Day 5

Day 5, the exact same as day 4. The tests were still in very good shape for all of the traffic they have had. In test 1 of the day I was having a flawless run catching up with riders who had started before me and setting my best time in the test. As I near the finish I had caught another rider and was trying to get around him, we dropped back into a sand section with a sand hill to climb back out. I take an outside line to make a clean pass, I hit a kicker going into the hill, swopping out I lost all momentum for the hill. I tried to make the hill and the back end of the bike just gets buried in the sand, costing me a minute and a half to get it out. Test 2 went as good as it has gone for me. Having trouble with the deep sand whoops and not having the confidence I need for that big of whoops. In my transfer to the half way point of the day, I noticed my 350excf was starting to have a bad bog in the top end. I made it to the gas stop, checked a few things and found nothing wrong. Started out to our emergency gas. At this time the bike is hardly even running. I am starting to think of what it could be, I am thinking the fuel injector is clogged and I don't have anymore with me. I pull into the emergency gas and the USA crew looks at me with a worried look and said it doesn't sound good !!!! We drain the gas hoping I got bad gas. Fill it with new and we still have the same problem. An Australian woman comes over and tells us we need a new fuel filter. And that they have changed several on their fuel injected KTMs. The pit crew scramble to find one! Luckily a KTM support truck was there and a mechanic came over and showed me where it went. We get it changed and the bike fires up and runs awesome!!! I leave the stop 26 minutes late but do not have a time check for a while. I ride like a man possessed, get to my special test and set my fastest time through it and arriving to the time check 7 minutes late. From there I have the sand test which I also set my fastest time through and them back to the main pits and impound for the end of Day 5. After today I finished 28th in the C2 and am in 49th overall in all the club riders.