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I was very disappointed with my times last round so I did a lot of head scratching since then to figure out why. After realizing, based on analyzing my GPS data, that my bike was not delivering as much power since my April crash, I changed the pipe, which had a small kink from having been bent in that crash.
Friday Practice: Took it easy for my first session out. Checked my times when I came back in and I was 5 seconds faster than last round!!! Damn, it doesn't take much to slow that little 125 down! Was very relieved that my lack of performance last round was more due to the bike than me.
Friday 125GP: My competitors are Jeff and Rene, who are faster than me and Joe who's running at about my pace and just bumped to AM. I don't get a very good start and end up at the back. Jeff's motor locks up 1 one throwing him off and red flagging the race. After a failed restart, sprinkles give us a 15 minute delay. Rene prematurely calls it quits due to the rain (which is gone by time we restart) , so only Joe and I are left to battle for the win. If I remember correctly, Joe got a better start and was first into one. We swap positions a few times that first lap, but I have a hard time keeping up with him as my bike starts to run rough and loose power in the power band. Joe gets a win in his first AM race and I follow for the 2nd place, 3 seconds slower than my practice times that morning.
That was the only race I had planned on doing, but my motor issues in the race left me unsatisfied with my weekend. The gurus in the 125 garage suggest my spark plug might be the problem so I change it for a new one and test it out at next morning's practice.
Saturday Practice: The bike is running fine again, so I decided to register for GTL despite being slower than anyone else in that race.
Saturday GTL: Got an OK start and got by a 125 that I had not seen before. I pushed hard trying to catch up to Bill on his hawk and to keep the mystery 125 behind me. Well, that 125 gets by me, and as laps go by, Bill slowly increases the gap between us. I slow down slightly towards the end as I feel a bit sloppy as I get tired, so I'm satisfied to just finish as the back marker.
I'm still 2 seconds off my PB, but after my disappointing second round, I'm happy with that. Now, my PB is back within reach and I can focus on getting better than I ever was instead of as good as I used to be. Hopefully a couple of TTDs and a trip up to Canada for a round of racing at Shubenacadie will help me get my times back under the 1:30 mark before the next LRRS round.
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Originally Posted by PainfullySlow
