Round 3 was canceled due to the loss of land.

Sorry it has been a while since my last race report and this one is overdue. I have a couple more, but will put them in a different topic.

Zars Ranch, Floresville, TX just outside of San Antonio. Track conditions: very dry and dusty. Cactus, cactus, cactus. Don't fall at this one or you won't have a fun day. About an 8.5 mile loop with a VERY DEEP sand section the last 1/2 mile. The rest was a pretty wide single track that crossed back and forth across the property with a few high speed road sections, and a few uphill/downhill sections that were a blast.

Dead engine start and I get it right this time. Started in first gear because the start was also DEEP SAND. Got off the line great and had an inside line, but just didn't have the ganas to hold it on long enough. Next thing I know I'm getting sand blasted and can't see anything until the third turn and I was in about 15th place. As dusty as it was I wasn't too concerned yet, with the race being 2 hours long. The next 3 miles brought a lot of carnage from people getting too excited and trying to win the race on lap 1. I must have passed about 8 people laying on the ground in little heaps.

Laps 2-5 are pretty uneventful. I just maintained a steady pace and picked off a few riders here and there. I pitted after lap 3 and didn't loose any positions. By lap 5 I was praying that was the last lap. I was spent and was so hot and dusty that I couldn't even lick my lips without getting a mouth full of sand. Every time I would take a drink I was having to spit out the first mouthful because it felt like I was drinking mud. Thankfully at the end of lap 5 the checkers were out and I crossed the finish line in 5th.

I didn't have the same stalling problems like before (the race fuel/relay/water in the fuel issue) but it did flame out on me 3-4 times in low speed situations when I would roll back on the throttle. That was something new and I chalked it up to running rich like some people's bikes have been. After the race I took it in for the impeller recall/service and the service manager called me and told me my valve cover gasket was leaking. He discovered this when he pulled the plug and there was oil in the barrel where the plug goes. So now I have a new impeller, valve cover gasket, and map that Cannondale emailed him while my bike was in the shop. All was covered under warranty and I'm still a 100% satisfied customer. Not only that but I have to give a major thumbs up to my shop and the service manager. He returned my bike fully serviced and race ready. They even cleaned the air filters. Both times I've had my bike in the shop they've gone above and beyond the call of duty and done more than they had to and haven't charged me one cent. So major kudos' to Austin Sports Cycles and Charles the service manager.