Friday ------ Load up and head out to work. My trailer's too tall to fit in the parking garage at the new office so, I stash it at the old one and drive over to work. Work let's us go early for the memorial day weekend so, I hit the road Get to the track around 9PM and it's f*cking hot! Saturday -------- Register, tech and head out for my first practice session. I was really apprehensive about this weekend because I sucked so badly at Thunderhill last year - I shouldn't have worried. On the very first lap of the very first session I beat my best AFM time from last year and then I only get faster. The clutch seemed to be dragging and I keep fiddling with it. By the third practice session it's really bad and I begin to worry that I won't be able to race on Sunday. Pete, one of my team mates, makes some suggestions but, I never get to test 'em 'cause it's a new racer school weekend and our practice was over for the day. I figure I can fiddle with it tomorrow by doing the siting lap before every race until I get it right. At any rate, Pete, Will and I head down to the hot pits to pass out water to the new racer's and the instructor's. There was alot of new 250p riders. Yahoo! Apparently, one of 'em, Asaf, is really fast. Gulp. Sunday ------ I was moved up into a faster practice group in the morning practice session which gives me an opportunity to chase some of the top ten in my class and I found a couple more seconds. That put me almost 9 seconds faster than last year! Also, by some miracle the clutch was working great! The Race -------- I was gridded in the fourth row and got a decent start. After some elbow banging I found myself behind John Anner, dicing for 10th place! After a few laps I notice Mike Norman is just ahead of us and I started seeing red. I tried to take John on the outside of turn 3 on lap 5 but the front wheel broke loose, sending me waaaaay wide and I missed my passing opportunity. Frustrated, I went into the cyclone really hot, trying to get by him again. I overshot my turn in marker and ran off the track. Doh. My timesheet shows that I lost 7 seconds on that lap and, to my dismay, Tom Hicks, Jer Stewart and Asaf, taking my top novice spot, got by me before I could get back up to speed. Aaarrrggggghhhh! We almost immediately hit traffic which didn't work in my favor leaving me to dice with Jer Stewart for 13th place (insert more arggghhhs here). Traffic was making it difficult to get by and when she punted one of the 160cc vintage guy's out of her way and off the track in turn 3 I realized that she probably wasn't going to make this easy. I'm unable to get by her and it ends up being decided by a drag race down the front straight which she wins. Damn. I've been pretty down on myself for throwing away my shot at top ten and a trophy but, 14th is my best AFM finish and there's always next time!