hello and thank youse so much for just awesome support! It goes very far as you can see. Adrenaline is a wonderful thing! I am still beside myself about taking the pole and setting a new track record for the Natl. Thunderbike class. After quaifying everyone was all ecstatic as i pulled in, I figured 5th or 6th. I could not get e clean lap and finally after waiting for a lap for someone fast to come by for a tow, I just said "if Im gonna be on the front row I have to do it myself". We did. The one single lap I just thought about every corner, talked to myself throughout the lap and the single lap with no draft did it for us!

The win in CCS Thunderbike was only because of the BMW riders camped at the Morton's BMW hospitality tent in T4. The second, third, 4th, and 6th laps were under the pole time and broke the existing Tbike record I set earlier. The BMW riders were just in force and 2 laps to go there was just so much pressure and pain in my knee, to look up before the turn and see everyone cheering proved to me we could withstand more! lol

Go karts that evening with all the BMW riders was so much fun! Wild Will was flying and is an amazing person! This friend from California flew out and had a chacne to see first hand what a community of BMW riders we have from all over! I cannot wait to come out West and see the guys from the Pelican Parts board and Motorcyclist Cafe, great supporters!

Supertwins on Sunday I rode my backup bike as i keep neglecting it and not getting it set up. I went out on it and I will ome clean, lol, I told my mechanics and a few folks, but the steering dampner broke because of me!:) I was just a bit giddy and wanted a really crossed up wheelie coming out of 3 up to 4. I started it off with my kee just off the ground and my wrist was so taxe from the day before, lol, I could not shut off as quicky as I needed to and it sat down crossed all the way up and on the gas...... I can laugh now but not then. Little did I know I snapped the steering dampner clean off the telelever arm. I found out as i was battling for the lead with a 999r mounted rider and with the knee on the deck it was slapping feverishly and then about 5 times per lap. On lap 3 i looked down thinking why is the damn dampner not dampning!? It was just dangling. I backed it off to 4th.
ASRA Tbike was just a dogfight from the start. The way scrapping was done early, i knew and had a serious hunch something was not right. Holeshot, led up to 4, Estok slipped by, and from there I realized I just did not have the endurance after the 6 weeks off after 2 surgeries. I parked it in 7 and 3rd and 4th went by. I just sat backed and watched what I just knew was going to unfold. I told my team I had a feeling before due to the way they were riding that morning and waht was said the night before about a BMW being back up front after a 6 week hiatus! lol

SO, it happened, Bilanksy (heck of a rider!) just plowed the front way to deep into 7 on the next lap collecting Brian and they both wnet down hard (both ok!). SO whew, 2nd place now and just maintain it. I was fading, I will admit it. Then a wheel snuck up next to me and I looked over and I was like man, who is this?! Arnie got by riding eratically, i just figured it was an easy pace so I will just sit back and draft him to the line to regain 2nd. Well, again being a wimp, I let the femur bruise get the best of me, I went wide in 3 after repassing 2nd cause I thought he would go a little deeper. He took the bait so i could get back into cruise mode. Then tucked the front in T4 right in front of Morton's BMW's hospitality tent. From there 2nd place was just handed over again.

Thank you Morton's BMW and BMW MC of Atlanta for one of the best weekends ever all things considered.

So many people to thank, friends from HS, Lynda, Tyler and the Sinnwell family, Elsie, BOB, Tina, all the great kids that just give me so much more energy! Such a great turn out with so many people having fun...... priceless!
N8!

I have been staring at this little box where I can create this post for 10 minutes now. I do not know where to start. You have heard me say over and over again what motivates me. You all know. Some riders it's feeling like a rockstar, some sponsors, and some.... money. What matters the most in the situation at hand this weekend is people.

It is exactly 6 weeks ago that for the first time in my 5 1/2 seasons of racing in my life, I have been hurt. Hurt and had to miss a race due to injury. Regardless GOD has given me what he has before, a chance, again. The amount of pain from lack of motion and soreness in my knee and wrist from 2 surgeries, has been blown away by what we accomplished today as a TEAM! Going inot this weekend I was realistic. For once I was going to listen to Dr.'s and peers, take it easy. I did. :)

There was the level of focus that can only be induced by something that has again never happened to me. This 6 weeks off of a motorcycle made me realize what and who I was missing. Some days there is enough pain to make you think, then others all you can think of is racing. I can finally say this, I love what I am doing. Yes I know it is hard to beleive, but I just liked riding for our BMW riders and people. If I wanted to make money, I wouldnt be doing this! lol

From practice this morning to now, I have never experienced such a level of focus and support as today. National ASRA Pro Thunderbike qualifying was today. Two rounds of 15 minutes practices this morning left me all swelled up and peircing pain. Only to have found out after a 12 minute qualifying, I had taken the pole position and a new Natl. Thunderbike track record time at VIR for the Thunderbike class! lol I still dont beleive it. The momentum that brought and adrenaline, I felt pretty good. Not great, but good.

There are two Thrunderbike races as this is a combined Regional Pro weekend with the National ASRA Pro weekend. SO CCS Thunderbike was today and the National Thunderbike we qualified for today is tomorrow. As race 6 came closer, ther CCS Tbike race, basically a warm up for the National Tbike regulars, I got that exctied feeling I have not felt for awhile. From flag to flag, led the whole race with the current National Tbike champion in hot pursuit. I looked up twice at T4 (turn 4) where Morton's BMW of Fredericksburg, Va. had their hospitality tent and to see the awesome number of BMW riders with their smiles and hands in the air, it was like a shot of morphine. The pain subsided breifly and gave me the extra I needed for the last 2 laps!

Our Team BMWXPLOR.com/BMW Motorcycles of Atlanta/Morton's BMW in Va., NO ONE could ask for a better team!

Thank youse more than you will ever know!

Time to sleep a bit, then Supertwins at noon and the Natl. Tbike race is on around 5. i hope I have the strengtha nd endurance to go the distance around 5pm.

Cheers,

Nate

Okay, okay, apologees for another delay in posting here. Thank youse for all the emails and hello's! So, I have been riding the street bike for 2 days now and it's pretty good. My wrist with the newly inserted screw (weeks ago), is the least of my worries now. It is my right knee. The tip of the femur has a still very serious bone bruise. Just sucks. No worries though.

Was able to et some decent miles in, but tough to move the body around on the footpegs (right).
Rolling on and off the throttle is getting quicker and smoother. Trail braking is just as normal as ever. Feels great!

With everyone's unparalleled support (bmwxplor.com, pelicanparts.com, motorcyclistcafe.com, to name a few), a new race suit is being finished up by Vanson. The relationship and sponosorship from Vanson has always been great and I cannot thank them enough for keeping me on board through some restructuring. Suomy helmets work, period. The helmet saved my life. The flat spots on the front and rear of helmet, dead stright blows, no scrapes, just blunt straight hits from the asphalt (what knocked me out) were absorbed by this amazing helmet! The Suomy also offers the best in peripheral vision. The sides are a few mm back on each side than other helmets I have worn. 3 mm or so is a huge difference when it comes down to seeing what is next to you or coming at you.....
Sidi boots and Spidi gloves, because of them I have hands and feet that were untouched in this 130 mph violent tank slapper. The wrist injury and the chunk o' meat out of my knee was all I was left with! THANK YOU sponsors for beleiving in me cause I beleive more than ever in you and your products!

I hope to practice for a day at Jennings GP or somewhere before my frist race back. I dont know if it will be much of a race that we are used to, due to lack of motion and muscle loss, but i will be on the bike and on my way back to full strength! I would not miss the VIR ASRA race for nothing.

Upwards of 100 BMW riders, their families, and friends will be at VIR I am told by the multiple BMW clubs involved! Just great is all I can say. I have the best in Physical Therapy working with me and it is just going to be a celebration for us all!

Ok, going riding, again!

N8!

Good morning. Leaving for physical therapy soon. These darn leg muscles just won't regenerate fast enough. Gosh. I also just found out one of my favorite racers i have always looked up to, Michael "Barney" Barnes just broke his scaphoid bone in his right wrist out at Infineon. Freak accident too, on the warm up lap. This little BS bone that has low blood supply as it is, is pretty commonly broken in alot of sports. Barney will be back in action in July!

Apologees for nothing to cool to write about, but I have to get going. I will say I had seen a very funny/random t shirt the other day, it said "rehab is for quitters", LOL. Most mught find it ignorant, but I could not stop laughing, was just so random.


Cheers,

N8!

Hi ya'll, I guess thats how they spell it donw here?! Maybe they don't even know how to spell YALL?! It's Friday and there is only so much PS3 that can be played while waiting for muscle and motion are trying to be regained in my wrist and knee. I was at the shop for a bit and it was great to see the bikes ready to go.

Sitting on the bikes is not a problem now. Full range of motion, just trying to transfer weight on the pegs is still to painful. No worries though. I hope to be fit enough to help the our MotoST team win and to have fun in WI.

Tomorrow is a fun get togetehr with BMW MC of Atlanta, who has just an awesome dealership and has what anyone could ask for in a BMW MC dealership. They are just busy. Period. Not enough though to share the race bikes with our customers, public, and friends! Hooter's is sending chicks from their corporate store to.... I dunno hand out napkins for messy wing fingers?! Well they will be there and again just a great day to celebrate with our race team and customers.

Ok, I look forward to seeing youse at the shop!

N8!