Season Finale at NJMP: Rain, Battles, and a Strong Finish

The 2025 season wrapped up this past weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park, and what a finale it was. From high-stakes qualifying to rain-soaked racing and one of the most exciting final laps of the season, Carson and the team gave it everything they had—finishing on a high note and showing just how far we've come.

Friday: Quick Pace and a Missed Opportunity

Carson came out swinging in Practice 1, putting in a strong time and finishing P2—setting a pace that would hold up all weekend. The setup carried over from CotA with only a gearing change, and the bike felt dialed in from the start.

Heading into Qualifying 1, we left the bike alone and Carson got right to work. He sat in P2 for most of the session, trading fast laps with Nathan Bettencourt as the two pushed each other to go faster and faster.

With around 7 minutes to go, Carson pitted for a quick drink and bike feedback. Unfortunately, when he returned to track, he got stuck in traffic and couldn’t get a clean lap. Others improved late in the session, but Carson’s earlier pace held him back to P6—back of the second row.

Saturday: Redemption in Qualifying and a Rainy Race 1

Carson came out in Qualifying 2 with something to prove. After a warm-up lap, he immediately dropped into the low 1:30s. He was consistently under his Q1 time, but traffic again became an issue. A few slower riders latched onto Carson’s wheel, hoping to follow him to a fast lap.

So, Carson backed off.

Letting them think they had a tow, he slowed dramatically—then dropped the hammer. First a 1:34.5, then a 1:29.9—becoming the only rider besides Hank to dip into the 29s all weekend. He secured P2 on the grid, his best starting position of the year, and not a moment too soon.

Rain Arrives Just in Time

By the time Race 1 rolled around, the skies had started to darken. We all became amateur meteorologists, glued to weather apps, doing our best anti-rain dances (Travis' is something to behold).

Slicks were mounted, wets were ready. Carson reported good track feel after the sighting lap—but then the rain started. First a drop. Then another. Then MotoAmerica declared a wet race, giving riders a 7-lap acclimatization session before the quick-start procedure.

We swapped tires in grid position and sent Carson out. He rode cautiously during the session, getting a feel for the conditions without taking risks—some riders didn’t make it back to the grid at all.

No setup changes were needed, and he lined up for the start on full wets in full rain.

Carson rode a smart, calculated race. He stayed with the lead pack for the first few laps before settling into P5 and running alone for most of the race. Others pushed too hard, flew past him, and paid for it—he'd repass them a corner later while they picked grass out of their helmet vents.

He brought it home in fifth, avoiding trouble, preserving the bike, and setting the stage for a dry showdown on Sunday.

Sunday: Going Out Swinging

With dry skies forecasted, we skipped the wet morning warmup. The Race 2 grid was the same: Carson starting from P2. This time, the drama came from the racing—not the weather.

He got a clean launch and tipped into Turn 1 in 3rd, locked in a tight battle with Sam and Hank during the early laps. But then, chaos.

A rider in their first event of the season nearly took Carson out, forcing him wide and making him lose contact with the lead pack. That left him and Nathan in a four-rider group fighting for P3, with Jake Paige constantly interfering—powered by motor, not momentum.

Jake would blast by on the straight, then hold everyone up into Turn 1, preventing Carson and Nathan from finding a rhythm. Every lap was a game of chess and horsepower.

A Final Lap to Remember

On the final lap, Carson and Nathan finally had a gap to Jake and made the most of it—both laying down their best laps of the race. Carson threw everything at it, the whole kitchen sink, trying to make the pass on Nathan.

Coming out of Turn 10, he nearly highsided but somehow held onto it. That moment sealed it—Carson finished P4, just three-tenths behind Nathan at the line.

An absolutely incredible way to finish both the weekend and the season.

Reflections on 2025: Growth, Grit, and Gratitude

This season pushed everyone—riders, mechanics, family, and crew. It tested our patience, challenged our knowledge, and forced us all to grow in ways we never expected.

There were highs, lows, and some ridiculous RV repairs. But through it all, we built something better. We built a team.

And while the season felt long, we’re already missing the track. There’s no “next race” on the calendar—for now. But we’re already looking ahead.

See you in 2026.

CotA Race Recap: Heat, Heartbreak & Hard Lessons in Texas

What was supposed to be a smooth trip to the Circuit of the Americas turned into one of the most challenging race weekends we've ever had—before we even made it to the track.

The Trouble Started Early

Not even two hours into the drive, disaster struck: a blowout on the RV shredded the water and wastewater tanks, setting us back several hours and hitting the budget hard before the weekend even began.

That would've been enough for one trip, but things just kept piling up.

When we stopped for the night and fired up the generator, we realized the radiator had also been damaged—every drop of coolant leaked out as soon as we started it. On top of that, the bedroom floor had taken some damage, too. Wednesday morning found us doing field repairs in a Lowe’s parking lot. Unfortunately, the generator wasn’t something we could fix on the road.

It Gets Hotter From Here

To survive the Texas heat, we picked up the loudest portable generator known to mankind—but it wasn’t powerful enough to run the whole RV. Outside, it was 95°F. Inside? A swampy 90°F. Not ideal for race prep or sleep.

While setting up the pit and prepping the bike for Friday’s practice, we also scrambled to solve our power problem. I now know more than I ever wanted to about 50-amp plugs, adapters, and generator hookups. Eventually, we rented a massive 20kW tow-behind unit and finally got full power running—by Saturday morning.

Just in time. But probably not in budget.

Friday: Practice and a Data Blackout

Carson went out for Practice 1 and chipped away at his time, going from a 2:34 to a 2:32. But with the leaders dropping into the 2:28s, we knew we had work to do.

Then came another curveball: the data system crashed. The AiM datalogger decided this was its weekend to misbehave. We had no usable telemetry. No lap breakdowns. Nothing to guide our decisions.

Heading into Qualifying 1, we made gearing changes to give Carson better drive out of the corners, and early signs were promising. He picked up right where he left off in Practice and dropped a full two seconds, clocking in at a 2:30. But just as he was settling into a rhythm, the quick shifter failed—again—cutting the session short and robbing him of crucial laps to keep building pace. That lost track time stung, especially with the front-runners continuing to drop into the 2:28s. To make matters worse, our AiM datalogger still wasn’t playing nice, and it took hours just to extract basic lap info. On the upside, I’m becoming a reluctant pro at RaceStudio3—though I'd rather just have a working system.

Q2: Steps Forward, One Second at a Time

We kept the gearing but made suspension tweaks—softer front and rear—to help Carson carry more speed through corners. It paid off. He dropped another second in Qualifying 2, staying in P9 but inching closer to the front runners in raw pace.

Carson’s view from the grid

Race 1: A Fight to the Flag

Carson got bottled up behind Solly off the start, and by the time he got around, the lead pack had checked out. From there, it was a fierce three-way battle between Carson, Solly, and Nathan Bettencourt.

The last lap was chaos. Position changes, tight lines, and no one knowing who finished where until well after the checkered flag. It was one of the best races of the day—even if the overall pace was a second slower than qualifying. Maybe the heat got to everyone.

Warmup & Race 2: The Real Turning Point

Sunday morning warmup gave us one last chance to try changes, but everything we considered would have made an already chattery front end worse. We backed off and ran it as-is. The result? Same pace as Race 1. No gain, no loss.

But then came a breakthrough.

Talking with Felix from Kramer, we uncovered a ton of info that we honestly wish we’d known earlier in the season:

• The rev limiter varies by gear.

• The actual rev limit is 11,500, not 11,750 like we thought.

• And you should never run more than 5mm of preload.

With that new knowledge, we overhauled the bike before Race 2—springs, preload, tire pressures—the works. Carson rolled to the grid with a brand-new setup under him. It was a science experiment, and we were about to find out if we got the formula right.

Race 2: Best Yet

The race split into four groups. Carson led the third group early on and managed to put a gap on Solly and Nathan, but Nathan clawed back into the mix and the two traded positions lap after lap.

Carson came out on top—P7, his best finish of the weekend, and another full second faster than his previous best. The changes worked. We’ve finally found a base setup that Carson can fight with.

Takeaways: Brutal, but Worth It

From RV meltdowns to data failures, this weekend threw everything at us. But in the midst of the heat, noise, and chaos, we made big strides.

We’re coming out of CotA not just with better results, but with deeper knowledge, improved setup, and momentum we can carry into NJMP in two weeks.

Bring it on.

Follow along for more race recaps, tech insights, and behind-the-scenes stories as Carson continues his climb through the field.