The kickoff to the 2026 MotoAmerica season was very eventful!
I spent nearly a week down in Bakersfield, California, with the team preparing. We did a final test at the track, and then spent 5 days straight at the shop. I installed graphics on all the bikes, and multiple sets of spare bodywork. Also just ran errands and did whatever needed for the team to be able to focus on working on bikes, building motors, prepping the semi truck, etc. As always, things come down to the last minute!
On load-in day at Daytona, there was a lot of excitement in the paddock. This year in Super Hooligans, there was a lot of buzz about new bikes, new racers, and major off-season change ups with people who have already been part of the class.
I was certainly one of the people that people were talking about and excited to see on the Yamaha. My Dad and I had a bit of adjusting to do with the team and how they like to operate. There was going to be a bit to learn to get synchronized with everyone, and learn how they do things. For my entire career, I've had the same people around me and the same process. But it was really refreshing jumping into the weekend with new people!
The first day of on track activities was interesting to say the least. The team made some significant changes to my race bike to try to optimize it for Daytona. BPR Racing didn't compete at Daytona the year prior, so they didn't have setups already made that were tested. Based on what we learned in pre-season testing, and their own method, they made adjustments for me before practice. However I really struggled in practice on the bike. I wasn't confident on the bike like I was in testing, and I was very uncomfortable. Somehow I was still 6th quickest, only 1.3 seconds off the best rider. I felt like I was lightyears off pace.
Qualifying later on Thursday ended up being the only qualifying session for the event. We didn't know that was going to be the case, because in the past there was always a second session the next day. However things worked out for me! The team made changes based off of the feedback I gave from practice, and the motorcycle was working better for me. Not perfect, but much better. I worked with my teammate Bryce, and another Yamaha rider in qualifying to draft each other. Drafting at Daytona can be worth a second off your lap time. It's essential to do it if you want to qualify well. The 3 of us swapped positions on the NASCAR banking multiple times a lap in order to increase our speed. I just happened to get the best lap of the 3 of us, and qualify 3rd place on the front row for the races!
The next morning before our first race of the weekend, we had another practice session. I had the team make more changes to the bike to try to improve the handling for me. Daytona is a very bumpy track, and that was presenting some setup issues. But the team absolutely nailed the setup changes for me, and finally I felt comfortable! I had confidence to pass other riders and be aggressive, which was something I had been lacking despite being fast.
Race 1 was the craziest race I have ever participated in. I got a great start, quickly moving into 2nd position for the first lap. A pack of riders drafted me at the finish line on the start of lap 2, and that's when the 10-way battle began. I'd pass rider after rider, only to keep getting shuffled back in the pack. 10 riders broke the field, and any one of us could win with how big the drafting game was between all of us. On the final lap, I made a few moves to position myself a little further up in the pack. It got extremely bottlenecked in the chicane going into the final stretch of the track on NASCAR turns 3 and 4. Nobody wanted to lead and be a sitting duck that was going to get drafted. I got a good run, and started using the draft to slingshot by some riders. Everything was going to plan until when I pulled out of the draft and passed one guy, I had 2 guys in front of me touch each other at 175mph, and they split. One of them came right into the path I was taking, and I had to chop the throttle and actually grab the front brake for a split second. I had no room to go left because the person I just drafted was there, and I had no room to go right because of the wall. So unfortunately I just had bad timing, and I lost the positions I had just gained. I finished 9th, beating out the 10th place guy who was the final rider in that lead pack. Overall I learned a lot from the race on where to improve for race 2. It was honestly incredible nobody got tangled up or crashed in that race. I've never seen a battle that large and intense before, let alone be in it!
Saturday morning we had a warm-up session, and I set the fastest time. I was feeling confident, and I worked on my weaknesses from race 1. Which was mainly just drafting other riders. Unfortunately though, my motor blew up right after I set the fast lap, and my session was over. I became a little stressed, as we only had about an hour window to get the bike ready for my final race of the weekend. We got the bike back into the pit garage, and the BPR Racing team went to work to get the engine out, and a new one in. They did it with incredible composure and speed. With about 5 minutes to spare, the job was done, and I was ready to make it out to the track for race 2.
After a quick engine swap, you as a rider tend to start wondering if anything got forgotten. But I blocked that out of my mind, pretended nothing had happened, and did my warm up lap. I felt better than I had all weekend, and had more confidence than I really should have given the situation. I got another great start, moving into 2nd position immediately. We exited the infield, and I drafted into the lead. I led most of the first 2 or 3 laps of the race. I was executing my plan of staying at the front, and passing anyone who passed me back as soon as possible. I was able to lead the pack through the infield one time too. On the final lap, a few more riders were able to draft me past the finish line into turn 1 than I wanted. I found myself shuffled back further than I wanted, but I made an aggressive pass on one of the factory Harley guys at the very next corner. From there I had to be a little patient working through the pack. You don't want to get too far ahead too soon. It's all about strategy and positioning going into and coming out of the final chicane. I came out of there in 5th or 6th, and I remember thinking to myself how well I placed myself for the run to the finish. I waited until about halfway through the banking to make my move. I had been waiting patiently in the draft, looking to make my move at the right time. The pack of riders was staying pretty high up on the banking for longer than normal. When we made our way down the banking onto the flats, we were drifting out closer to the wall than normal, and it caught some of us off guard. The rider in front of me got surprised and brushed up against the wall, and it looked as if he was going to turn aggressively into me to try to avoid hitting the wall. It was something that happened so fast. Before I could even think, my hand already backed off the throttle so I wouldn't be in harm's way if he did lose control. All that moment I had built up to slingshot by the pack ahead of me was basically gone, but I did still get past that rider and beat another guy at the finish line by literally an inch to claim 4th! I was really happy with the result. I was 1 tenth of a second off the race win. Luck wasn't quite on my side at the finish line both days, but certainly it was on my side in other aspects of the weekend. I am grateful to get out of Daytona with a couple good results, and to be in contention for that win and podium both days.
I want to give a big thank you to Bryce Kornbau of BPR Racing for having me on the team this year, and for all the hard work he and his team put in that weekend to give me a competitive race bike. Thanks to my Dad and mechanic Mikey for helping crew for me. And thanks to all my sponsors and supporters that make this possible.
It felt amazing to be healthy again and able to compete at the level I was after breaking my arm a few months ago. So I also owe a big thank you to my physical therapist, Adam Wachter of Therapeutic Associates. Also a thank you to Dr. Kevin Murphy of SOAR Orthopedics, and my trainer Damon Schaefer for helping rehabilitate me as well.
I can't wait to do a little more testing between rounds. The next Super Hooligan race is Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama in May. I haven't raced there since 2016!