Got a great start and was in the top-10 going into the second corner. Someone ran their right side tire up my left rear, up my back and over my shoulder. I looked to my left and all I saw was someone's skid plate about a foot from my face. Luckily I ducked in to the right and escaped the carnage.
Got into the woods and escaped a bottleneck. Hit another bottleneck and stalled on a log on the side of a hill, that lost me about 30 seconds. Got back running and started making back a couple of positions. It was pretty hard to pass but I started picking some better lines once I got the flow going. I managed to pick the perfect line through the infamous mud pit, and I escaped without a drop of mud on me.
After the first lap I was flying through an open whooped out section and noticed that something felt wrong. Looked down and the top snap ring in my Roll a-arm gave way, which pulled the bearing out of the sleeve. I had to get a tow back to the trailer where my pit crew and I got her back together, but not after I lost at least a half hour.
Magically the snap ring stayed in place, and i went the rest of the 10 miles of track until i reached the mud pit again. Made a big rookie mistake by assuming the first line I took would be there again. Well it was an absolute pond by the time the entire morning class went through it. It was too late to go back so I gassed it at the last second and didn't even come close to making it. Slammed right into the water and heard my air-box start guzzling water. I let it settle a bit before taking off, but I only made it another hundred yards or so before she quit for good
All in all I had an absolute blast. Didn't finish exactly how I wanted to, but I got a lot of good racing in and learned what the nationals are all about. I'm completely hooked on this type of racing and plan on doing many more next year
