[ND4SPD]

I finished in one piece. That is all for now, I have to go get ready for work, more to come later.

[ND4SPD]

Ok, work is on hold for now so I'll type.

Cue roadtrip home from Grattan on Thursday. About the time I got to Fowlerville, whatever the bug was that had been bothering me started getting worse. Stopped and get some medicine and kept driving. Ended up going to bed Thurs. nite with a fever of 100+. I didn't really do squat on Friday, did all I could to rest up for today. Slept like crap again last night, hit the alarm, took a shower and got on my way.

Ran both practice sessions and did ok. Bike felt good(although bumpy, but that's just the track) and I felt better than I did all week. I did have one rear tire slide in T13 again, and there was also a crash or two during the sessions.

Ate lunch and then ended up missing the first part of the rider's meeting since I was too busy hugging one of the toilets for about 10 minutes. Got back just in time to hear the guy running the meeting say that we are no longer allowed to leave tires at the track because they will be getting rid of the tire walls, probably next season. Also found out in the meeting that the order of the races has been swapped, and the middleweights are going first. There was some other misc. stuff mentioned in regards to flags and also the parade laps everyone will be available to participate in after the 3hr endurance race during which they would also spread some of Bob Stanley's ashes at the track.

We get suited up and do the warmup lap, and line up on the grid. I asked to be gridded in the front of row 7, which put me at the back of the pack, minus two or three other riders. Race director throws the flag annnnd we're OFF! Make nearly a full lap and a rider crashes in T12, yellow comes out, guy is ok, we just keep going. The two guys that started behind me passed me by this time. I was able to keep with one of them for most of the race, but eventually I just let him go. I was staying consistent with my times, I was comfortable, and had no interest in wadding it again so I just kept riding my pace.

There were ~4 other crashes during the race, all but one being in T12-T13 and the other one in T1. The last guy that went down in T13 looked like he crashed just about the same way I did, except he left the track, but left his freakin' bike on the line; as did the corner workers. There were only 2-3 laps left in the race so I don't know if they didn't feel it was necessary to move it or what, but I was utterly angry about it. All the riders got up under their own power and walked back to the pit on their own. The ambulances didn't leave the pits once.

I ended up finishing 11th thanks to the crashes, I guess. I was down by about 4 laps towards the end. There was a guy on a 1krr and another guy on a new R6 that was AB-SO-LOOOTLEY FLOIYING! It seems that they passed me every 3-4 laps.

Anyway, I finished, and I'm happy with that. I ran pretty consistant 1:28-1:30 times through practice and through the race.

But of course, my day wouldn't be complete without me dropping my bike. Came home, unpacked everything but the bike out of the van. I pulled her out of the Baxley and before I knew it the thing was on its side. Came out unscathed other than a shattered $80 windscreen which I had on there for all of 6 days and a cut on my finger.

That's the gist of the day. I'm still getting shivers/cold chills and have a headache so it's time to go drink some water, relax, and hope work doesn't calls until tomorrow.

EDIT: Added a few pictures. Also I forgot to thank Devildawg for stopping out and providing some pit help. Very cool guy with a very clean RC

Congrats on your finish!! Didn't realize you were going to be racing this WE.

[CBRVFR]

Good on ya, Z. Now your confidence will begin to increase, till you're an insufferable punk in the mold of Carl Fogerty.

By the way, I've dropped my bike before. No, really, I have. Honest.

[ND4SPD]

Originally Posted by CBRVFR

Good on ya, Z. Now your confidence will begin to increase, till you're an insufferable punk in the mold of Carl Fogerty.

By the way, I've dropped my bike before. No, really, I have. Honest.

Tell you what man, I literally had to fight the voices in my head. brain...we're doing this I would've been perfectly alright with them throwing the checker after 5 laps. It's over, 8/12 should be easier.

[nhfirefighter13]

You'll be runnin em down in no time.

[Pete]

WAY TO GO Z!!! Hope you feel better soon!

[Baketech]

Thanks for the update Z, was just wondering how it came out...

[DevilDawg]

Z succeeded in what is first and foremost important - bring the bike home. Considering what he had to deal with over the last few weeks, he was excellent today. Usually when you're ill, you can use your head to focus through the discomfort. When that head resonates with recollections of the past, the difficulty increases exponentially. Add to that the Marquis de Sade racetrack he was on today, and I was very impressed with his performance.

[DEPO]

Hey man.... I am glad to hear that this all came out well. I know the demons in your head were playing with you at Grattan. It sounds like a positive way to conquer the beasts. I hope this does not sound corny, but you should be proud of yourself.... I am, I do not know if I would have ever gotten back on the bike.

[jetbdude]

, you looked pretty preoccupied at Grattan, don't give up!

[Hammer]

Ride and ride some more, the demons cannot keep up forever. Getting back on the grid is a major accomplishment.

[Red Rider]

Way to go Z! You'll get back to your old self in no time. Sorry to hear about the bug you had...can't imagine that made Grattan or Nelsons very fun for you being under the weather.

[bwhip]

I'm glad to hear you came through it relatively unscathed, and I know it will just get better and better for you from here. Most importantly, I hope you feel better soon!

Also, thanks again for being such a great host and garage-mate at Grattan. It was great to hang out with you!

[abtech]

[sheepofblue]

Wow I thought you were a bit down, didn't realize you were feeling bad. Congrats on what sounds like an awesome effort. Be careful riding under those conditions though. Hope to see you again next year or before.

[Heavy-Dee]

Thanks for introducing me to another .org member asshat.