WKA National Road Racing Series
Road Atlanta
November 12-14, 2004

What a weekend!! This weekend we were racing at Road Atlanta for the last race of the 2004 WKA National Road Racing Series. Friday started off bad with rain all day. That meant we got no practice. Not good for a track I've only been to once and that was in a different class!!

Saturday morning was a scramble. I started with a gear that I thought would be good. After one very, very frustrating practice (there were so many people on the track you couldn't get a decent lap) I decided to add three teeth. It was a shot in the dark. I went back out in the second session. I got more RPM that time, but still there was so much traffic I couldn't tell by lap time if I was any good. After talking it over with dad and learning the next practice session would only be six minutes, I decided to just stay where I was and get ready for the race.

We were the second race up and started around 11:45. The sun still wasn't out, but at least the track was dry. At the drop of the green flag I got a great start. By turn one I was in third place behind Jim and Lance Fry. I knew I had to stick with them because they work well together and will leave you the first chance they get. As we went into turn three number 68 (Kevin Thompson) rocketed by all three of us. He was gone!

I stayed with Jim and Lance and tried not to be too racy. It was hard though. They had more straight speed than I did, but I could pull them coming out of the turns. I rode behind Jim for a while, then going into turn ten a yellow bullet went flying by me....it was Lance. I was able to keep up with him at the exit of the turn and down the hill. I rode behind him until we got to turn seven. I was faster at the exit and passed him there. Then I drafted behind Jim and we were slowly catching Kevin.

Working together we caught him and were able to draft by him. Jim passed him first. I stayed behind the two of them, but knew I HAD to stay with them or they'd leave me. The next lap coming out of turn ten I pulled next to Kevin and passed him going down the hill. Then it was Jim and me again. I started thinking (this is bad) that I had never led a national and I wanted to. So the next lap I passed Jim coming out of seven and led all of the way to the line. Then he passed me in turn one. But I finally led a national!

From there I stayed behind Jim trying to strategize for the end. Our race was only 40 minutes, so that meant about 20 laps. I decided I would ride behind him until lap 18 and pass him every time coming down the hill after that until we got the checkered flag. This was about lap 14. On lap 15 Kevin passed me again, there went that plan. Because he and I were racing Jim got a way from us a little. We worked together to catch back up to him. One time going into seven I locked up my brakes and passed Kevin not meaning to. Another time I tapped him coming out of ten. I felt bad about it, but at least we were still working together to catch Jim.

My MyChron gauge said lap 20 was complete when we finally caught Jim. I knew it would be checkered next time by. I rode behind both of them through seven and down to 10. We were all in line. At the exit of 10 I got beside Kevin. I was gaining fast on Jim and stuck my nose to the inside. I was hoping he saw me because I was coming fast. He saw me and I was right on the rumble strips. I had my head up the whole time trying to see if I was ahead. Then it occurred to me I'd be faster if I put my head down. I was pretty sure I won, but not certain. When we came in there were lots of smiles (mostly me and dad).

I rolled into tech and they told me I won!! Not only did I lead my first national....I won my first national...and at Road Atlanta no less!! It was awesome. I went through the tech drill. Tom, the tech guy, tried to give me a heart attack by asking me if I knew what the reading on my motor meant. Of course I don't, dad's the mechanic...but he played along. Tom went on for about a minute, then stuck his hand out and said congratulations. I WON, I WON, I WON!!!!!!!! The final margin of victory was .023 seconds!!

I made the comment Sunday morning that I thought I would go ahead and retire while I was on top...yeah right : ) Since I had so much pull in Saturday's Lite race I decided to run the same gear I had on for Medium. I practiced in the first session, never got a clean lap, but could tell I was faster on the straight, so I said I was done and got ready for the race. Dave, Chuck, Charles and Dad wanted to check me for fever because I never miss a practice!

I got another good start and was in second behind Lance going into turn three. At the exit Terry Russell passed me. There were cones everywhere in the track, so we had to maneuver around them. I stayed with Lance and Terry the whole first lap. Terry passed Lance between turns seven and ten so I was right on Lance's bumper. On lap two at the exit of ten I passed Lance and was in second. At the exit of seven I passed Terry and led for two laps. I figured that wouldn't last long, and it didn't.

Going into ten Terry passed me again and I settled in behind him. We were passed by a kart in another class and Terry got a lead on me on the straight. It took Lance and I (I didn't know he was there until after the race) about four or five laps to catch Terry, then Lance went past me going into ten. I could pull next to him at the exit, but decided to ride there for now. We were now over half way and the faster classes were catching us. I seemed to loose Lance and Terry a little every lap. I could gain on them through the back half of the course, but I would lose it all in turn three.

Eventually we came up on lapped traffic in our class and I had a hard time getting by. With Lance and Terry working together they pulled a lead on me. With about four laps to go I caught another lapped kart and made a move to pass him that cost me. I got all up on the rumble bumps in turn seven and almost lost it. I held on though. I finally passed him going into turn two, but Lance and Terry were gone. They were both battling each other, so I just watched and hoped I could catch them. By the end of the race they had about six seconds on me. I finished third, but I'm still very, very happy with that. In one weekend I got two podiums.

Dad finished fourth in his race. Charles had another bad weekend. He didn't complete a lap on Saturday. Sunday he was running good when he stripped the belt. He got that changed only to have the starter nut come off.

My next race will be the national at Daytona. It's a whole different ball game, but we'll see how well I can play!!