...And the bad luck continues. The GNFs at Road Atlanta is this week, my races were on Thursday. The bike ran real good during both the morning practices, the first being a short break in the motor practice and the other being an all or nothing practice. When the first race rolls around, I'm already a little upset because of the way they grided us. They placed Clubman in front of us, which turned out to be a bad mistake by the first turn. I made a real nice move by railing the outside in the roughest part of the track and passed almost all of them and a few 125s also. Staying in my unique line up the hill and tapping the grass on the outside-to-inside move turned out real good by time I got to the end of the chicane. I had almost everyone passed and was leading my class when I came around the finish line the first time. Little did I know that right before the halfway point my luck would turn around. Coming down the hill on the back strecth, my bike is wound out as I get all over the brakes for 10a. I float the rear tire into the turn, and apparently set it down to late, right in the middle of the turn. Now if you have ever been to Road Atlanta, then you would know how far the gravel trap is from the inside "gator-backs". As I set the rear tire down the bike starts to step out, then it threw me off, I "...got threw off from the inside of the track and landed face first in the gravel..." and "...went further then (my) bike." as Miles described it to me later that day. So a DNF in the first race would soon continue the streak of bad luck that I have had here lately. I get the bike fixxed and Tony came and teched my bike at my pit to keep me from having to go all the way to the other side to get it teched. Formula 2 is up next and my last chance to grab a grand national title (remeber Mid-Ohio). The start comes and Im ready. A bad start puts me in third for my class yet still in striking distance. As I work my way through a few in my class and some in the expert class, I see the black flag. Not sure if it was me or not, I keep driving. I was running down Russel Wikle Who was winning my class and I catch a glimpse of the black flag again. Still not 100% if Chuck was holding my number as to come in or not, I keep pushing yet again. Now Im really reeling Russ in. I come down the hil torwards the finish line and as I cross for the third time, Chuck is standing in the middle of the track with my number on his board and a black flag. I decide I better get off the track. I knew right when I pulled off what it was. My countershaft seal had a very minor leak and would drip a little bit of oil on the pipe and would make a puff of smoke. I ride down to the start where a few WERA officials are standing to make sure I was right about the problem. After a brief discussion, I rode back up to the pits feeling like a nothing. Feeling s if the national champion title was just stolen from me because I was riding a two stroke, though it was a more mechanical error. So my seasons over. A little soar from all the crashing here lately, but over all wrapped up o.k. I cant wait for next year!