So this is my first 3-day National. I managed to luck into being able to work remotely, so I drove down to Baltimore from NYC. I stayed close to the track in a really nice area. The big hotel room made it easy for working on the bike, practicing my gates, and on Friday morning, getting some work done. 

I headed over to the track in plenty of time so I could get suited up and ready to practice. That's when disaster struck. Somehow taking the bike out of the car, I knicked the valve stem on the back tire and it deflated in a few minutes. So I pulled myself together and headed over to the guys at J&R's and for $10 they got me back up and running. Unfortunatly, I didn't get to practice on the track. Very nerve wrecking to be going somewhere new to race and never having ran a lap on the track. But fortunately I lucked into a triple points race with a couple of nice guys. Brandon was also 35 and Dennis was 37. They bumpped us up and made a 36-40 class and so I got to race some good guys. Brandon smoked us and I got smoked by Dennis pretty good. But in the main, I help my own pretty decent and finished only a few bike lengths back. It was a moral victory considering Dennis had been racing since he was 12 and rode a cruiser.

Saturday would make sure that I didn't have the same problems, so I was extra cautious with the bike. I also hit up Costal Bikes and got a new tire on the front so that I have 1.75" Super Block tires on the front and back. They also moved me from a 44-tooth to a 45-tooth front chain ring. I felt that gave me a little bit of an added boost. I may go up to a 46, or pull my cog off and drop from 16 to 15 just to try things out. The day was another total points race, but this time we were joined by a 29 wear old who had raced forever and just came back from racing dirt bikes. He smoked us both and it was a battle for 2nd. Obviously Dennis beat me with his experience and his cruiser, but i'm starting to feel more comfortable. Now if i could just avoid random wrecks that send the bike flying into the stands, that would be good for business.

Sunday was a disappointment. I woke up early to find that my class didn't make and so Dennis and I were bumpped into the 41 and over group along with a couple of 47 year olds. Their class and fallen off and so we were the 8 guys over the age of 15 all in one moto. The good news was that Dennis didn't show up, so I managed to get 7th in the first moto and 4th in the 2nd. That sent me to the main where I finished 7th overall. It's a little disappointing compared to the third place trophies that I had in my collection, but it was an experience. The guys I raced with were nice.

The track in Baltimore is awesome. I'd glady drive back or take the train down to race here again. It was a great experience and I look forward to doing it again. Thanks to everyone for a great experience.