Matt Weidman #20

August 4th
Rapid City, SD
We went and looked at the track when we got to South Dakota on Sunday night. I was excited to see this huge, smooth, clay 1/2 mile track that looked like it was going to be fast. The promoter was there and some workers and I could tell they had put alot of prep time into the track to make it smooth for the Grand National. We talked for a little while and then headed to the short track in Sturgis. I had decided weeks ago that I was not going to race the Hotshoe short track at Sturgis and didn't even bring a DTX bike. I was hurt there last year, the track was one of the worst I had ever been on. The track stayed in much better shape for the race this year but I had no regrets on my decision and just felt like it was ok to skip this one.  Some older and wiser riders had taught me growing up that sometimes you make these decisions and stick to them.  I was ready for Rapid City on Tuesday  and felt good in the first qualifying round. I was 6th fastest and the track was smooth and fast.  It was hot and dry and the track became dry slick after the first couple groups of riders. The 2nd round I was 13th and was having trouble getting traction. Dad and I discussed bike set up and tried minor changes but our tire seemed to glaze over within a couple laps. I went back out for the third session and was 9th and caught Jake and felt like I could pass him, so I thought I was better. The heat races were next and we still were in some daylight which meant the track was still very dry and slippery. I never do good on these " go slow to go fast " tracks and I was not looking forward to the heat race.
I got an awesome start and went into turn one alongside Halbert and Carr. I felt good until the 1/2 way flags came out and I started to spin-everywhere. Jake passed me first and then on the last lap, Nichole rolled right up the inside of me in the turn. It was frustrating, I had to figure out something.
The black clouds came in and the AMA crew said there were 70 mph winds coming in. We quickly loaded up the EZup and bikes and it started pouring. The races were called and the AMA said we would receive one point each and 50% purse. We hung out in the pits all night because none of the haulers could get out of the mud. We were taking Brad Baker and his bikes home with us for the rest of the Nationals. We loaded up his bikes and gear and left the next morning. We still had to drive back to George's house to get my van and we were suppose to arrive there around 2 am. We broke down in Wisconsin about midnight and had to wait until morning for a tow truck. The Freightliner garage fixed the truck and we were back on the road at 2pm. Me and Brad jumped in the van at George's and drove straght through until 7am when we got home.

Hagerstown,Md
I was looking forward to this race, it was the closest to home and some of my family, friends and fans were coming to watch. It started to rain in the afternoon, it has rained here for the past 3 years. The track is so tacky, you can't touch your foot down and you have to be willing to ride agressively.  Me and Kenny ended up alongside eachother in the heat and we both blew the start and went into the corner mid-pack. He got to the front quicker than me, I ended up 3rd and missed the Dash again. I wasn't happy about that, however I felt comfortable with the bike set up and the track. I went into the first turn of the main and Sammy came in hard and almost clipped my front wheel. I made my turn and shot off turn two in about 10th place.  I passed up to 5th place in the first 7-8 laps and worked on catching Jared. I just caught Jared to where I might pass and going into turn one, Luke was on the ground and his number plate was laying in the turn. I just missed Luke and hit the number plate, which sent me way up by the bales. I lost all ground on Jared and went to work again. I caught Jared in a few more laps and had a sweet line in turn one and two that was so much faster than his line, I passed him and left him down the back straight. I could see Sammy , I made up a good distance on him in just that half a lap.  Sammy was coming off turn four as I was in turn three and as I headed out of turn four I saw the flagger waving the checkered flag! I was so disappointed, I was still catching the front runners and needed more laps. I saw the red flag hanging down by the flaggers side as I passed the finish line. I was not disappointed with fourth place, I had passed alot of fast riders, Smith, Carr &  Mees to get there. After the race we were loading up the truck when someone said they might change the results. I went up to the AMA tent as they were all standing around trying to decide what to do. The AMA made the decision to revert, which put me in 5th place.  Me and Kenny tried to protest, they said they would be reviewing the rules and a decision would be made on Monday.

Frederick Maryland, 7/4/09 Hotshoe 750
Well, after finishing second here on the harley last year, I felt confident I could do good again. In practice I felt great, and then in my scratch I finished second right behind Jared. This meant I was going to be in the 500 to win dash. Well in the dash I won, and the money was to be mine! I was pretty pumped, and then went out in my heat and passed Sammy Halbert to win my heat as well. I set pole for the final, and was awarded another 92 dollar bonus. However, in the main I got a horrible start, and both Sammy Halbert and Dan Gideon got out away from me. I seemed to catch them a little at the end, but never could get close enough to make a pass. I ended up with a third, which was an alright finish for the day.

Lima, Ohio, 6/27/09 GNC Twins
I came into here looking to finally get my first podium. My confidence was high and I knew I was going to feel good all day. Well it seems like when I feel confident, the day doesnt go as planned. I qualified 1st in the throw away round, which made me feel pretty good. In the second round I had transmission troubles with my bike, but managed to get in a good first lap and was 5th on the charts. The last round I switched to my clay bike, the bike I actually rode the week before. Surprisingly I felt very comfortable on this bike as well, and finished 2nd in the last round. Overall I ended up 5th. In my heat I knew I had a good chance to finish in the top 2 and make the dash. However with my poor starts, it was just not meant to be. I went down the back straight in around 7th, and worked my way up to finish 3rd. This meant a second row start for the main. In the final, I tried my top line for the first couple laps. Dropping back to around 13th, I realized that it wasnt working at all and I needed a change. I dropped down to the bottom in 3 and 4, and just began riding right on the grass. This line worked great, and I ended up working my way all the way to 4th. I had Sammy in my sites at the end of the race, but I just couldnt get him for the podium finish. Another week, another top 5. We are slowly working our way towards that podium finish, and maybe a win!

Bulls Gap Tenn, 6/20/09. GNC Twins
Well, heading to bulls gap I wasnt expecting to have too great of a stellar finish. To be honest clay tracks that are greatly banked like bulls gap seem to be my weak point. I think I only finished in the top ten once or twice on clay tracks last year, and I wasnt looking forward to getting out there. But after the first practice that all changed. I ended up qualifying 5th overall, and I felt extremely comfortable in all three qualifying sessions. I went out in my heat and passed Joe Kopp, to win my first ever grand national heat race! I was so excited to be in the dash I couldnt even express it in words. In the dash I got a horrible start, and worked my way past Bryan Smith to finish 4th. In the final I once again got a bad start and restart, but worked my way up to 5th. I almost had Bryan at the end, but ended up finishing 5th. I was so excited with this fantastic result, and am looking forward to the rest of the clay tracks on the schedule!

June 13th. Dayton Pro-Am. 
Well every year  this is the race I looked forward to the most. It seems to be one of my strongest tracks, and its where I almost won my first pro race. I knew it was going to be an all out brawl all night with some of the top guys there like Mees, Schnabel, Kopp, Halberts, and Cummings. In my 450 and open expert scratch heats I finished second. Which meant no dash for me on the harley. However, I believe that they may have been a good thing, because there was an awful wreck that took out several very good riders. Jethro and Nicky heal up SOON! So in my heat races I felt really good because they finally went out and dug up the track. I won both my heat races by a lot and set pole for both main events! I was stoked because I though that my day had finally come to win at dayton and take home some of the big bucks. However, as fate would have it, it just wasnt my night. In the 450 I got second off the line behind Jared, and basically just stayed there. Getting second after being so much faster in the heat was a major dissapointment, and I was pretty bummed to just miss out on the win again. On the harley I had to start in the bottom rut again, which was the worst rut of all. I got a horrible start and entered turn 1 around 7th. I worked my way up to third at about the half way point, but just couldnt make up all the ground on Jared and Jr. I know if I could have started up there with them, I would have given them a run for their money! However, I ended up third, and left Dayton happy, yet slightly dissapointed at the same time. I want to thank all the sponsers for their contributions to the purse, and thank everyone who helped put the Dayton event on.

June 14th. Peoria Hotshoe.
Every time I come here I feel better and better, however this time was not the case. Bad track conditions and bad starts seemed to plague me all day. In my scratch heat I jumped and then stopped and was last into the first turn. A very amateurish move, which I wish I could take back! I passed several guys and ended up 5th I believe.  That meant back row for my heat race, which was STACKED! I had a lot of the top tt guys all in my heat, and only 6 went. Well I passed Bryan Smith about half way through it, to put me into 6th and meant I made the main. However the last lap I twisted my ankle  in the huge right hand hole, and it wasnt good looking at all! I decided to race the main after careful consideration, and ended up just rolling the jump. I still passed several guys to finish 15th. It was an alright day, but I know if I was 100% in the main I could have  done a lot better. Next time at the GNC I hope to do a lot better!

Springfield Illinois, May 11th TT test day
After our good weekend, we drove out to meet George and ride the 09 at the test day. The bike looked great, and we were excited to get out there and see where we were. We made several suspension changes throughout the day, and just when it seemed like we were getting dialed in, it threw a chain,  and broke the cases. We were majorly bummed, but lucky for us we had my trusty old 05 bike. So we went out on that for the rest of the day, and actually threw down some smoking good lap times towards the end. So leaving there I was pretty dissapointed about what happened to the 09, but I was excited that I could go so good on my 05 practice bike which is pretty much just a stocker. Only two more weeks and we get to be at springfield for one of the most exciting weekends of the year. Hope to see you all there!!

May 1st, 2009  Little Rock, Arkansas
After 21 hours, we arrived at this neat little short track and there were 28 450 Pros who showed up. I went out on my old girl, the framer, and then tried my DTX bike and decided to ride the DTX one.  There were 4 heats and I went out and won my heat, and so did Carver, Pearson and Kirkness. There were a couple semis and it was time for the dash. I definitely picked the wrong starting spot and finished 4th in the dash. I was glad to have the chance to try the outside before the main, and switched my starting spot to the lower part of the track. I got the Holeshot and despite many charges from Carver and Pearson, I held my position and just tried to stay smooth for 20 laps. It felt good to take the checkered flag around, wins don't come as often as they used to! The $1000. dollars to win helped to pay for the trip and then some. We took the van and fuel was still low, so I came home with some money still in my pocket.

Pomona, Ca  October 25th
This was an awesome opportunity for me, I could not wait to twist the throttle on Chris Carr's XR 750! My dad and I flew out to California on Friday and checked into our hotel in the afternoon. The weather was beautiful, it had already gotten cold at home.I had never been to California, this would be my first race on the west coast. While there, I got to meet some great people and see some of the countryside.Race day was tough, it was a really long day for me. I was in the first heat race with both Chris and Chad Cose-(he rode the other XR and we were all pitted together!) This was tough, there were almost 70riders in the Open Pro class, you had to win your heat race to qualify. This race was just like a Grand National and all the fast guys were there. Nick Cummings was leading my heat, Chris was in 2nd and I was third. Nick fell and with no red flag, I put my head down and ran down Chris. I passed him, he passed my back,and I passed him again to win the heat. I felt bad that Chris had some bike troubles later on and didn't make the main. I enjoyed riding Chris' 750 and both he and Kenny Tolbert were alot of fun in the pits. Like I said, the toughest part was the several hours between my heat and the feature, which got done about 2 am east coast time! While alot of riders got to race the track a few times during the night as it changed, I didn't get back on it till the feature. Although I was happy to be on the front row and go right through my heat, it was a disadvantage to me, as this was my first time there and I needed more track time. I got a really good start and going into turn 3, coming out of 4- Bryan Smith and I almost collided, which cost me several spots. I tried to ride smart and smooth and finished 7th behind Jared Mees. I was not too disappointed with the finish, but felt I could have done better. I am very greatful to Chris and Kenny for their help and support throughout the night and for letting me ride the bike. The bike had incredible power coming off the turns and handled well; I felt privileged that Chris trusted me to ride it.

York, Pa  Sept. 28th

My uncle Steve raced on this cushion 1/2 mile back in the 1980's as a young Pro. He told me it was my kind of track and he was right. We drove down to the Texter's house on Friday and hung out with them at a little local fair, just down the street from their house. We headed to the track in the morning and it was raining. We got rained out on Saturday and just hung out all day, Darryl had a pig roast and party down the road and we ate there and hung out for the evening. Sunday morning we all were ready to race and started practice around noon. It misted off and on and we had a few delays, but got the day in. I went out only once for practice on both my 450 and Harley, I felt really good and was ready to go racing. I had 4 heats in the 450 Pro class, this was the premier class of the day. I had 3 heats in Open Expert and raced my XR 750 in this one. I forgot how fun the 450 felt on a cushion, it had been a couple months since I rode it. I got great starts and won both my heats by a good amount, I felt confident for both features, but knew there were some fast guys there, The 450 main was first and I won that by about a straight, I felt relaxed riding at the bales where it was smooth and deep. As long as you held it wide open, it was fast.
The Open Class was started just as the sun was going down and I got a bad start. As I rode around the top, I passed everyone and heading into turn 3, couldn't see very well. I tried to follow the bales and stay smooth, they cut the race short after realizing we couldn't see well and I won by a comfortable amount. I want to thank my buddy Cory and his Dad for letting us stay at the house and Darry for all his hard work bringing this race back, they haven't had a race in over 14 years there.  I was excited to win both my classes, this doesn't happen too much anymore now that I race the GNC circuit!

September 1st Springfield Mile GNC
After qualifying around 20th I did not feel as comfortable as the day before. I had a stacked heat once again, and I holeshotted but still finished fourth. In the semi I was running  second until Kevin Atherton passed me and I finished 3rd missing it by one once again. I was really bummed out after the weekend in a whole.

Sturgis Short Track
Well this night definately didnt go as planned. After getting a stacked heat for the first class, I finished fourth and I had to get top two. I went out for my open pro heat race and won. I went out for my 450 semi and after battling with A.J. Eslick I won that and felt pretty good going into the main. I got a bad start in the main and was riding mid-pack when one of the decent size bumps on the track reached out and bit me. I went over the bars and the bike landed on me...I suffered a mild concussion and decided to take the rest of the week off to recover.

July 19th 2008, Gnc Twins Greenville Ohio.

After qualifying in my usual spot of 14th overall, I felt not very comfortable, actually. In my heat race I struggled but still managed to come away with a fourth place finish. In the semi I had a really good battle with Gideon, Eslick, and Mees. Luckily, I made a good move to finish second behind Gideon and put it in the show. After getting a decent start and passing a couple people in the main, I followed Chris Carr for most of the race, but I couldnt get past him. We worked our way past a couple guys and I ended up finishing 12th.

Maryville Tenn. GNC Twins, June 21st
Well, after the awesome weekend we had at the last GNC, I was hoping that we could continue our streak. I went to the clay banked half mile filled with confidence, and it showed. After qualifying 14th, I felt that I was gonna have a really good night. The track stayed awesome for the whole night, and it took me a little while to figure out how to ride it right. After finishing 5th in my heat race, I knew that I had a really good shot at winning my semi. And winning my semi is exactly what I did. My start was not the greatest, but after passing several guys I moved up to the lead. Winning the semi put me on the third row for the main, but I was just excited to be able to be out there and get some points. After running in the back for several laps, I passed several guys and moved up into 13th. With about 5 to go I started cutting some great laps, actually they were the best laps of my race. While I began picking up more and more speed, others began to slow down. With 2 to go I caught up to the back wheel of Bergan, but didn't end up making the last turn pass stick, so I was forced to settle with a 13th. For being my first clay GNC race I was happy with the results, even though my lap times would have placed me somewheres in the top 10. Now were heading next weekend to the double header of Bedford/Lima. Yeehaw! Sign the guest book and dont be afraid to ask any questions! Stay tuned till next week....

Dayton Ohio Hotshoe, June 14th
The 450 we had an alright night, not as well as we would have hoped. After finishing second in both my scratch heat and heat, I was just off the front row for the main. After getting a decent start from the back row, I worked my way up to 5th until JR went flying past me with about 4 to go. Overall we were fairly dissapointed with the 6th, but I learned some very valuable things that I can use for next year.
In the 750, I seemed to struggle. After finishing second in my scratch heat I was feeling alright. Then in the heat I had a bad start and was stuck behind Shawn Clark and Jess Roeder. After watching the two battle for 5 laps I figured I had to make a move. However it was too late to make a pass on both riders, and I fell short of making the main. Very dissapointing!

May 25th Springfield Mile
After rains delayed the race until monday, we had fun going out to eat and celebrating my birthday. We then waited until monday, however more rains caused the A.M.A to make the decision to cancel the mile and reschedule it at a later date.

3/3/08 Barberville Florida
The track was still not very well prepared. It was rough yet again. In my 450 scratch heat I finished second behind Rob Pearson. In my 750 scratch heat I finished second behind Jake Mataya. In my 450 heat race I finished second behind Sammy Sweet. Then in the 750 heat race I worked my way up to finish second behind Kenny Coolbeth. In the feature I was collected in a first turn pileup on the 450 after about three other restarts. However we got things back together and I winded up with a 8th place finish. The harley race was one of my most exciting races of the week. After getting into the first turn about 7th, I began to work my way through the pack. First I passed Logan Myers to put myself into 6th. Then I spent several laps working on J.R Schnabel. After passing him I next set my sights on Jethro Halbert. After passing him I found myself sitting in fourth. I was very excitied because I could see Rob Pearson right in front of me. However with two to go I heard some engine noise, but I was able to finish the race in 4th. We were happy after making both mains and getting two decent finishes.