Friday night we headed to Kanawha Valley to do a little testing. The week before, Kanawha Valley had to change the timing system and thus changed the lights in the tree. So I struggled. With those results, we made the decision during the week to head to the track on Friday so I could work on my reaction times.
The results were mixed for sure. My reaction times for the night were, .022, .023, .036, .001, .046, and .023. Needless to say those were less than stellar as far as consistency goes. So after mixed results on Friday we headed home, only to hook back up and head back to KV Saturday for a weekly points race.
As Saturday rolls around, lets just say it was hot. During the first 2 time trials my reaction times were decent, .026 and .021. At least they were close enough to each other that I could adjust the delay box accordingly. However during the 3rd time run I had a blistering .049 reaction time. So after feeling good, my confidence took a big hit heading into eliminations.
Once eliminations rolled around lets just say that things got better. In the first round I have a .009 reaction for the win. This gave me the confidence need to win the next few rounds.
As the night continues, I find my self in the semi finals. The semi final round was an important one for me because if I won the round I would overtake Jeff Higgins for the points lead. In the semis I dial a 5.30 to my opponents 6.37. I leave with a .036 light to his .051. So even though I would not call that a great light, I had a 15 thou advantage, which I will take any day. I catch him and pedal to run a 5.324 on my 5.30 dial to his 6.382 on his 6.37 dial. I win. I crossed first by .0029. Basically I did a poor job of pedaling and almost gave back up the strip. Off to the finals!!!!
In the finals I keep my 5.30 dial. My opponent is dialed a 6.61. I leave with a .0149 reaction to his .0299. So once again I have a 15 thou advantage!! (This makes the whole winning thing a lot easier.) We get down the track and I pedal once again. This time I run a 5.331 on my 5.30 dial as he runs a 6.644 on his 6.61 dial. I cross first by .018 to take the WIN!!!! Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!
This win was my 3rd win of the season is my 4th final. Also by winning I took the Pro points lead at Kanawha Valley by 10 points (2 rounds). There are 3 points races remaining. I am sitting in good position, however I would like I little more breathing room.
Next week we head back to Kanawha Valley as there are 2 points raced scheduled. So this is a big weekend in deciding my chances of winning the Track Championship.
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Until next time: Hit it Hard, Hit it Fast!!
