Wet Hen

Rain continues to fall overnight and into the next morning at Roebling Road.  I am left with no choice but to put the rain tires on the EX500.  The FZR will see no action today unless it dries up.  I could, in theory, swap the wheels from the EX on to the FZR (both bikes run the same wheels) but I have no desire to run the FZR in the rain, and since the Kawasaki is eligible to run all the Yamaha's classes, the EX will be pressed into double duty for the day.

Practice is wet, but the rain tires make it at least tolerable.  I am not overly thrilled about learning a brand new to me track under these conditions, but often you cannot choose your circumstances, it is just a matter of dealing with them.

As it happens, there are three rain tire shod EX500s on the grid for the V5 race.  Kurt Kesler is using his backup bike instead of his FZ600 monster and Michael Wagner is on his 500 as well.  Should be interesting.  I have beaten both of these riders before, but that was in the dry on tracks I knew well.

Wayne Shelton disappears on his lightning quick 550 Yamaha Seca, leaving the EX500 trio to fight for also-ran status.  Rain falls harder and the spray from the bikes compromises visibility, making it necessary to wipe the visor at the end of the front straight before Turn 1.  As the race wraps, I come up on the shortest end of the stick with some intermittent ignition problem rearing it's ugly head during the race, leaving the door open for Kurt and Michael to go by on the last lap, relegating me to the 4th spot.  Some days you have to be happy just not to fall down.