4  

The next year, in Supercross, I came in still happy from my success from last year. I couldn't wait to get on the track, but I had to wait because I was riding on the East coast. But that just gave me more time to fine tune myself and my bike before the racing started. 

And that's why I came into the championship super prepared. I had worked on my starts for a couple of weeks. And it paid off when I grabbed the holeshot in my heat race and dominated the whole thing obtaining a six second lead at the checkers. 

Coming into the main event, I already felt like this was a great way to start my year. The day was a success before the race even started. Maybe that's why I didn't get the holeshot in the main. But I did get inside the top five. I slowly settled down and went after the people in front of me. I moved into third by the end of the seventh lap. A couple laps later, I was in second. But then I had a gap to make up. And that I did! I put my head down and charged up to the guy in front me. And when I caught up to him, I was super surprised. I had caught Cooper Webb, the reigning champ! I just rode behind for a lap or two studying him and trying to learn. I found a spot on the track where I thought that I was faster than him. I would be risky to pass him there, but I tried anyway. And it worked! I settled into the lead and gradually pulled away. It was lap eleven when I passed him. At the finish, I had just under an eight second lead! What an amazing opening dayview! 

The next race I came in as one of the favorites. When I dominated my heat race, everyone thought I was going to dominate the series. But in the main, I got a third place start and was feeling good when I got rammed. I got up in next to last place. Only one thing to do, ride like I knew how. 

And that's just what I did. I had mover up to tenth after the sixth lap and continued moving forward. I found myself in fifth with three laps to go. When the race finished, I was standing on the podium again with a third place and still had the points lead. 

I had made another BIG impression on the industry. 

On to the next race. This time I got the holeshot in the main and never looked back. I had another big win and was looking for the champion-ship. Almost everyone thought that I was going to be one of the first rookies to win a professional championship. But every rookie has to make a rookie mistake, and that's what I did in the next race. 

It happened in the heat race. I shorted a jump that I had wanted to try all day. I wacked my head and left the race. Asterisk wanted to make sure that I was alright before I went out for the LCQ. And alright I was, and I got a second place start from way on the outside and quickly passed for the lead and win. 

Coming in to the main event, I was very nervous. I wanted to win so badly, but I would have to do it from way on the outside for a starting gate. I got a decent seventh place start and started to move forward. I had made a pass into third and was starting to inch up on the guy in second. Then I decided to try the same hard jump again. That was my second rookie mistake. A veteran would have not gone for the jump again. But I did, and cased it again, but I almost saved it. I only fell down when I washed the front of the bike in the corner. I remounted quickly and stayed in third place. And that's were I finished. The near horrible crash had rattled me and that restrained me from pulling the trigger on the guy in second place. 

In the next race, I didn't make any mistakes. I rode like a champion would and easily won the heat race and main event. No one pressured me at all, and I was super stoked. I couldn't wait for the next race.

Round 5 was a big point in the Supercross series. If I won, I could really dominate with my confidence and speed. But, after placing second in the heat race, I got a ninth place start in the main event. The track was super hard to pass on, so I only had made up to fifth by lap ten. I finished in third, making the pass for third on the last lap. I still had a lot of momentum, but Cooper Webb now had some too with his win. He now was only three points behind me, and one mistake by me and I could blow it. Could I handle the pressure?