Mark Aguirre messaged my dad on Facebook after seeing the WCCO new clip on us. Mark told my dad he was a senior editor of the White Bear Press and would love to do a story on the Team. Mark and my dad lined up a time to meet at the house and Mark ended up riding over on his motorcycle. He asked us some questions on what we are all about. He wrote our answers down on his note pad and this article is what he came up with.

http://www.presspubs.com/white_bear/sports/local/article_9c6652b2-09eb-11e3-b32f-0019bb2963f4.html

Thank You to Mark and The White Bear Press for talking the time to talk to us and write the article.

De Keyrel Racing has great sponsors backing us and we could not do what we do with out you. Thank You to the following 2013 sponsors:
GOD
1-855-Czaia-Law
CWS.net
WorldWide Machining and welding
Bleakly-Hayes
Motorex
Sportbike Track time
Cortech
Dunlop
HJC
Tagger Designs
Zero Gravity
Trackside Suspension and Engineering
Steve Diamond Elements
Vortex
Ontrack4him.org
Yamaha Champions Riding Schools
Impact Armor
Shark Skins
SSB
Sidi
TR

My Indy MotoGP weekend started off as a rush and was full tilt from there all weekend. CJ Czaia (1-855-Czaia Law), a sponsor of ours, came to the house to pick up his mechanical bull. CJ and my dad ran over to Elite Transport and Custom Coaches to see Jim and the new Gieco Honda Motocross/Supercross trailer that was almost complete. When they arrived back, we hooked up the trailer with the bull inside. CJ told my dad to get his stuff packed and come with. My dad told him we had other obligations and that he had to stay home. My mom then said, “You should go!” Then my dad runs in, takes a quick shower and packs his bag. Meanwhile, me and CJ are outside talking and he said,” Well, maybe you should go too!” I really couldn’t say no to a MotoGP weekend filled with fun. So I ran inside, got a backpack, filled it with clothes and we hit the road! Forty Five minutes into our 11 hour drive, CJ wants to stop and eat! I don’t know if you have ever been on a road trip with my dad, but its drive all night as fast as you can go no stopping so we can get there sort of deal. CJ wanted to go to an Indian restaurant. I had never been to a Indian restaurant before, but little did I know that this trip was going to be filled with first time things for me. I actually thought the food was ok and we got back on the road.

Friday morning after a long night of driving for my dad and a long night of sleeping in the back seat for me, we arrived in Indianapolis!! We started off the day eating at a packed Steak-N-Shake filled with all the people dressed up for the gen con convention. This was another thing I had never seen before. A ton of grown adults wearing outfits of board game pieces or something. Breakfast was good, but the track was going to be even better! After breakfast in downtown Indy right across the street from Tiki Bobs, we set up the 1-855-Czaia Law mechanical bull for the nightlife crowd. I got to test the mechanical bull!

After we got the bull all set up, we headed to the track! I had a great day riding the segway around the track and seeing all the cool bikes!

As soon as the races were over, we had to hit the road again. Joe had lined up something with a friend and he was waiting for us. The next thing I got to experience was truly once in a lifetime! We went to the airport and I was going to get a ride with Billy Werth in an acrobatic airplane! I had an awesome time and it was truly a once in a lifetime experience! Huge thank you to Joey for lining all that up!

Here is a link to the video of the fight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQYnZ8EX1F8
If you want to learn more about Billy Werth here is a link to his website: http://www.grayout.com

After the airplane ride, we went downtown to show the guys how to run the bull. We headed to the hotel to shower and it was time for dinner. We went to a fancy dinner at Dunaways Rooftop with CJ Czaia, Natalie Ulrich, Melissa Williams, Joey Lopez and Michelle Taulman in Indianapolis. It was great. A guy even proposed to his girl friend right behind me. Everyone there was clapping and congratulating them. After our dinner, we went back downtown to check and see how the bull was doing. Natalie Ulrich jumped right on and rode the bull! Then we went back to the hotel to sleep and prepare for the next amazing day at MotoGP!

Saturday morning, I got up and we headed to breakfast at Charlie Browns, a local restaurant right by the track. After breakfast, we headed straight to the track. I had another great day segwaying around the MotoGP paddock. We ended up with passes to the Corner Nine Club. This allowed us access to food and TVs. My dad and I used this benefit to bring Natalie and Melissa food, so they did not have to leave the Roadracing World booth. After the MotoGP races were over, we jumped back in the van to go watch another form of motorcycle racing. The Indy Mile of dirt track. I had never been to a dirt track before and I thought it was really cool!

They had all the top guys there flying around the dirt oval and it was really fun to watch! I also ran into one of my buddy’s who just happen to be racing in the dirt track- Nick McFadden!

There was a lot of great racing! We ended up being there till mid night and we didn’t even realize it! I had a lot of fun there, but we had to get some dinner and get some sleep! We got dinner and ended up staying at Joey’s house. Joey is the one who is friends with Billy Werth, the guy who gave me the ride in the Pitts Special! So we stayed at Joey and Michelle’s house for the night!

Sunday morning, we got up early and headed downtown to take the bull down. After the bull was loaded up, it was straight to the MotoGP races. We meet Taka Niwa from RS Tiachi and Kurk Reuille from Broaster Chicken.

We watched all the races from the Corner Nine Club with Ray Rizzo. All the races were awesome! Especially the MotoGP race! I don’t know if you guys saw the last lap the last corner but it was crazy!! With Rossi coming in to take the inside and Bautista almost getting ran off the track!

Then with Nicky coming up the inside of his teammate and pushing them both wide. They straightened up and jumped the rumble strip. They both were looking at each other as they raced back onto the front straight like nothing happened! That was one of the most exciting races I have ever seen! After a great day at the MotoGP races. We went to Fogo de Chao and got to eat next to Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez!

Alvoro Bautista, and Dani Pedrosa. They were all there!

I got to take pictures with them and I talked to Jorge Lorenzo for about 15 minutes. We talked about how we were both HJC sponsored racers and he asked about my racing. He was super nice.

It truly made my weekend complete. I had an amazing weekend of fun and different things that I don’t really get to do often! This weekend was truly an amazing weekend. I have to give CJ Czaia, Billy Werth, Joey Lopez, Michelle Taulman, Natalie Ulrich, Melissa Williams and my dad a huge Thank You for making this weekend possible! I had an amazing time!

Here is a link to the WCCO news story on De Keyrel Racing!

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/9183851-2-white-bear-brothers-are-rising-motorcycle-stars/

Thank You to David McCoy and Carlie from WCCO News for covering the story:

It Would not be possible without all our great sponsors:

GOD
1-855-Czaia-Law
CWS.net
Worldwide Machining and Welding
Bleakly-Hayes
Motorex
Sport Bike Track Time
Cortech
Dunlop tires
HJC
Tagger Designs
Zero Gravity
Trackside Suspension and Engineering
Steve Diamond Elements
Vortex
Ontrack4him.org
Yamaha Champions Riding School
Impact Armor
Sharkskinz
SSB
Sidi
TR

Here is a link to the Central Road Racing Associations write up of the August race weekend on www.Roadracingworld.com:

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/cra-release/ Head line starts out Kaleb De Keyrel wins 9 races.

Here are a couple of Videos of Masons first time racing a 600cc bike:

Huge Thank You to Louie Diaz for the video work on Saturday.

Thank You to Czaia Law for the new De Keyrel Racing/ 1-855-Czaia-Law wrap

Mason De Keyrel makes the switch from Moriwaki MD250 to Yamaha R6

We sold the Moriwaki MD250 in June, knowing that I was ready to make the switch to the Yamaha R6. I had an opportunity in February at Barber to ride our backup R6 for a day and a half. It felt completely natural and in no time I was gaining confidence and speed. I didn’t want to go back to the Moriwaki but my Dad said he would not let me race the R6 until I got a 1:50 flat on my Moriwaki at BIR. At the June CRA race weekend I had a plan to get faster and that weekend I made it down into the 1:50’s. I would be making my 600 debut at the August CRA weekend.

Friday practice I started off in the high 1:40’s. As the day progressed, I felt more comfortable allowing me to pick up speed. By the end of Friday practice, I was into the 1:43’s. In practice when I was picking up speed every lap almost I had a tank slappers. The bike I was riding was set up for a heavier rider with stiffer suspension. I was just happy that Tom was allowing us to barrow it. It felt good knowing that I was running the pace of the top novice riders. I felt confident going into Saturday’s races.

Going into Saturday’s practices, I realized that on the Moriwaki you could carry more speed into the corners and it is much lighter than an R6. The R6 carries more speed out of the corners. So I worked hard at entering like I was on the Moriwaki and using the power to exit faster on the R6. In all my races I wasn’t used to the clutch and the hight of the bike. This making my starts suffer. I wasn’t used to going so fast in turns 1 and 2. The speed difference was approximately 30 miles an hour faster than I was used to. My used USA Dunlop tires from Kalebs Mid Ohio races worked awesome. It was a great day with me winning all 6 of my races. Thank You to David McCoy and Carley for being there to cover it all form WCCO News.

Sunday during my first lap out in turn 6 I lost power in the motor. I maid it back to our pit to check it out. My Dad thought the motor dropped a valve. I ran over and asked John Anderson if I could run his R6. He said yes. My dad, John Griffths, and my Grandpa got busy switched my bodywork and Dunlop tires onto Johns bike. I ran John back his tires as they pulled them off so he had them for his other bike. My first race of the day, I went out on the warm-up lap trying to get used to his bike. John suspension was even stiffer than the bike I raced Saturday. I ended up stalling it on the start. I was able to start it back up and started working my way up through the pack. I ended up finishing 2nd. When I got back to the pit I had my dad adjust the clutch lever to fit my size better. My second race of the day I won. I ended up crashing on the last lap in turn 3 in Race 3. I ran it in a little to deep got on the gas to save it but just could not hold on to it. I was alright, and the bike was able to be fixed for the next race. Race 4, I had a good start and finished 1st. My fifth race of the day I got a good start. I lead the race till half way and ended up getting passed in turn 12. I started to work my way around the outside of him in turn 2. As I went by and broke his draft the front end went light. I tried to push my knee to save the front but ended up tucking the front. It was a very high speed get off. The corner workers came to me right away and got me into the ambulance. The safety crew checked me out and I went back to the pit to change. My dad lined up to have Billy Anderson and my mom take me to the hospital to get check out farther. I fractured my left shoulder and possibly fractured my left hand and wrist. My right elbow had pretty deep road rash that had to numb to clean it out. Thank you to all the corner workers and CRA staff. All the people that helped. All in all it was a great weekend with a lot of success and learning. On the mend and ready to get out and have more FUN!!!

All in all, I’m happy to have made the switch to the R6 !!!

Mason De Keyrel #54

This weekend started out with friday practice. The bike felt great and the track had a lot of traction. I was feeling good coming into saturday’s races.

Saturday morning we meet up with David McCoy and Carley from WCCO news. They were up to do a story on the CRA, my brother and I. We had them get race footage first and decided to do the interviews at lunch. CJ Czaia from 1-855-Czaia-Law was also up on Saturday sponsoring the race weekend. CJ is a new sponsor of De Keyrel Racing. He wanted to also help out some of the other CRA racers and meet new people in the CRA community. Road Racing World had also sent up Magazine for De Keyrel Racing to had out. It was a busy day with TV, sponsors and making sure racers new about the RRW rider profiles they could fill out. It is great that RRW is using there site to promote racers and clubs in such a way. We have our profiles filled out do you?

Saturday’s racing started off great! I went out and won Middleweight Supersport. In Heavyweight Supersport I was way in the lead and ended up crashing. Just a mental error on my part. My dad, John and Grandpa got everything fixed. I went out for Unlimited Supersport with out tire warmers and the same tires that I crash on. We were using up my Dunlop USA takeoffs from my Mid Ohio AMA race weekend. I am extremly happy that I was not injured and finished 5th in the next race. I had a hour break at lunch. My brother and I did our interviews for WCCO. Than I took the last few minutes to get focused for the afternoon. I went out and won Middleweight,Heavyweight Superbike. I also got 4th in Unlimited Superbike. At the afternoon break I finally got to spend a little time talking with CJ form 1-855-Czaia-Law. GP racing started and I won Middleweight and Heavyweight classes. I ended up 3rd in the unlimited GP class but I also set the 600cc track record with a 1:36.586! Overall Saturday went great! It was very busy and I had a lot of races. CJ got to meet new people. WCCO was happy with everything shot. We had gave out about 50 Road Racing World magazines and De Keyrel Racing had won 11 races.

Sunday started off with a win in Middleweight and Heavyweight Supersport and a 4th in unlimited Supersport. I also finished with a win in Middleweight and Heavyweight Superbike then also got another 4th in unlimited Superbike. The next Middleweight GP race I finished 2nd. I was sitting in second place going to make a pass for the lead on the last lap when the Red Flag came out. As I was rounding turn 2 I could see my brother laying in the sand with 10 people around him. The ambulance and about 3 trucks were on track. This was not what I had wanted to see. At this point I had no idea how bad it was. I finished the lap and got back to the pit and gave my bike to my dad. I told my dad the bike was destroyed. My dad told me to go inside the rig and get ready for the next race and that it always looks worse than it is. John prepped my bike for the next race and my mom and dad went to be with Mason. I took a minute to focus and went out and won Heavyweight GP race. I had one race left for the day. It was the unlimited GP race. I finished 2nd. Overall it was a tough weekend dealing with crashes but De Keyrel racing had 19 1st places this weekend also!! Time to regroup and get ready for AMA Pro Racing at New Jersey.

Kaleb De Keyrel #51

Thank You to WCCO News for taking the time to drive up to Brainerd International Raceway and do the story. Thank You to CJ Czaia of 1-855-Czaia-Law for your support of De Keyrel Racing and than reaching out to support the CRA races also. Thank You to Road Racing World for sending the 90 issues of the August addition and the rider profile cards. It is great to know that there are people that support and love the sport as much as we do. Thank You to all our sponsors for making this weekend possible:

GOD
1-855-Czaia-Law
CWS.net
WorldWide Machining and welding
Bleakly-Hayes
Motorex
Sportbike Track time
Cortech
Dunlop
HJC
Tagger Designs
Zero Gravity
Trackside Suspension and Engineering
Steve Diamond Elements
Vortex
Ontrack4him.org
Yamaha Champions Riding Schools
Impact Armor
Shark Skins
SSB
Sidi
TR

The MN Major River to River ride was a great one-day event with tons of stuff for everyone to do. The KTM race rig and Ryan’s personal motorhome were both there. Skullcandy blasting music for everyone that was at the event. Muscle milk giving out samples of their products. Afton apple orchard prepared meals for all involved and opened up their facility for the event. It was truly an amazing event.

This event was very thought out. From the food, entertainment, music and even the courses. The MN Major ride is 100K (62 miles) and the Minor ride is 20 miles. They had an amazing kids race which is a mile long through the apple Orchard. The youngest participant was 4 and the kids had a blast!

I chose to do the 62 mile ride through the hills of Afton and had a great time! I rode with Ryan Dungey and Wil Hahn at the start. Which was a really awesome experience!

Ryan and Wil cut off at the 20 mile loop after running hard moto’s Saturday at the Millville Motocross Nationals. I spent almost the entire bike ride with Roger De Coster and we really had a great time!

The course was challenging, well planned out and well marked. The Major riders followed the blue arrows and the Minor riders followed the red arrows. The scenery was great going by lakes, rivers, and plenty of corn fields. The day really couldn’t get any better. The weather was great. It started out a little cool in the morning but by the finish the sun was out and everyone was really having a great time! I also got meet Tim one of my sponsor at Motorex Oil!

The MN Major River to River ride is way more than a bike ride though. 100% of all donated and entires go to St.Jude’s Children Hospital. St Judes is working to find a cure for cancer and all patients receive care free of charge. St. Judes covers air fair, housing, schooling and any other costs to make their patients lives and families lives complete as possible. Having an Uncle who passed away from pancreatic Cancer in 2009. I know many others have had someone in there family or know of someone who have had or have Cancer. Ryan Dungey is the founder of the event. He loves to cycle but this is also a cause that is very close to him too. Ryan lost his grandmother to cancer in 2005. Ryan has since dedicated much of his charity work to finding a cure. He’s even dedicated his Motorcross career in honor of his grandmother’s memory. Todays event raised more than $104,000. Ryan handed this donation to St.Jude’s Children Hospital to find a cure for cancer and continue to give their patients the best care possible.

It cost $1.8 million to keep St.Jude’s running everyday. The MN Major River to River Ride is truly a great, fun, amazing event that has an impact. I really encourage you to mark this down on your calendars for 2014! It includes something for everyone. So come on down to the MN Major River to River ride in 2014!

Kaleb De Keyrel #51

Thank You to all my sponsors for making the 2013 season so great. GOD Bless

Mason De Keyrel at the age of 13 will be making his 600 debut the next CRA weekend August 2-4th. Mason is following in his brother Kaleb’s foot steps. Starting on the Honda NSR50, then making the move to the Moriwaki MD 250H, and now at the same age as Kaleb did to the 600cc bikes. Mason will be competing in 12 races and Kaleb will be racing in 18 races this coming CRA weekend! This August weekend will be the last time De Keyrel Racing will be racing in Minnesota for the 2013 season. Mark your calendars now and make your reservations for a hotel. Camping is also available at the track. Take advantage of this last opportunity for 2013 to see De Keyrel Racing in action locally in MN!!! If you need something to do August 2-4 come on down to Brainerd International Raceway for the CRA races!!

www.CRA-MN.com, www.brainerdraceway.com

Thank You to our 2013 Sponsors:

GOD

Czaia Law www.czaialaw.com

CWS, Inc. www.cws.net

World Wide Machining and Welding www.wwmwinc.com

Bleakly-Hayes www.bleakly-hayes.com

Motorex www.motorexusa.com

Yamaha Champions School www.sportbiketracktime.com/

Cortech Performance www.cortechperformance.com/

Dunlop Tires www.dunlopracing.com

HJC Helmets www.hjchelmets.com

Tagger Designs www.taggerdesign.com

Zero Gravity www.zerogravity-racing.com/

Trackside Suspension & Engineering www.tracksidesuspension.com/

Steve Diamond Elements www.onecoolphoto.com/

Vortex www.vortexracing.com/index.php

On Track 4 Him www.ontrack4him.org

Yamaha Champions School www.millermotorsportspark.com/riding-school/yamaha-champions-riding-school

Impact Armour www.impactarmor.com

SkarkSkinz www.sharkskinz.com

Simple Sport Bikes www.simplysportbikeparts.com

Sidi www.sidisport.com/eng/index.php

Tucker Rocky Distributing www.tuckerrocky.com

The weekend started out with the 12 hour trip to Mid Ohio Motorsports Park. When we arrived we got the canopy on the rig set up and unloaded the bikes. Then once AMA and Dunlop were set up we went over and had them tech the bike and mounted up fresh Dunlop USA tires.

Friday was practice and Qualifying 1 for me. I would not be on track until 1:00pm. I slept in a little, got a good nights rest. When I woke up Friday morning, my Dad, Sean, and my Grandpa already had our pit all setup down on pit lane. We headed to the riders meeting at 9:30am. My dad had Sean sit through the new riders info session with Beth Miller to make sure the day would go smooth and to help Sean feel more comfortable. I suited up 1 hour before I was on track. I always put it on early to make sure it fits good still and all that. I went out for practice and was feeling good on the bike. As I started to drop my lap times and push harder. The bike was not handling as well as I would have liked. We were still in 10th for first practice and I was feeling good! Mike from Penske went to work on the suspension making adjustments to try to make the bike better for Qualifying 1. We were still in 10th place after Q1. I was happy with that considering I qualified 20th at Barber. Mike, Mark, Scotty and I went over all the bikes set up. We would try to make it even better for Qualifying 2 in the morning. Temperature will play a huge roll in Q2 in the morning as to if we would be able to go faster or not.

I got up early Saturday morning, because Qualifying 2 was at 8:00am. I went out for Qualifying 2 and the track was super greasy and not a lot of traction was there. As we put in more laps, the track was starting to come in. We ran out of time for anyone to run a faster lap than yesterday in Q1. I would start the race in 10th. This would put me in the third row. We set up the canopy and prepared for the fan walk. I like the fan walk, because you get to see the enthusiasm the fans have for the sport. My cousin made De Keyrel Racing hats that we would be handing out to the younger fans to make sure they had a great day. After the fan walk it was time to get focused for Race 1.

I went out for Race 1 and got a fairly good start. The lead group pulled away fast and I just couldn’t hold the pace. I was in 10th the entire race. In what they call no mans land. This is when you have no other riders around you. There was a rider that went down on the last lap that moved me into 9th place. This was my best finish in an AMA Pro race to date. Mike and I went over all the info that I had recorded on my track map from Race 1. Mike was determined to give me a better bike for Race 2.

Sunday was another early morning with practice at 8:00am. The bike and track were way better Sunday morning compared to Saturday morning. I knew Sunday was going to be a good day. The bike was feeling good, but Mike still felt he could make it better. I went out for Race 2 with the game plan of having fun. I got a good start and was running within a second of the leader. There was a Red Flag and the race was stopped. We all headed back to pit row to put warmers on. My dad calculated if we were going to need to add fuel to finish. My dad checked tire pressure, while Mike and I talked suspension. We decided not to make any changes. The restart was going to give me another chance to stick with the front group. We went out from hot pit and straight to the grid. Everyone was confused as to grid spots. Some racers never got to see the new grid spots. With the starting position going back one lap. I was to be in position ten again. When I got to the start line there was a rider in that spot. I just moved over one spot and was going to make the best of it. I got another good start and was close but still just couldn’t run the pace of the front five. I gave 110% and was in a battle for the whole race. I would pass for 8th and then he would get me back. We just kept pushing each other and our lap times were coming down. I finished the race in 9th place by three one hundredths of a second. I am really happy with how the weekend went. The weather was great and the bike was working good. The bike got better and better all weekend. I have to give a huge thank you to my dad and Mike at Penske suspension for tearing the bike apart all weekend and giving me the best setup all weekend. I ran my fastest laps on the last laps of Race 2. It was a good feeling to know the whole team improved all weekend. Next up was fan walk. Sunday 12:00pm. The fan walk is a great part of the AMA weekend and is lots of fun for all. I gave out all 250 posters we had brought with. It was a great way to end the weekend.

Kaleb De Keyrel #51

Czaia Law was founded in Florida and is now opening a new branch in Minneapolis MN. Czaia Law is dedicated to helping and fighting for those who have suffered serious injuries due to an automobile or motorcycle accident, medical malpractice, or through the negligence of others. 1-855-Czaia-Law

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, call Czaia Law today at 1-855-CzaiaLaw (292-4252) for a FREE consultation. Do not agree to sign any papers or talk about your concerns, injuries or damages with anyone except an attorney. Also, do not let your doctor, hospital or emergency room staff record any statement until after you speak with an attorney.

Riding motorcycles for over 30 years, CJ Czaia knows that being involved in a motorcycle accident can have a dramatic impact on your life. No one ever thinks they will be injured in a motorcycle accident while cruising down the highway, but the minute they go down, their whole life changes. After a motorcycle accident, it could be months or even years before you fully recover from your injuries. In the case of a serious motorcycle crash, you need an attorney who understands motorcycles, not just automobiles. CJ RACES, RIDES and KNOWS the Law!

The biggest causes of motorcycle accidents include the following:

Left-Turn Motorcycle Accidents: The driver of a car or truck may underestimate the oncoming speed of a motorcycle when making a left turn at an intersection.
Failure to Yield: The driver of a car or truck fails to yield to a motorcycle at driveways and intersections.
Distractions: The driver of a car or truck was distracted while driving and talking/texting on cell phones or utilizing a GPS system.
THE DRIVER FAILS TO SEE THE MOTORCYCLIST!
Czaia Law is here to help make things easier for you. Let him handle the stress and pressure of dealing with a personal injury claim, so you can focus on recovering from your injuries. He is committed to providing each client with the best legal representation available. Aggressively asserting and maintaining your rights and interests from start to finish.

Call today at 1-855-CzaiaLaw for a FREE consultation. CJ RACES, RIDES and KNOWS MOTORCYCLE LAW!

To learn more please visit http://www.1-855-CzaiaLaw.com

The weekend started out with an 17 hour trip to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. We had one quick pit stop in Nashville to pick up Mr. Ray Rizzo. ( Ray is the AMA Pro Flat track and ASRA/CCS track chaplain. Ray would be spending the weekend with us. ) Once we arrived we got to drive right in and set up for the long weekend to come.

Friday morning, we had the first practice and I ended up 13th. I was not happy with the way the bike handled, so Mike and Erik from Penske started to brief me right away. We discussed what the bike was doing. Then Mike looked at what other riders bikes were doing and came up with a change. Later friday afternoon would be qualifying. I went out for qualifying and the changes we made were better, but I still really did like the way it handled. We ended up being 10th in qualifying 1 and I was extremely happy to be top 10! We debriefed about bike set up and I wrote down all my notes. Then I headed off to swim at my cousins hotel. I had a great time cooling off after the extremely hot day of racing.

Saturday, we got up and it was qualifying 2 at 8:00am in the morning. We had made some changes the night before. It did not improve the bike. I ran the same times as Friday, but everyone else was improving. I ended up 20th in qualifying 2. I new I was going to have to ride great to move up from here.

The Fan walk was the next activity of the day and I had a great time handing out posters, stickers, and signing autographs for all the fans. We gave out 350 stickers on Saturday alone. This was a great experience and a lot of fun! Now it was time to focus for the first race of the weekend.

Race 1, I was pretty nervous going into it. I got the worst start I have ever done. For the first lap, I just tried to ride smart and stay up. I was not being aggressive and everyone else was. I ended 23 coming around on the first lap. I knew I had to start pushing. I put my head down and worked my way up to 18th. I had a gap back to 19th and 17th was too far ahead to catch with 2 laps to go. I sort of got stuck in the middle of no mans land. There was no one behind and no one in front that I could catch. So I rode it out for an 18th place finish in Race 1 of my pro debut. I knew I was not an 18th place finisher. I was mentally ready for race 2 knowing what I learn in Race 1. We would continue to try to improve the bike. I was having to work to hard to try to go fast. I was confident that Mike and Erik would get the bike right for Race 2. We debriefed about the bike setup and my dad, Mike and Erik made some changes to prepared for Sunday. I was lucky enough to get to go back to my cousins hotel pool again and cool off.

Sunday, we got up and had practice early in the morning. I was feeling good, but I did not like the changes to the motorcycle. My dad and Mike talked and they came up with a new setup for Race 2. The new set up was different that anyone else on the track. My dad also decided we were going to run the soft tire on the rear and almost every other competitor was running the medium rear tire. Mike was not sure about what they had decided. I went out in race two and got an ok start. My motor pulled so strong it was hard to keep it from wheeling. I new I would have to made some smart aggressive moves right away. I was 18th coming across the finish line the first lap. I kept making passes and worked my way up to 11th. I really needed a top ten finish, so I put my head down and I chased down the rider in front of me. I now had passed him for 10th. I pulled away from him and then again was stuck in no mans land. This time it would be a top ten finish! I loved the bike and how it was working. My fastest lap time so far this weekend, was the same as my slowest lap time this race. I had improved in all my splits. I was running almost the same times as the leaders. My cousins wanted me to wave at them on the cool down lap, so when I got to the straight away I did a stand up wheelie down the whole thing. It made their day. I have had my learning weekend and am ready for Mid Ohio!

I have to Thank Mike and Erik at Penske, Mark, Scotty and Meghan at TSE, Jon Schiereck for the motor work, Jeff Japs for tuning it. John Anderson at Worldwide. My mom and dad. Grandpa and Grandma, and Uncle Alan. They worked extremely hard to make my pro debut happen!

Thank you to the following sponsors for making my move to AMA Pro Racing Possible:
GOD, CWS.net, WorldWide, Motorex, Sportbike Track Time, Cortech, HJC Helmets, Tagger Designs, Dunlop Tires, Yamaha Champion Schools, Zero Gravity, TSE, SDE, Bleakly-Hayes.com, Ontrack4him.org, Vortex, Shark Skinz, Impact Armour, Sidi, Simply Street Bikes, Grandma and Grandpa De Keyrel

Article: http://www.amaproracing.com/rr/news/index.cfm?cid=56940

Video of race 1: http://www.amaprolive.com/rr/dvr/#eventheader

Video of race 2: http://www.amaprolive.com/rr/dvr/#eventheader

Video of wheelie: on FB at Kaleb De Keyrel