Attending Round 4 of the AMA Nationals was made possible for Jimmy by North Racing Inc {NRi}. David Briggs {NRi owner} would hire Jimmy Albertson to compete in 6 rounds of the AMA National series in the eastern part of the US. This great opportunity for Jimmy would start in the southern part of Pennsylvania by the West Virginia border at the infamous High Point Raceway.

Heavy rains greeted the racers for Saturday qualifying. The MX class riders waited in staging for the lites class to finish their qualifying. The rains continued, and MX qualifying would be postponed to a shortened qualifying schedule on Sunday. Gregg Albertson{Jimmy’s mechanic}wasn’t extremely disappointed since he would save at least three hours of bike prep to get ready for the next day.

Trying to learn a new track in tough conditions Sunday morning left Jimmy with 24th qualifying position. He would immediately re-sprain his wrist injury that gave him problems at the Freestone round even after taking most of the week off to heal.

MOTO 1: Jimmy would start out middle of the pack off the start and round the first lap in 17th position. He moved up a few positions by race end and recorded a 15th moto finish.
MOTO 2: There was some doubt on whether to even start the 2nd moto with the reoccurring wrist problem. Jimmy had a new sponsor and decided he needed the valuable national experience also as he lined up for the 2nd moto. Sweeping from a far outside gate Jimmy found himself in 4th position going into the 2nd turn behind Alessi, Millsaps, and Stewart. Half way through lap one, Short pushed his way through and it left Jimmy on the ground. He recuperated quickly and still rounded the first lap in 9th position. It did not take long for the adrenaline to wear off after the spill, as every lap he thought of pulling off the track due to the pain in his wrist. After “gutting out” a 2nd grueling race, Jimmy salvaged a 17th moto finish.
OVERALL: The two moto finishes left Jimmy with a 15th overall and 10 hard earned points. While the racing was disappointing to Jimmy, he had recorded a 12th and 15th overall in his first two MX class nationals. Knowing he has top ten speed, along with the ability to grab a good start, were good signs.

UPCOMING EVENT: The next round is Thunder Valley in Lakewood, Colorado. NRi has committed to getting Jimmy to Colorado, even though the team cannot be there. Jimmy will take at least a week off to let his wrist heal. Thunder Valley will be decided as the race gets closer {in regards to attending}. His starts and speed show the capability to achieve a top ten finish, and now it is about being healthy enough to compete.
Round #6 is at Red Bud. Jimmy and NRi will join forces again along with Kyle Tobin to race the MX class for the following three nationals in a row.

For more info on NRi and the team visit www.northracing.com