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NV GTL 2nd, NV LWSB 3rd
(and a few new tricks)
Practice on Saturday, 2 races on Sunday was the plan, partly to eliminate that long-ass wait between practice and race 9 on Saturday, partly because of the apocalyptic heat forecast. Practice on Saturday felt relaxed and slow, I was hoping that meant I had been fast. Checking the time sheets confirmed I had been relaxed and...slow. As usual, 2 to 3 seconds off race pace, despite my best efforts to close the gap.
Sunday practice I finally reached my race pace...from my first weekend (round 2).Meanwhile my pit mate Mad Max #500 set a new PB in practice, as usual a couple seconds faster than my PB.
Sunday race 3 NV GTL: I gridded in 1C, thought I got a decent start but Doug Santerre in 1D got his usual ridiculous holeshot and disappeared towards T1, followed by Mad Max #500 and me, with a red SV (Mark or Adam?) beside me on the inside. I yielded to the red one inside and made up the two places into second by T6.
I had hydrated well, felt much fresher than the last round, and got into a pretty good groove. Mad Max was gone, it was lonely, so I tried some new stuff:
- I ran over the end of the curb by the beach in T3 three times, finally decided to turn in earlier.
- I took T11 a little faster, didn't change my turn-in for T12, went through the grass, bounced through the crater and storm drain, and if I didn't take out the cone it's a miracle. It was bumpier than I liked, so I changed my turn-in there too.
- I perfected a tight T2 apex, took out a cone with my shoulder, and backed it off a few inches.
- Got a big wag out of the bars under power over the bumps in T10 and ended up right at the left edge. Reminded myself to take it tight and exit in the middle like I'm supposed to.
- Last round my left knee had a mystery scuff, never happened before. This race, I caught it on something in T1 again.
WTF, I'm dragging my knee!
It kept happening in T1, then regularly in T6. Only took 1:26's for it to happen.
- I made sure to flap my chicken wings every few laps, and found I could take my left hand off the bar and stretch in T6 if I needed. Lappers in the second half of the race spiced things up a little, and I waved to a pit mate I recognized.
- Oh yeah, new PB of 1:25.552 on the next to last lap. As usual, after I tell myself to chill and cruise to the end I reel off my best lap. Had a good string of 1:26's and 27's earlier in the race. 2nd place.
race 9 NV LWSB: Gridded in 3B, next to last, because my only other LWSB was a mechanical DNF. Had an OK start, everyone was polite through T1 as usual in Novice, and I was in 6th.
A great battle: Got up to 4th pretty quickly, but was in a four bike train going into the T3 chute behind a slower bike, #920 Jay McCarthy? in front of me and #330 John Banwell? right behind. We all caught up as he checked up in T3, I checked up and John made a great move (around the outside?) to slip between me and Jay. The three of us all got by quickly after that, but now I was last in our three bike train. We stuck together for 3 laps until Jay? went off roading in T5. He stayed on the gas but I got by anyway, and tried to get by John for the rest of the race.
I usually caught up to John under braking, especially T1 and T3, but he was a rocket through T3 and up the hill, and out of T12. I was always faster into T1, got ahead on the outside once, but not far enough to be comfortable and fell back for 1A.
Then it was a flagging drill. Someone off outside of T9 (One Footed Kid? is she OK?) meant we saw standing yellows, waving yellows, the fluids/debris flag and ambulance flag for what seemed like the rest of the race. I let John get too far ahead trying to make sure I wasn't trying to pass in the wrong corners and ended up 3rd. That was the hardest I've had to race yet, didn't beat my PB from the GTL but had a blast. I'll be behind a lot more traffic next round I think....
I have to look up both John and Jay to introduce myself next round, never bumped into them as they're in the garages and I'm in the dirt.
Thanks to: Chris (Mad Max) for the company, shade, and chair. Our new pit mate Aaron (RocketPunch). Continental Tires for still sticking and wearing well. All the other NV LW guys for being friendly and safe.
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Originally Posted by CBR929RE
