A new year started with a trip to Carolina Motorsports Park in April. This would be the first actual race in two years. I wanted to use practice as a time to get comfortable again on the bike after the long layoff. Going out for first practice was a nervous time as I had not been on a track at race speeds in over 18 months. Taking it easy to get the feel I headed out. The first section at CMP has seven turns so I just started to feel the bike out. As I headed down the first long straight at speed the lower fairing gave way and wedged under the bike. I had too much speed going into the corner at the end of the straight to pull off at the corner station so I rolled through the corner onto the big straight at CMP and eased off into the grass. The body work under the bike was causing some wild moves as it dug into the dirt but I rolled to a safe stop well off the track. I was able to secure what was left of the lower and head back to the pit at a reduced speed.

I didn’t want the weekend to end so soon so I surveyed the damage and found a large chunk of the lower gone. No way to go back out like that as the lower serves as oil containment in case of an engine failure.

Seeing that a repair was not possible I head out to the nearest store, a Family Dollar, for a turkey pan. Luckily they had just what I needed. I laid the turkey pan in the lower. A roll and a half of roll of Duct Tape later I was ready, just in time for second practice.

Starting slowly again I completed practice by actually passing three bikes in the last two laps. I was still nowhere close to the lap times I have run in the past but at least I was not a hazard.

After a poor start in the race I just concentrated on finishing my first race in two seasons. I ran off track in turn three but completed the race upright in last or near last place.

I labeled the weekend a limited sucsess and headed home happy to have raced again, spent a good weekend with my son and got to see many old friends.