End of the region
Virginia International Raceway (VIR) - Alton, VA
September 23-24, 2006

Well, this is it, the last round in the SE region of the CCS series. Currently I sit in 6th place in the 125GP class in the SE region. If I win the race this weekend, I would be out of reach of 1st place by a mere 10 points, so it looks like 2nd overall is the best I can do... Not bad considering I missed about 5 of 10 regional races this year. If I hadn't crashed at Jennings, I could easily have taken 1st place overall. But oh well.. there's always next year.

I get to the track Sat morning, and setup camp. With Rebecca on bed rest, I'm racing solo this weekend and she's gonna just drive up to watch the race. It should be a low-key weekend, but looking around the paddock proves otherwise. Looks like lots of riders showed up. I setup camp and go through tech in time for morning practice. It's a little chilly, so I take it easy in first morning practice. Don't wanna take any chances on a cold track.

The endurance race was supposed to be first, then regional races, but it looks like they changed it around, bonus. Regional race are first, THEN the endurance is aftwards. Great, now I can be finished earlier.

So, I hang out and wait for GTL, race #5. First call sounds and I get ready and warm up the bike. Third call sounds and I head out for the warmup lap. We grid up and the flag drops. We're off. I get a decent start, but still all the SVs & Buells run away into T1. Let the games begin, time to play catchup. By T3 I catch up & pass the stragglers, and start the hunt. The first lap is tough, and as every turn goes by, the further and further the faster SVs get away up front.

After a few laps, I pass most of who I normally would and start to try and catch up to the faster SVs. They're a ways off, but every lap I get closer to a couple of them. I make a couple passes, but still not near the lead pack. They got too far ahead too quickly to make up any ground and catch them. I end up finishing 13th out of 24.

Sunday I head out in practice and get ready for the 125GP race - race #3 of the day. This is great b/c I finish racing before lunch time! 3rd call sounds and we head out to the grid. There's about 9-10 125s here, and I've got my eye on Steve. I beat him in the GTL race, but I know he's fast, as he's gonna be tough to beat if he gets away from me. The flag drops and we're off. I lead into T1, but the Steve passes me coming out of T3. Shit. OK. Let's play...

So I decide to follow Steve tight and see what happens. Well, that was the plan at least. Steve leads me around the first lap, and he's got the juice turned on. I'm doing all I can to keep up. So during the next 3 laps, I try to reel him in to keep myself in check, and maybe try and Duhamel him, but damn, I can't seem to reel him in. He's only about 8 bike lengths ahead of me, but I just can't get close enough to pass. He's not making any mistakes, and we start to get into traffic.

I have a chance, as by lap 5 I've closed it up a couple bike lengths, but he is successful through traffic and I don't get a break. Only 2 laps left, not totally out of range, but it's gonna be tough beating him for the win. I put my head down as it's now or never.

Coming around T3 I slide the rear, the making of a highside, but keep on the gas and prevent it. However, I've just lost any ground I've made up on Steve. Fuck. Now I'm about 10 lengths behind him and lost my momentum. I maybe close the gap by 1 bike length as we come around for the white flag lap. I look back on the straight and there's no one behind me. I need to finish the race if I want to come in 2nd overall, so I decide to hang tight and take 2nd in the race, so that I can take 2nd overall in the region, and I do. I woulda really liked to have won the race, but if I crashed trying, and ruined my chance at 2nd overall in the regional series, I woulda been pissed at myself.

So, that's it for me and the 2006 CCS regional series. In the 125GP class, I end up 2nd in the SE region, and 3rd in the MA region! The last race of the year is at Miller Motorsports on Oct. 20-22 for the USGPRU National Championship final round. Till then...