I couldn't ask for a better start to the season. The wins at California Speedway were a big step towards building a good foundation for another championship. We were fast this weekend as soon as we rolled the bike out of the truck.

Everything was working well, although the bike was very different to what we ended up with whilst doing pre-season testing at California Speedway. We turned up to the track with one bike the same as testing and one bike similar to our set up from our Infineon test. Turned out that the updates Suzuki have made in the linkage department worked a treat and I felt very comfortable on the bike.

The first race went as I thought or hoped it would after what I saw in qualifying. We had a fair bit of time to spare in the cool conditions and could run the lap times fairly easily when needed. The GSXR 1000 is such a well balanced motorcycle, it's unbelievable. It gives a lot of feedback through the bars and seat.

I made a few mistakes in the first race and was angry that my concentration lapsed a couple of times. It certainly didn't help that the smoked shield on my helmet was great for the first part of the race, but as the rain closed in it became difficult to see. As we got further into the race, with about ten laps to run, the mist became a little heavier. With five to run it was running up the screen of the bike and helmet and definitely got my attention. With three to run I thought the race should have been stopped. It was showering to hard to still be called a dry race. The last few laps took a lot of concentration to bring it home in one piece. Luckily we had ten seconds up our sleeve and could cruise home a little.

The second race I believed would be a little harder because of the warmer conditions. Tire choice is much more critical when it gets warmer. The track temp for the first race was only 22c (74F) and for the second was close to 45c (115F). This will normally mean you are in for a bit of a slippery ride towards the end when the track is hot.

Again I have to give credit to Dunlop for stepping it up in the tire department. I was pleasantly surprised to feel a good tire under me for the whole race. With only a handful of laps left I turned a lap within three tenths of my fastest.

We are hurting with our top speed this year compared to last. Our best trap speed was six miles an hour down on the fastest bike on the track which also happens to be the only real factory spec superbike out there.

Win number twenty six and seven were obviously a little special with becoming the most winningest superbike rider in America. A lot of people have spoken about it a lot this year, but personally I think winning four championships is much harder to achieve than individual race wins. To keep it together for a full season takes a great team and motorcycle and your focus as a rider can't stray when you just don't feel like doing it that day. Sometimes the ego needs to be left behind when you want to win that one race but it becomes to much of a risk for the seasons goals. Also, the hoo-ha could be gone in a few weeks if Miguel doubles at Infineon. So I'm not paying a lot of attention to it and thinking a lot more about the big picture. If I am still the most winningest rider after the last race, then my time off over Christmas will be better.

It was great to have my daughter at the races for the first time. Some people have already commented that she has her mums looks (lucky her) and her dads determination. Sometimes I wonder if it is a good thing to be so possessed by something.

Anyway, I'm possessed at the moment and don't look like changing any time soon, so I'll just have to live with it.

Infineon is next in a few weeks, after a test at Barber. I'm looking forward to racing at Barber so early in the year. Last year I was protecting a points lead and didn't want to get to mixed up in it. This year will be different and I can't wait.

Anyway it's late Sunday night and I have to be up early for a trip to Canada to see the lads at Joe Rocket. I hope you enjoyed the races if you got to see them and I'll check back in after the next race.

Cheers

Mat