Overall not a bad day for my first time back in at least a year.

Not many people were at the import event today, so before I did any actual time trials I was able to get in 8 open runs. Best run of the day (very warm day, out of practice, new header) was a 15.4 at 91.2 mph. I had four 91+ MPH runs with only some wheelspin and for a warm day like today and with me out of practice I'd say that means my top end seems pretty good with this new header.

As for the competition, it was weird today. I got through the first round without much trouble. The second round was against a Nissan GTR (yes someone bracket racing a GTR and running 11.8 with it, stock!).

I lined up for this run and my car is stationary at the starting light, and I mean it did not move at all, foot on the clutch on the floor, so the lights start to drop, it gets to the 2nd yellow light and just stops, but with no red light lighting up indicating a false start! And the car didn't move anyway! The other guy runs and it shows he wins, so I went and asked the track officals what happened? I couldn't have red lighted because the car didn't move! The tires were still in the beams. So I ask for a rerun as there must have been some kind of technical fault. They agreed (yes I was surprised too they could have just said too bad, tough s...) and so the GTR and I line up again.

Anyway, I knew that if I'm going to complain about it, I had better win. So I ran the GTR and had a better reaction time, a very good 60' and decent launch. The GTR started second as his dial in was much lower than mine so he is charging up fast (REAL fast!) but just at the end I got ahead of him by 4/100ths of a second.

So I advance and make it through the 3rd round (semifinals) and get to the 4th round (finals) against an older gentelman I have raced before a number of times in an old roadster with a modded VW engine in it. So we start the run and I stick the launch, I mean the best of the day and had a real good reaction time too, and I even said to myself "hmm, I really nailed that, i hope I don't break out..." He comes charging up and I see I'm a little ahead so I let off just before the end. My nose is ahead by just a 1/4 car length if that, and at the end he got the win, making 2nd place for me. We BOTH broke out, but he did by just 0.01 or so, while even with letting off I was 0.07 off my dial in. Another good close race. It would have been a faster run.

So I go to the tech shack with my friend, he picks up his 1st place and I as "ok where's the 2nd place trophy?" and they don't have any... I was besides myself, after such a long day, having to fight to get a clean race against the GTR and beating him, and then a tough final race I get..... nothing? This is the first time at NED for any of these import events where they didn't give trophies to all the finalists. Quite a disappointment.

So while it was an up and down day, it looks like maybe the new header is helping the top end a little, and after being so out of practice to get to the finals is a good showing, even if I didn't get to bring home any hardware.