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First year with the two digits... how's it gonna fly?
Well, kind of an interesting thing happened on the way to the track... As I was on the highway I looked at my dash and saw "18.7mpg". With 187 being my old number I couldn't help but feel a little sentimental... Not 10 seconds later, on the side of the road, I see "93N Mile 8.2".... with 82 being my new number I couldn't help but think it was more than just a road sign.Good juju, maybe? I thought so
Anyway... on to the races!
Saturday:
Race 2: Expert LWSB - 2nd
I got a great start and was right there in the lead pack into turn 1. On the opening lap Bill Tansey got past me into 3 which put me back to 4th. I watched Rick Doucette, led by Scott Mullin quickly slip off into the distance... there was no way I was keeping up so I followed Bill, studyed his lines, nearly showed him a wheel a couple of times & bided my time until the timing was right. His motor was STRONG and I couldn't stay close enough to get him on the brakes but I finally got my opening on the entry to T1 as Bill had a mis-shift on the front straight, allowing me to keep close. With 3 to go I made a strong move on the outside in the braking zone, made the pass and put my head down to get some distance between us. Some lappers made things interesting but I kept out front and held my position. Scott Mullin unfortunately crashed out in T11 on the last lap which handed Rick Doucette the win, but Scott's misfortune was my good luck and I got myself a 2nd place finish to start off the year
Race 6: Expert LWGP - 2nd
I noticed on the warm-up that my clutch was slipping badly, so by the time we got back around to the grids I feverishly did what I could to minimize it by putting some extra slack in the cable. I got a solid start and found myself in 2nd place early in the race but my clutch was still slipping a little in a couple of places on the track. I nursed it through the race the best that I could and luckily it was Rick that had trouble keeping it on two wheels this time as he crashed out in 1a. Word on the street is that Bill Tansey made some amazing maneuvers and, although Rick's helmet DID glance off his lower fairing, Bill avoided running him over. Unfortunately he went into the tires and retired from the race, but talk about a close call. Rick re-entered the race in a desperate attempt to salvage some points, but a broken front brake lever made finishing impossible. Scott redeemed his earlier DNF with the win and Dan Frisby finished third to round out the podium.
Sunday:
Race 2: Expert GTL - 4th
After an oil change and a very slight tweak on the clutch rod I was back in action. I got another great start from way back on the 3rd row and settled into 3rd place going into turn 1. Scott, Rick and I gapped out from the field early in the race, but Brian Kent worked his way up from 7th to 4th and began hunting me down. As the race neared its conclusion Rick and Scott gapped out and I was slowed up by some lappers which allowed Brian to close in. After some defensive riding Brian made the pass down the front straight with 3 to go and put me back into 4th. I stayed on his tail and tried to give him a fight but that's where it would end, with Rick out front, Scott close behind and Brian in third. With this being my first GTL in over a year, I was just happy to stay consistent, get back into the low 18's and have a clutch that held on strong.
Race 8: Expert LWSS - 2nd
With an amazing start I took the holeshot, put down a strong opening lap with a 1:21.3 and kept my eyes forward knowing that Rick Doucette would be along shortly, ready to pounce. Rick finally made the pass on lap 3 on the brakes into the bowl when I lost my footing and my feet slipped off the pegs a little. I'm sure he would have made the pass regardless but it certianly didn't help me any. I "threw a laso" around him the best I could and kept him within sight but he slowly inched away and stayed well out of striking distance. Scott Mullin made up some ground late in the race but wasn't close enough to threaten my position and finished 3rd.
Best lap of the weekend - 01:18.200, almost a second and a half of my overall best (01:16.578) and within a second of my consistent best (low 17's). Given the cold conditions, I'm very happy with that
Overall it was some great racing and an amazing way to start off the year! Thanks to all of the sponsors in my sig for helping to make it happen and a special shout-out to Alex & Carla of "Bernarditera Racing", Joel Robie and Mark "TLRMan" Bolduc for helping me get my bike back together in time for the weekend
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Originally Posted by csmutty
