Don't fix it if it ain't broke
Virginia International Raceway (VIR) - Alton, VA
June 25-27, 2004

This weekend is a FUSA weekend which means lots of people. So I decide to pack up the trailer on Thurs. and drop it off Thurs evening to get a good spot in the paddock.

The gates don't open till 5pm and I get to the track ~6:30. There's plenty of space for pickin, and I plop down next to some of the other 125ers and strategically spread out the 2 canopies and trailer to save some space for Reet (my teammate) and Dennis & Stu. I unload the bike and get through registration and tech just before they close for the night (7pm). My job is done, and I head home.

Friday. I'm going solo today b/c Rebecca can't take off work. I get to the track early and Reet is already there next to me. I setup camp and get ready for practice. We go out for 2 sessions and I get up to speed quickly. Our 1 and only race today is #5 so we have time to chill. We relax till ~2pm and it's time to get our game face on. We turn on the tire warmers and get the jetting and gas ready for the race.

We go out for the race. I get a decent start and immediately after T1 start mixing it up with the SVs. Coming around T9, Reet is behind me, another 125er to my right, and my friend Pete in front. Pete has a problem, puts his hand up and starts slowing down. I have nowhere to go but around the outside (left) of him. As we switch back to the right, he starts drifting to the left to get off the racing line, and unknowingly pushes me off the track.

"OH SHIT here we go again!" I say to myself. Off the track into the grass, I hold on for dear life. I manage to keep it up through the grass and putt my way back onto the track. I'm now near last place. "FUUUUUCK!" I scream to myself in my helmet. I was doing well but now... my race is over. So I try and make up a few spots.

After about 7 laps, I come around T3 and notice Reet has crashed. As we go around the rest of the lap the red flag comes out, then the ambulance flag. "Oh shit I hope that's not Reet," I say to myself. We roll onto hot pit lane and sit and wait to see what the call will be; continue the race or end it. They're running behind due to a # of crashes, so they call the race. I land a 14th place finish out of 25 racers.

I quickly drop off the bike in the paddock and goto medical and indeed it's Reet they took away. His shoulder hurt so they sent him to the hospital to get x-rays. I pack up and take some clothes to him. Turns out nothing's broken. He tore a ligament in his shoulder and they put it in a sling and give him pain killers. Unfortunately his weekend is over.

Saturday. Rebecca heads to the track with me. Today I've got race #1 & 10 (first and last races), then the USGPRU qualifying session. I head out for the CCS 125GP race, and it's fairly uneventful for me. I get a decent start and hold my spot and end up battling with Brad Reese for a couple laps, but fail to beat him to the line at the checkered. I finish 10th out of 25.

Next up is LWGP, against all the built SVs. Good start but have a tough battle against the SVs I make a couple passes and finish 16th out of 29. Finally is the USGPRU qualifier. I get out and work my way up to speed, looking for someone to hunt down and I find John Klaras. I chase him for a couple laps and turn my fastest time ever, a 1:39.77. SWEEETT!! I qualify 11th out of 32. I'm happy and we go home.

Sunday, the big day. The National 125 race. While getting ready, I decide to try something different, a small change to the bike to try to give it a little more 'punch' coming out of the turns. BAD MOVE. I get out for the race, and the bike is not running very well. It's sluggish and not revving out. I put too large of a jet in and it's feeding the engine too much gas and basically 'flooding' it. "DAMMIT!!!!" I end up turning 1:41-42's and finish 17th out of 31. I'm pissed at myself, as I could have finished 4-5 spots higher.

Oh well, I learned my lesson of not to fuck with the bike if it's running good and to only 'try out' settings on a practice day and not a race day. I decide my bike is fast enough as is and I really need to focus on learing to ride the damn thing to turn faster times instead of trying to squeeze out more power. So I change focus from here on out.

Overall, it was a great weekend. I did better than expected and got my goal of a lap time under 1:40. Next up is RRR, which we're not really looking forward to b/c of the heat.