"If he leaves the door open for me I'm going to stuff him as hard as I'm going to stuff anyone. In fact, I'm going to race him harder than anyone else, just because he is who he is. I want people to be nervous when they see me."

It is these words, spoken in an interview with one of my competitors at then end of last season that rejuvenated my career. It is the reason that I am working as hard as I am, and it is the reason I get up looking forward to racing more than I ever have. I'll let you guess who these words belong to.

Barber was a great weekend, getting the double win there certainly set up a good streak of five wins out of the possible six. Whoever watched the telecast of race one at Barber certainly got a glimpse of how much I enjoyed the race. I was a little pumped you could say. Race two was a little easier. We got the gap out to about four seconds and just nursed it through the lappers in the end.

Race one at Fontana we did something we don't usually do. Very rarely do we tune our bike backwards over the course of a weekend but we managed to do it leading into that race. I would use too much of Soup's web space to go into specifics so lets just say we screwed up pretty bad.

Mat and crew chief Peter Doyle discuss setup during Friday's first qualifying session image by tim huntington

We got it sorted after hours in the truck on Saturday night and came out in much better shape for Sunday. When the light went green I went to the front as quick as I could and put my head down. The lead grew until about lap 20. I then encountered a rear tire problem. The lap times only slowed a few tenths to half a second per lap but with a four second lead and an altercation with a lapped rider, the lead shrunk quickly. For the remainder of the race I just made it wide and kept it clean.

Infineon this past weekend showed we are back in the game. It is the most physical track we go to and also requires a solid set up to go fast. For me, Infineon is draining. From a mental standpoint it requires high concentration. There are no areas where you can take a deep breath and get a mini break. It's just corner after corner. From a physical standpoint you have to be all over the bike to go fast there. There are a few places on that track that I actually stand on the pegs with my butt four inches off the seat and my head buried into the screen. It's also a place where I slip the clutch like a motocross bike constantly. It reminds me of my old motocross days actually. I always think to myself that if my quads are not on fire after the race, I haven't worked it hard enough.

The new launch control system was put on display in race one. I can't remember the last time I had a few bike lengths after the first 100 yards from the green. After a start like that I thought to myself, "you can't waste it" so I put my head down and went like a dog shot in the ass. After seeing plus three on lap three I just decided to not let up until I seen plus ten. I can't remember what lap that happened, but when it did I decided to run it to the end.

I have said since the start of the year that I am not concerned with the championship and I mean it. I just want to ride as hard as I can. I don't want to put it on cruise because I am in a good position. Those days are long gone. After winning many championships I am tired of worrying about the end of the year result. It is honestly no fun. Of course, it's fun to stand up there at the end of the year holding the number one plate but the process is no fun. I remember back in 1992, when I won my first Superbike championship in Oz, I just went like a man possessed from the green light. I still class that year as one of my best. Just raw and rippin' the throttle. Gives me tingles just thinking about it.

Mat on his way to Saturday's Superbike win at Infineon image by tim huntington

The next few points I have been wondering about for a while:

The point for laps led is a good idea, I think. It makes you ride hard trying to get that extra point and it is done in the race, where the fans get to appreciate a good scrap.

The AMA points system needs an overhaul. For the sake of people putting it on the line to win, there needs to be a points system that rewards it. Of course, someone trying to be consistent and win a championship won't think so, but the current system is in essence taking away from what the fans come to see.

Race two was a little closer for a while. Spies kept me honest for half of the race. From there I pushed hard and tried to keep the lap times within a couple of tenths per lap. The gap started to open. I think he may have run off the track as the gap went from plus six to plus eight or nine in one lap.

Infineon wrapped up a good couple of weeks. I'll check back in after Road America.

Anyone who wants to check out our training web site go to www.ms-insidertraining.com. It is young and still in the works but it will give people an idea of what we are about.

Mat