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Thursday - Couldn't take an extra day off, been working 12 hour days to help wrap things up before the career change. Get some errands done on the way home, pack up the trailer (had to pack up 4 bikes), get ready to hit the road around 8:30 (way later than I wanted) and find my trailer cord severed. Sweet. I fix the chord, ends up being around 10:00 by the time I eat and am ready to roll, been up since 5:30am, decide to sleep and drive up in the morning.
Friday - Get up while still dark up, and trek to the track (missing practice 1 wasn't too big of a deal afterall since it was a damp cold morning).
Practice 1 - Go out and feel like I'm tied to a poll (felt like 20's), think I ran some 16's or low 17's. Always better to feel slower than you were (rather than the other way around).
Race 4 - MWSB
Gridded somewhere horrible, get way too courteous into T1, end up in 10th off the start. Justin gets by in 1st or 2nd Lap... I make a few passes and end up in 8th or so stuck behind out of town Selpe #114. His bike makes power, so it's tough to get around him and he has a train of us behind him waiting for him to slip up. Follow him around for several laps, on the 6th and 7th Lap I lose 5 positions (one to tim as he got hit by norman) due to lappers (I need to stop playing nice) and finished 13th/19. props to the Tim and Justin for finishing in top 10. Ran a bunch of 16's, because #114 was pacing us, ran a 17.7 and a 20.7 when i was caught up in the 5-wide groups of lapped traffic!!!! ugh.
Race 12 - MWGP (dash for cash)
Gridded ok, still too courteous, come out of T2 in 10th or so... End up in 9th (just out of dash $). I close the gap to 8th, running a 15.1 (Personal Best), then get parked behind him again... pucker moments in the apex with #114 again, to watch him gap me on all the straights. Ran 8 Laps in the 15's, 4 or 5 of them were better than my personal best. Props to Tyler Sweeney for getting into $, making a balls pass around my front tire into 1, and capitalizing on selpe's bobble in 2 (that I had been in position for, and waiting for until then, damn it!). Norman got around in the last lap too, and found his way around 114 of Selpe. Pumped for PB 15.1 (especially after no sleep, and 3 hour drive that morning), but frustrated I am not getting around traffic.
Saturday - Track's wet for practice, feel like crap, decide to rest.
Race 7 - HWSB
They gridded me 2a, but I'm 4th in points (and only 6 behind Carter) so i nicely ask to be put back in 1D. They do so (thanks LRRS!) and I decide I better take meg's advice and not be so nice into 1. I get the PERFECT timing, so close my wrist thought it could be a jump start, and i let off the throttle a touch... sent me bouncing a bit on the launch, was 3rd into 1, but a balls pass in 1a got me into 4th out of 2... I was content. Carter has an outlap of 17.XX to my 19.5 (one of my best outlaps, because I was ahead of a lot of the traffic, but not as fast as it could have been because I was being a puss after some little slippage in warm-up - track was dry, but chilly).
Carter ran back to back 14.9's I strung together 5 14's with 14.5 being my best in Lap 6. I closed the gap up tight, then Carter used a lapper as a nice pic around the treehouse in lap 7, I decided to not follow the lapper around for the next 3 turns (like I had done in fridays race), and zipped around him in 9. Was able to click a 16.0 even with the lapper. Closed the 1/2 second gap back up with a 14.9 to Carter's 15.5 on the 8th lap, but could not find a way around him befor the checker... I finish 0.16 seconds behind my first expert podium, and some very important championship points.
Thought there must have been 2 beacons on the wall, ran to the tech garage, confirmed my 14.5!
Sunday - Throw on some shagged tires for 2nd practice, enjoy the slip and slide, practiced in the 17's, came off when I felt loose.
Race 1 - MWSS
Track was pretty cold, as first race of the day and no sun may do... Got a good start (top 5 I believe) Lyskawa got by me somewhere between 1 and 3, and hoping to get towed but Tyler Sweeney lit a fire and shot by me into 3 and took over 6th. OK then, let's go. put in an 18.3 outlap (my fastest I think) but had some big slips coming from the rear end. It was a Medium rear, on it's 2nd race (they work MUCH better on their 1st race). Backed up my 14's in the 2nd lap, and just seemed to be loosing momentum... the yellow bikes disappeared (later found out Tyler went from a PB in the 15's to a 13.8 that race!!!). On last lap, I was just trying to manage my slides, and Joel got by me in the bowl. Finished 8th. Came off, tire was SHREDDED. pressures were on, so figured it may be weather or suspension. Mike M bouncing around the pits like richard simmons, managed to pop by and sort me out... the faster pace called for some new settings. (I'm logging everything and learning a ton about proper set-up this year).
ASRA race # 4 - The Classic
Rob throws some new tires on (med plus for the long race) - I rest up and psych myself out about being a puss and having to run 20 laps. On both the original start and the restart, riders who think their names allow them to move around on the hot grid in front of me, take the liberty to line up in my way. This wont happen again, as it's very distracting to launch with a rear tire 20" from my front tire. Had a great start on first flag, an ok start on re-start. Was started in 11th (3c) ended up 11th once we got settled in for a few laps. I lost a couple guys I'd like to hang with behind the 114 bike AGAIN.
Running 15's behind him all day, finally got around him mid-race. Chasing him had me spent, so by the time I got around him I only had enough steam for a few more 15's and no 14's... I was able to Gap him and martire, since mike was also caught following him. Got the signal from my pit help that I made a gap, squeezed my tank, and slowed pace about a second for 4 laps or so. My "GAP" signal went away, so I got back into pace until the last lap where I had time to turn around and see my gap. The last 2 flicks through 11a and 12, and turn-ins in the bowl highlighted how tired I was haha. Carter had an easy-off in T3 on the 19th or 20th Lap, and I was able to grab a free spot. Finished 9th in my first race over 12 laps... And first ASRA race. Was pretty cool finding out I was getting a check too! haha.
Hoping that warmer track, and some better starts will find my with a 13.99 this season. I know Tim and Justin are not far behind for the 14's (and kevin either), and I like being their carrot better than them being mine
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