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well, ive got mixed feelings. i got slightly faster, but not as quick as i'd hoped. my starts still suck. im out of shape. but i survived and didnt get slower.
friday practice was uneventful, but had some fun riding with jcbell, who i hadnt gotten out with this year.
sat, race 2 lwsb- got and ok start, but was gridded inside and back...so i was stuffed in t1. i was able to pick off positions till 4th, but by then the top 3 were out of reach, so i just maintained. i had a great time in this race, i didnt feel tired or out of my comfort zone. best lap of 1:21.8
race6, lwgp- gridded in back and inside again. somebody to my left jumps the start, i think i missed the flag, i twitch my clutch lever but quickly pull it back in...then the flag waves. shit! i drop the clutch like a squid and stall the bike. great. i think every bad word in english and maybe some in spanish were shouted inside my helmet as i got the bike fired up, just in time to see everyone tip into 1. but i dont have to deal with the gaggle in 1, so i catch up by turn 3. although the stall was unfortunate, i had an absolute blast picking my way back through the pack. on the first lap, i think i passed 4 bikes. the remainder of the race, i worked hard to get 4th place, not all that bad considering. i thought i would have met my season's goal of 20's in this race, since i was trying to catch up, but i didnt.
the pit bike race was awesome fun. there were a ton of people there to watch. the course needed more twistes and less straightaways, but i still had a blast draggin knee on the 125. also enjoyed choking on clouds of 2 stroke that ducette and martire left with their scooters. i got a kick out of martire backing in this scooter at the hairpin. i crash once after my chinese made forks go into an occilating mess and i hop my front tire till it slides out. i pick it up without losing any positions and finish. oh, and smutty is a cheater, and doc sucks
the wheelie contest was awesome, i need to learn how to wheelie my hyper like joel taylor...that was cool as hell. dangerous dan took the cake with his scooter antics.
saturday night brought the usual shenanigans in t1a.
sunday, foggy early, then humid and hot. one practice, clicked off 22s and 23's, as i was trying not to kill my already borderline tires. got to wick it up with doc, and that was fun, even though he sucks.
race 2, gtl- i knew that i was going to have a hard time with endurance in this race, and i was right. it was so hot, and i drink too much beer to be in good shape. i wanted a podium so bad, and i knew i needed to get a good start to get with the usual top 3. if i could get there in the beginning, i could stick. well, i got to practice my starts...we had 3 of them. my second was the best launch, but all of them were...ok.
shoutout goes to wild bill morey, hope youre doing well buddy, it was scary being right behind you as you went down in the bowl, only to get runned the f over. props to cooner for getting slowed down enough to not hit bill too hard....nice endo. once we were finally underway, i settled in 5th place, i set my eye on the fairly close knit group ahead of me. my tires were sliding all over the place, which was a combo of being towards the end of their life, and i think my rear suspension is a bit on the stiff side. i need less compression maybe?
that being said, i was exhausted by about 14 minutes, i had to look at the clock as i was going over 5. i started getting really sloppy, and those tires i blamed for sliding around somehow stuck to the ground during some horrible inputs. at around the 16 minute mark, i was in survival mode, getting passed by mullin and a few other top experts, and the pack i was trying to catch was a half turn ahead of me. kept mullin within 5 bike lengths for half a lap, then i tried to follow him into t1. no. f'n. way. i pass a few slower experts. then, next lap, as i braked into turn 3, the red flag waved and i was pushed inside by the cornerworkers. chuck boucher was laying in the middle of t4. i was concerned by the position he was laying in, he looked knocked out, but he was ok. i have to say, i didnt mind the early ending to the race, i was spent. 4th place was all i could muster.
thanks to LDR for all the help, hospitality and entertainment, the rest of the vermont crew coming down to make a good showing for GMR, and to street and comp for some bridgestones that saved my ass on many occasions. now, i gotta shave .4 to meet my seasons goal, and then get a podium. new PB is 1:21.3, but we'll fix that in october.
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Originally Posted by 07BladeRider
Just kiddin... I'm really gonna have to wick it up in October to catch back up to everyone I started with this year. Congrats on the 4ths - consistent placement just under the AM podium is nothing to scoff at this early on.
