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Rick Hart gives you the inside scoop from Round 2 of the XDL Sportbike Freestyle Championship in Nashville, TN.
After suffering a disappointing 11th place finish at Round 1 of the XDL Championship due to bike problems, I was fired up to get a good result at the next round. First, I showed the bike some TLC and upgraded the front end, and then I went to work looking for a tire that would help me push the limits. With the bike and tires dialed in, I started putting in some serious practice time and with the help of my fellow riders, we hammered out a bunch of new tricks. Heading into the next round I was feeling good and the bike was definitely dialed in, giving me a lot of confidence to step it up. As soon as I arrived at Nashville Super Speedway, I put my Shift gear on, fired up the bike and was ready to erase all the bad luck from the first event.
So heading into the finals I was feeling very good, but it was hard to stay focused while watching some of the other riders put down their runs. I didn't want to get stressed out, so I found some shade, made sure I was hydrated, and relaxed until game time. It was finally my time to ride and I put down another solid run with even more aggression than my qualifier. I kept the throttle twisted to the stops, had the crowd on my side, and knew in my head that I had just set the bar. I never felt so good after a run before and I ended up claiming 2nd, which is my best finish ever in XDL competition! I would like to thank all my sponsors and friends that helped me work on the bike and get ready for this event. See you at the next round! Rick Hart |
By Rick Hart,
We couldn't have asked for a better riding area and I quickly got down to business learning the limits of the surface. I told myself to just ride like I do at home, and that's exactly what I did. Friday's practice was excellent and heading into Saturday morning's qualifying I knew I was ready to ride hard. I put down a great run, pulled a few tricks out of the bag, and ended up qualifying 2nd against the best riders in the sport, which made me feel like all the hard work I'd put in had been worth it.