FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Knutson apologizes to Spies for overreacting… You know, as a privateer it’s frustrating when you work so hard, spend so much of your own time and money putting together your bike and so on just to see it all end in a practice session. I believe I overreacted last weekend in my frustration and anger regarding last week’s run-in with Ben Spies at California Speedway, and so, I would like to apologize to Ben, after having had time to cool off a little and think about it, I came to the conclusion that this is racing and no matter who’s at fault that’s the risk we all take when we chose this sport. It was easy to criticize Ben when watching the replay in slow motion, but then I realized, we don’t move in slow motion, we’re traveling at times of speeds in excess of 170 mph with a million different thoughts traveling through our minds at once. In our quest for perfection, time and again we are reminded that, we are all just human striving for the unattainable gold seal of perfection. In the end , it doesn’t really matter who was at fault, the fact is Ben, his team manager Don Sakakura and all at the Suzuki corporation are a class act. Young Ben has worked very hard to get where he is today and in my opinion has earned every bit of it. He and his people have shown time and again that they not only are champions on the track, but off as well. Thanks Ben, Don and all at Suzuki. Tim Knutson Santee, California