For Round 5, AFM was back at Thunderhill…again. Miles was feeling great Saturday morning and ready to get to it. He was struggling with the front end during the first two practice sessions, but was trying to ride around it. In the third session, the bike slammed him into the ground going into turn 10. He hit his shoulder pretty hard and it hurt to lift his elbow more than 90°. A visit to the medical center, some icing, and a few ibuprofen later, he was back on the bike. Luckily it didn’t hurt too much in the riding position, and he was stubborn enough to keep going. All it took was some suspension adjustments to get the bike back in shape. Too bad Miles hadn’t taken care of that earlier, but lesson learned.
Miles was still having a little trouble with his shoulder on Sunday, mainly with right to left transitions. He was a few seconds off his normal pace in Formula IV, his first race of the day. He finished 12th, but was getting his confidence back. In his second race, 650 Twins, he got a little more time back, but was still off his pace, finishing 9th in a thinner than usual field. His last race was 650 Production, and Miles was running about the same times and brought it home for the day in 7th. Time to get packed up, get some rest and have that shoulder looked at. Hoping Miles is 100% for Sonoma!