When: August 1, 2004
Where: NHIS
Sunday 8/01
I arrived at the track at about 7am after having been at a wedding in Salem NH the day
before. The wedding was a 14 hour non-stop party, so this race was going to be
rough. It was raining all the way up to the track, and I was hoping for a wet race.
I went out in semi-dry conditions on slicks in morning practice, and almost high-sided coming out of T12. I had been doing pretty well, but got a little too aggressive and the back wheel came out from under me at one of the pavement transitions, but I managed to catch it. Since I didn't do the qualifying sprint on Saturday, I was gridded dead last in 19th spot on the fifth row.
125 GP
It didn't rain for the race. In fact, it was full sun, 85 degrees and super
humid. I got a great start from the fifth row and managed to get myself into 8th
position, then up to 6th by attrition. I battled with a rider for a few laps, but
managed to put him behind me and check out. Around the halfway flag, I started
making a lot of stupid mistakes. My left foot was totally cramped, and I couldn't
get the bike shifted. Just before the halfway mark, I went wide into T3 and almost
went off the track. The next lap, I went wide through T3 again, and ended up going
through a bit of the gravel trap and hopping the outside curb. The next lap, I went
even wider through T3, narrowly missed the wall, and ended up going through the gravel and
up the grass. I had to let a bunch of traffic through, and lost some positions.
I went around once more at a slower pace to make sure I could still get through T3
without crashing (which I did). I realized I was totally dehydrated, and had no
energy. I was making stupid mistakes all around the course, so I pitted in. I
hung out on the hot pit for a while collecting my thoughts, and went back out a few laps
before the end of the race so I would take the checkered flag. On the third to last
lap, I ended up blowing a shift and going off the track again, this time in T12a.
Eventually, I finished the race, and finished in 14th position.
Apparently, 14 hours of partying the day before a 25 lap race at NHIS is not an
appropriate method of training. Note to self.