I started this year off at the newly configurated Talladega Gran Prix for the first round with WERA all though I didnt stay for the whole weekend. I also had a test with the RedBull Rookie Cup a few days afterwards. We left for Talley Friday February 9th for a very wet/rainy, cold, and not so fun day. Not knowing it was going to be wet, we left my rain tires on the other wheels in my mom's car, who was driving down later. I only made one session and Nathaniel Parton and his cousin Zach Lewallen (who both went with me) made two. After heading to the motel that my mom had reserved and was waiting for us at, we decide to go eat supper at the Western Sizzlin' down the road. After a kind-of joke at my mom and Nathaniel saying that I wouldnt do it, I crawled into the trunk of my mom's Lexus to save on room in the car. When we finally arrive there, I make a decission to never do that again. After a delicious dinner, we head to Books-A-Million across the street to pick up the latest issue of RoadRacingWorld magazine to see my article in it. We then head back to the motel to hang out. The next day, we do our ussual "get up early, get ready for a day at the track, and go to Waffle House" routine. We show u pat the track and the sign up line is a mile long. While I am getting ready for my first Expert race, Nathaniel is getting ready for his first race off of his mini and on a real motorcycle, and Zach is getting ready for his first road race ever. Nathaniel later finds out that he dosent have to do rider's school and we both go out for the first practice. Setting in some decent laptimes still a few seconds off the leaders pace, I begin to wonder how hard this Expert race was going to be. After two rounds of practice, we all three go and check the grid, only to discover that I was starting last row for my class for the Light Weight Solo 20 Expert due to later sign-in. This is when I really start to wonder. Nathaniel was racing the Light Weight Solo 20 Novice on his 125, but ended up eixing a crank in his practice session. So he raced his ex-mini and Zach's new race bike, the KX 85. When I heard this, I thought this is going to be the funniest thing ever. A KX 85 racing against SV 650s and RS 125s and other bikes that just demolish this bike down the straight away. I told him htat I would give him atleast 5 foot when I passed lapped him...YEAH, like that was going to happen. So the race starts, I get a horrible start and start my journey to the front fo the pack. I worked real hard and on about lap 7, I catch a group that ended up being 2nd, 3rd and 4th. After working pass them all by lap 10 (half way/Paul Steven's dad later told me he timed me 10 seconds behind the leader at this point) I start really putting in some good laps. In practice, I got down ot a 1:12:281, in the race my fastest lap was a 1:06:318 turning 7 total 1:06s in the race. SO I am running the leader down fast and at the twisties before the white flag I run it up inside of him on the brakes and I feel the back-end squat into the turn and then the back tire lose a little bit of traction, as soon as I feel this, I put all my weight o nthe outside foot peg and rip the throttle pinned and sit up a bit. This shot me out of the turn but my being on the inside of John Walters (the leader) placed him right beside me heading for the white flag. Once I pass him and set it in to turn one, I rode super hard to stay in front of him, sliding the bike in every turn and having a blast doing it. It is amazing what you wont do with the bike in practice but as soon as you get the pressure and determination in the race, you will od just about what ever it takes. Coming out of the old Caresale, we catch a lapper witch really worked for me. You see, the inside of the track was un-ridable due to all the dust and track scrapings from the new pavement, so there is really only one line through it. At the end of the turn, it opens up and hits a kink which I guess makes it a double apex turn in a way. It is a real long sweeper with a kink after it into the new back straight. So anyways, I follow the lapper through the turn which forced Walters to follow me. Coming out of the turn, I crack the throttle real hard and run up the inside of this un-known lapper and Walters decide to split the lapper and go outside. When I ran it up the inside of him though, he saw me and moved over, right in front of Walters forcing him to slow down and go around him. But it was to late. I ran it down the straight away and into ht etwisties harde then I have the whole race. I then ran it down the new front straight and to the checkard flag. "I just won my first ever Expert raced I ever even raced" I thought! A celebration wheelie. a mini interview over the microphone, getting my winning earnings and saying bye to Nathaniel, Zach and Donald (Nathaniels dad) and we were off to the Atlanta Airport to head to Jerez for the test. What a good way to start off the year.