Daniel Blair Houston SX Race Report 1

Hello Everyone,


Just wanted to give you all a quick report from the Houston Supercross. I just got home from a 30 hour drive and I am exhausted. The long drive gave me a chance to really reflect on my results from this past weekend and gave me a chance to figure out where I can get better. Although my weekend went great, there is much to learn, and many areas to improve. Houston SX was round 1 of the Lites East Championship and I have pretty much been preparing for this race for the past 4 months. I was finally on the gate and would finally get a chance to see if all the hours in the gym and all the laps at the track were going to pay off. Here is the recap:


Practice:

I felt pretty decent in practice. I was able to get the track dialed pretty quick and didn't have any huge hang ups. My suspension was not 100% and neither was my jetting. I was able to pull 12th fastest time which to be honest, was a little worse then I was hoping. But everyone was really close and I knew I had places on the track I could cut time. Plus we had a few adjustments to make to the bike and I knew going into the heat I was ready.


Qualifier:

I got a really bad start in the qualifier. I was honestly a little intimidated by the start this week because it was so tight and was pretty much a pileup waiting to happen. I ended up getting thru the first turn mess mid pack but quickly made a couple passes and got into 8th. I passed a couple more guys and was able to get into 6th around the half way point. I charged pretty hard and pulled right up onto the dude in 5th but was unable to make a pass. I could have slammed him a couple times but they were taking 9 to the main and there was no point in taking a chance of putting us both to the ground, so I just settled.


Main Event:

I actually got a decent start in the main but got pinched off pretty bad in the second corner and a bunch of guys went by. I started around 12th and did a pretty good job at staying out of trouble the first lap. After about 5 laps I had charged up to 9th and was gaining on the guy in 8th. The guy crashed on the 10th lap and I was in 8th with 5 laps to go. Honestly, I tensed up and started riding real tight. I wasn't nervous or tired, I was just excited about the chance to get my first top ten finish. I rode hard till the end but was passed on the last lap and finished the race in 9th.


Observations:

I really wanted to come out of this race with something solid to build off. I stayed out of trouble and was able to finish round 1 inside the top 10, which was a big step for me. From the outside, my results look amazing and everyone is very happy. But honestly, I don’t feel like I rode even close to my potential. I actually never felt 100% comfortable and I think I have a lot to fix before round 2. The truth is, this was the best finish of my career and I was nowhere near my max, which I guess is a good thing. I am very happy with the fact that things went smooth and I am headed to round 2 being in 9th in the points. But I can tell you this, things are going to get better from here and I will be better by Atlanta.


Thanks again to all my friends, family, and sponsors for the support. So far 2009 is going great and I wouldn't be able to have this success without the care and support from all of you. So again, thank you, and I will keep you posted on my journey,


Daniel Blair #125