2014 Round 1 – Moving on Up

I went into round one with high hopes. This was the first time I was able to spend all day Saturday practicing since i had no official board responsibilities. I could just put my head down and concentrate on bike setup and riding. I had even gotten a full makeover from Lenny Albin and Nitron so the bike was in tip top shape. So of course it rained all day Saturday. No practice.

Sunday morning was cold, but i got out for a single practice before racing started. The bike felt really good after the adjustments but I did not have much confidence on the brakes because of the cold.

Race one was Formula 5 GTU, which had a fairly big grid. I was a bit off my pace but every lap was faster than the last. I caught a couple of guys in front of me and battled with James for the last lap all the way to the line. I dove under him in Release and startled him… i was so focused on if he was ok that i didn’t drive out to the exit and he beat me to the line.

Race two was King of the Mountain GTU. This was my first KoM race. The grid was much bigger than it had been last year, and I was glad I had others to play with after the leaders got away. There was rain in random spots on the track, which was not confidence inspiring. I chased Dana for a couple of laps but he exited after a couple of laps due to the weather. I was disappointed he didn’t stay around to chase. I went faster lap after lap, catching some riders and keeping them behind me. Overall i finished 11th but felt great after a longer race than i typically ride.

I am disappointed i didn’t get a bit more practice this weekend, but i think it was a good start to the season. i was only a second or so off my best on the east course, which for a cold and rainy weekend is pretty great.