I had a lot of fun in Minnesota at the Land O' Lakes nationals. It was very different from home because the start hill was just a little rise instead of the start hills here at home. If you wanted a good gate you didn't have the hill to help you. It is all about leg strength. I raced 7-8 Open and class on Saturday and Class only on Sunday. In Open I made the first transfer but in class a racer fell over on the gate as it dropped and I came out of my clips. I did make the 2nd transfer. In the Main I ended up third in Open and 7th in Class. If you look at the results on the ABA site it looks as though i got 3rd but I think unless he was disqualified, they swapped my place with Tyshawn's. He's a really great racer and he tries really hard. I think I can beat him but he's got a ;lot of experience. On Sunday I raced class only and made second transfer by five bike lengths. At least that's what mom said! In the Main I came out of the gate in 2nd, through the first turn in 3rd and ended up 5th. I'm learning and I had a great time. Donnie Gomez and his dad Ray were there from home and we all got to stay under their tent with them all weekend. having friends so far away from home is really cool. Donnie won Cruiser both days and I think he got 4th in Class both days. At Rum River BMX the gate is quite a bit taller than at the tracks at home. it made it a bit difficult for both of us. Still it was awesome to be racing a whole bunch of new kids and learning all over again. After the racing my mom brought me to the St. Cloud track which was closed the whole weekend. They put me and my bike over the fence and I rode till my legs felt like Jello. It was a great weekend. In two weeks it's Roseville and I'm excited to see all my friends there. Till then be safe and ride hard and have fun 'cause that is why we're doing this in the first place!

 Super Camp is really cool. You can learn so much there, especially if you work hard and are a good listener. Lot's of the best kids in the country go to camp. Heck, kids come from all over the world to learn from these guys! I was kinda bummed that we had a family vacation to go to in Minnesota. But then my mom and dad said I could race at the Land 'O Lakes nationals! It will  be really cool to race away from home again and some of my family who haven't seen me since I was really little can watch me do what I love the most. Race BMX! So, to all the great instructors and Mr. Harris, I'm sorry I'm missing camp. I'll try to make all of you proud racing in Minnesota. Dad says you have to go really fast or the mosquitos will get you! Yikes!!!

Had a great time in Napa, yesterday. Frankie and Lake and I raced 8 Expert and really raced hard. Frankie won the first and second motos with me getting 2nd in the first, crashing and getting third in the 2nd, and Lake blazing in the main for 1st place. Overall, I got third. We raced fast and furious and Mr. Hardee thought ours was some of the best racing all summer!

Our friends Robbie, Will and Wyatt went to Prunedale in Monterey where we thought we might have gone this weekend. There was a clinic there with Mikey Day and Donnie Robinson! Robbie won Friday, both races but Saturday Landon and Bubba were in the class and he ended up third. Everyone else is in Redding for the Boomtown SCR. I'm leaving for the Great Lakes National in Minnesota on Monday so if we race today, it'll be somewhere close. We heard our friends Scott Moles and Donnie Gomez will be in MN. That will be cool. See you soon. 

Today was the SCR at Rusty Bowl. There were more motos this year than at last years race and all the people at the "Bowl" made it smoother and better than ever. It was very hot and the track was really fast and a lot of kids went down during the racing, especially in the mains. What was cool was how many people manned the corners and were there in a jiffy if a racer went down. I was frustrated yesterday having had an awful gate and getting fourth. Today, dad and I dropped the air pressure in the front tire so that it would grip the outside gates if I ended up in 7 or 8. I was really determined to win today and all of my especially fast friends were in the moto with me. Lake Tracy, "Rocket" Robbie Sherwood, and Frankie "The Pit Bull" Pickrell made up the class. Someone I liked wasn't going to the main and it could've even been me. All my friends have been so fast all year. A few weeks ago in Napa, I didn't make the main and it was so tough. Today though, I felt different. Dad and I had a plan. First, I didn't over practice. It was too hot. I went up and did five or six gates out of 7 and 8 and figured out the light and the way the gate dropped. I made sure the lower  pressure helped my tire stick better to the gate and it did.

First moto we all took off together. Me, Lake and Robbie fought for the line through  turn one and while we were battling, Frankie blasted around the top and passed us all. He got the first transfer with me in second, then Lake and then Robbie. Next moto I was determined to get to turn one first. Lake is blazing and if he gets there first, he's gone. I knew he did that at Santa Clara and won the whole thing. Not today. He tried to get by me and I ran him down the inside and he went down. I got the transfer, with Robbie in second. Robbie ended up beating Lake in the third moto. When Robbie wants to win, no one can stop him, no one!

In the main I had gate 1, Robbie was in 4 and Frankie had 7, I think. Gate dropped and we all battled for the turn. Frankie got through first then me, followed by Robbie, right on my rear tire. I wasn't going to let Frankie get too far in front of me and pedaled like crazy. He went wide in three and I went right up under him and pushed him up the bank! He was so surprised that Robbie almost passed him. I took off more worried about Robbie catching me than Frankie. I crossed the line four bike lengths ahead! I won an SCR as an 8 Expert and it felt really great.

It has been a long tough time since I was winning a lot. I've been working very hard and studying with people like Mike Redman and Mr. Van Ogle. My friend Niko Dzapo has been so cool, teaching me stuff. I really like learning and getting better and today me and Dale Jr. broke our dryspell. On Father's Day. How cool was that! 

 Last week I went back to where I first started racing BMX. The good old Rusty Bowl in Ukiah. It is always like going home because we live pretty far from the track. My friend Frankie is as fast as ever and we had a lot of fun racing. Ron Schebler who manages the track was very proud to see me because he knew I'd raced in China. He really thought my USA jersey was cool. Ron has been working with a lot of the parents to put the track in top shape and it was very smooth and fast. They also had lots of new clay trucked in because they're going to resurface the track, build up the first turn bank and make one of the jumps a little trickier. Frankie and I had a great time racing and he got first which was totally cool. 

Rusty Bowl is great fro little kids because it is not too "jumpy" but guys like me and Frankie can get some real air over some of them. I'm practicing jumping like Steven Cisar so that I keep my speed up and get my front wheel down into the turn fast. I'm doing it over the jump before turn one and the table into the rhythm section. I'm also working on my foot speed so I can get in as many pedals as possible. Dad thinks it's working out really well.

 It's really cool how many racers and friends and people we don't really know tell us they are happy for me and my trip to China. I had a great time and now that I'm home and going to local tracks and trying to win just like everyone else it has been really cool that everyone has been congratulating me. I wish we could all go to the UCI Worlds because you can find out that there are some really cool people out there that have nothing to do with us, here in the U.S. I found out that no matter what country you come from, it is what you bring to the races that matters. Every racer wanted to win but, they all were happy for other riders that made it. It didn't really matter what country they were riding for. 

Here at home it's pretty tough for all of us racers. Gas is really expensive and you can tell from the turnout at some of this years big races which had a bunch more motos last year, that a lot of people didn't go because it has become so expensive to get to the track. Everyone here seems to care more about and know more about the kids doing the racing. This year everybody is paying more attention to everyone, not just their own kids or their own team. That is what makes this such a cool sport. Have fun out there. We'll see you at the next race.