I was disappointed about third place last week but sixth this week was the best we could do. Funny to think that sixth place on the weekend, wasn't that unexpected. We were prepared to pit, we were prepared for sixth and were were prepared to win if it came our way. Unfortunately the latter didn't happen.

I was asked by Jason Pridmore and Greg White what was going to happen and I pretty much hit the nail on the head, unfortunately for us. We were in it, but not really in it, if you know what I mean, for about half of the race. The acceleration of the Ducati and Honda had our backs against the wall. I would lose a lot of time from the exit of the last turn until the middle of the back straight, and then spend the infield catching back up, something was going to give up eventually. The rear tire unfortunately was the culprit of being aggressive on the throttle trying to keep up.

If I ran high 55's, compared to low 55's there would be three to five laps extra in the tire. So, it wasn't an option, because at that pace we would have ended up sixth anyway.

After Saturday afternoon's qualifying session, Pete and I spoke about the possibility of Eric taking some points from the Honda boys. He looked like he was getting things sorted and the bike was looking better on the track every session. Every year Eric has won at Pikes he has looked out of it all the way up to race day, so in a way we weren't surprised.

Eric's results in this race compared to the start of the season can only be overshadowed in the amazing department by Carlos Checa's return to form in the last GP. Congrats to Eric for a great race. Eric is not a title contender at the moment so I was okay with him being at the front.

We had to worry about Jake. We were struggling to run Jake's pace all weekend and only managed to do it in the race with grit teeth and determination, thinking he might have a problem and we could get some points; not to be. I left my pit stop too late by about five laps as my times started to slow and I lost some valuable seconds that may have allowed me to sneak past Ben for fifth at the end.

I think the two-day format is a great idea for the single race weekends. You certainly don't get as much time as usual but it is the same for everyone. I liked the idea of getting on the track and having to get up to speed quickly, it's challenging.

There's not much more to say about the weekend except, we've had better ones.

We are on the road now heading towards Wisconsin. We are doing the tourist thing for the next week. Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse are a couple of things on the agenda. I've never been much of a tourist as I've always been in a hurry to get places, so Janine thinks I must be coming down with something because I said we should have a look around for the week. She refuses to believe it's happening.

It is always fun going to Road America especially because of the fact that they charge us some ridiculous amount of money to stay there in our motor homes. I find it strange that the competitors who are putting on the show have to pay to stay at the racetrack. It would be like charging the elephant to put on a show at the circus. They supply power, and I would say we use about five bucks worth all weekend. You are expected to do media stuff to promote the race, obviously show up to race so they can rake in the money on the paying fans and you still pay to stay at the track.

Actually, something that is even funnier is the security guy who rides around on this bike with fat tires and knocks on your door at 10 pm to collect the money. You should have seen the look on his face when I was in bed one time and got up to answer the door in my birthday suit. I'm not sure if he was shocked or excited, scary. Oh, the fun of being at the races.

Next weekend marks the middle of the season and we are in a good position to tackle the second half. We have given back some points in the last couple of races but I'd prefer to be leading than chasing anytime.

My guys back home at Mat Mladin Imports are telling me that Joe Rocket has had a great launch into the Australian market and everybody is excited about seeing such a great new product. I'm excited about hearing that because one day I'm going to slow down and I'm going to need a job. Stay safe and ride smart,

Cheers

Mat.