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Didn't know if I should even bother with a race report because I kind of feel like I don't have anything exciting to write about, but what the hell...
This weekend was a big dissapointment for me, mainly because I had so much time off from work and wasn't able to capitalize on it at the track. I wanted to do Penguin on Fri., but didn't have the cash so I came up anyway and got my bike sorted out (needed a new footpeg and numbers after last round's lowside). I pre-reg'd for an extra race on Sun. but that never happened... . I was pretty pumped to race because not much time had elapsed since last round, and things I learned were pretty fresh in my mind. The weather was good, I didn't have to work on Mon., and my bike was back together so everything was there for a great weekend of racing... but it didn't turn out that way...
Sat: Went out to practice looking to work on a few things, but really just ended up riding around the track trying to get through T3 faster than last weekend. I spent some time watching the fast guys go thru there, and then tried to take the same line, but the bike just feels like it is going to go down if I pushed any harder through there, so I kind of just accepted that until I do something about my bike's stock suspension set-up, I'm not going to get the traction I need to haul ass thru there (or anywhere else for that matter).
Race 1 MWSB: Gridded in the last spot due to my crash/dnf last weekend. I pulled off a decent start and took a couple places into T1... like last weekend, I felt like I was hauling, but never really passed anyone else, and spent the whole race chasing someone who slowly got away. On the the last lap, some expert caught me going into T12, forced his way by and I almost went into the grass killing my drive and allowing Jimmy 2 shots to get right on my ass before the finish. I thought he was going to pass me but I made it to the finish ahead of him and 1 other.
Race 10 MWGP: Before this race, my daughter and neice were sitting on my bike... playing with things... . I went to start up my bike and it was in gear, w/the tire warmers on... . Then I go for my front brake and the lever had been moved way out. I was a little aggravated and my mind wasn't focused... Again I was starting from the back and got another decent start. The race was exactly like race 1... just going as fast as I felt I could go w/out upsetting the bike too much. I can either push it and crash, or do a steady pace and finish, so that's all I really did. Turns out the steady pace I can do w/out getting scary is only 1:24/1:25ish, so not good enough to be competetive. I had one exciting moment though, and before some goon tries to blast me for bringing it up, I only mention these things because people love to ask me, "how is it getting lapped by the fast guys????".... well, at some point in the race on the way through T2, one of the fast dudes on a yellow R6 w/"Boo Boo"??? on his leathers literally rubbed me as he went by. I mean he came up beside me, rubbed my front tire w/his back tire like twice, looked back at me, and took off. I thought for sure we were going down, but maybe he's done that shit before and knew it would be okay? I didn't move an inch, never touched my brake, and just held my line, fully leaned over while some dude rubbed my front tire w/his back tire... I thought that was pretty badass after I realized I didn't crash! Anyway, Jim and another guy got by me, and I couldn't catch them so I finished 2nd to last.
Sun: This is a morning that changed how I'll be doing things in the future. As sat. night progressed, there were drunks showing up to hang out at the fire, loud music, etc... I stayed up until about 10 w/my wife while my 2 yr. old daughter who was visiting for the 1st time slept in my tent about 20ft. away from the ruckus. My wife asks to keep the noise down as we go off to bed. A few hours later I'm just about to fall asleep when I am awakened by some idiot screaming "Cowboy" singing along to Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive which is playing loudly in the background. He does it again, and if you've ever been about to fall asleep and then woke up by something over and over, you know how pissed off I was getting. I look at the clock... 1:30am... my daughter wakes up, then my wife, then we all sit in the tent pissed off trying to get my daughter back to bed. When I finally wake up around 7am, my wife leaves and due to the fog there is only 1 practice which I miss because I'm trying to get some rest before the GTU. I just realized that my brain was in a fog, and I was way to pissed off and tired, to race. I packed my shit and went home pissed that I wasted a perfectly good Sun. where I didn't have to work the next day and lost 140 dollars and 2 races because some people like to do their partying at the track. I know some people will say just wear earplugs, or, its loudon that's what happens, etc... but it is just not what I think of when I come to race. I want to be in bed early, fresh and alert in the morn. thinking of nothing but how badass it is going to be to ride my motorcycle on the track. So my only option is to get away from the noise and not pit w/the LDR guys, because my original plan was to take this racing thing somewhat seriously and try to progress, but that ain't gonna happen if I can't even get a decent night's sleep. Maybe if I was younger like when I used to ride dirtbikes after drinking all night and throw up in the woods, and all that shit, but I'm all set with that now. I may even take the last round off, get my shit together to come back next season a little better off as far as camping and bike set-up goes. Right now I dont' know, but either way I'll be camping somewhere far away from T1.