In a nutshell: crazy.  How else do you put it??  So sit back and relax; as one might imagine, this recounting of events may take a moment....

Let us start with the location.  Texas is a large state.  Depending on a specific location's position within said large state can mean a difference of 10 hours driving.  Easily.  It should come as no surprise then that College Station, the mailing address for the...eh hem...'vintage' circuit better known as Texas World Speedway, is located almost as far a possible from home base in Huntington Beach.  Now, we will not dwell on this point longer than necessary to establish the relative distance other than to point out that TWS is, in fact, pretty f*&$ing far.  Alas, we are racers and this is what we do, so a nice leisurely four-day-roundtrip drive in the still new Möbius hauler was shaping up to be a momentous occasion.  It didn't dissapoint.

Since the trip was under heavy planning for all of approximately one day, the agenda was quite simple.  Friday open practice was sold out already and Saturday was to hold endurance races for the majority of the day save for two short practices afterwards to serve as warmup for USGPRU qualifying in the afternoon to close out the day.  Yes, two 15 minute sessions and qualify at a track 1500 miles away that the boys had never seen before, noting that the last time Vince was on the bike, just several days earlier, it was cutting out severely with no clear explanation.  In any event, the track security - known to be quite the cavalry, and this is really not surprising given the environs - had a clear curfew of 22:00.  For the plan to work properly, the team had to arrive before this time on Friday night in order to get into the facility and setup the pit as it would double as sleeping quarters.  Allocating two days to complete the estimated 24 driving-hours seemed prudent enough for a leisurely pace and the boys planned on a Thursday morning departure from home base.  Adding another two day allocation for the return drive after the race would yield a bit more time and a possible stop enroute home, thus completing the planning phase.

Preparations began Wednesday evening with a quick once-over of the E-350 and its PSD heart.  As it had not been done since reception, a change of the engine and transmission oil was deemed mandatory.  Four gallons (yes, gallons) of Mobil Delvac 1300 Super Heavy Duty Diesel Motor Oil and a relatively painless transmission pan dropping later we were ready to load the new girl up.

It would be the 'maiden voyage' for the new transporter and the extra capacity of the extended body was already paying dividends.  With Möbius Racing Team Mascot, Lola, unfortunately forbidden from TWS - with the rest of the paddock pooches - her bed in the back of the van was folded up and all the bits and spares and such were loaded in with the boys personal effects, leaving enough room for a makeship sleeping lounge in the rear.  Behind, the NSP Racing trailer was in-tow, the Diesel tractor ready to stretch her legs a bit.

With that, the boys retired for the eveing, lulled asleep by the late hour to which they worked and a few Guiness'.  Of course, not before long, it was time to go again; a theme that would recur throughout the next few days!  Unfortunately, their massive attempt to square things up and remain ahead of the game by working into the late evening removed the possibility to rise before the rush hour of the Southern California freeway system and beat the eastward bound traffic.  So, plan 'B' was put into effect: to delay departure until after the bulk of the herd had passed.  Could it be then that the boys somehow managed to fiddle-faddle the morning away and not leave until 11:00?!  C'est vrai.  But with a full tank of sweet, syrupy fuel oil and working some 12+ mpg on the 35 gallon tank, it wasn't until 17:00 that the rig came to its first pit stop in Phoenix.  In betwixt, the van had absolutely stomped its way up, over, and through the rugged hills of the CA and AZ high desert; the cruise control effecting auto-drive and the dual air conditioning keeping things frosty.  To complete the driving package, the newly installed CD player and ergo-comfort modeled seat coverings were pampering the boys like van-VIP's.

After an all too brief filling of the tanks, including the bellies of our intrepid duo, they were off again not to stop until a good ways into New Mexico with the clock showing 22:00.  The goal for the evening was to be inside the Texas border before sleeping and after another shot of fuel the final push for the day saw a brief shot over the line of the Lone Star State, a quick traverse of not-so-tasty lookin El Paso to a little freeway-side hamlet and a nice enough looking motel that smelled of thick curry and incense. Ummmmmm.  It was a few ticks past 01:00 Friday and the eyelids were down like concrete blocks, just beyond halfway to their ultimate destination.

The procession east resumed early the next morning and continued thusly thoughout the day.  Texas is a sizeable piece of real estate and the boys had to cross just about the entire width before arriving, literally, 5mins prior to the 22:00 closing time of the gates to Texas World Speedway!

With the sun a distant memory it was not completely clear, but the situation of the venue being that of a world-class NASCAR hosting ground was immediately ruled off by the 'rustic' look to the place.  As it turns out, the legend is a long one culminating an a quite costly and large complex going largely unused and similarly maintained.  The banking of the speedway is so rough as to render it completely unusuable to all but the most robust of four-wheelers and the once-illustrious grandstands now quiet with the air blowing through the broken glass facade.

The layout used by the host organization, CMRA, utilizes the banking along the front of the speedway oval and an adjoining, and unique, road course.  The transition from speedway to infield was not as unpleasant as Las Vegas and generally the layout followed by the bikes was not so bad.  The 'infield' actually exits the oval proper and climbs up and around an adjacent hillside adding a bit of elevation change and the ensuing blind corners.  All of this culminated in a quite enjoyable riding experience straightaway from the first session.

Now, this last point is important in light of the fact that the boys were only going to have two short sessions to learn the layout before qualifying.  In the end, this resulted in ~14 laps for Vince before the qualifying session flag was out!

It was late in the day on Saturday.  The bike was running OK, but something just didnt seem right.  Vince was having a tough time putting his finger on the problem, but one ominous warning shot came when the transmission began to pop in and out of gear toward the end of the qualifying session.  The pole time was set by Carter at 1:48.5 with our man Vince qualifying 8th @ 1:56.  Not exactly a thrilling performance, but given the total of 14 laps and the fickle bike not so bad either.

After an evening spent briefly trying to diagnose the problem, it was deciced to wait until the morning warmup for further investigation as nothing was coming into focus to explain the previous issues.  With the race late in the day, it was thought that there would be plenty of time to address whatever 'minor' issues had arisen.  Really, how bad could it be given that the bike just made it through the qualifying session?  Perhaps that should not have been asked.

At this point it is appropriate to give a little background to set the stage:  As this is now the final race of the season, the championship race is quite well defined.  Vince is hanging onto 3rd while Josh Day has a commanding lead of nearly a full race over 2nd place Garrett Carter.  Behind Vince, it is only several points to 4th place Tyler Reiswig.  So, while there is basically little chance to improve on the 3rd place standing in the end, there is the real threat of losing the position if Reiswig gets out in front!

Sunday morning comes and with it the first of two short practices.  Vince is out early in an effort to maximize the time possible for diagnosis of the previous day's issue.  After only a single lap, the black 224 bike rolled silently into the pits!  The report was back:  something very omninous is up with the transmission.  More specifically, Vince reported noting that the entire basket of the external (dry) clutch was moving along the axis of its shaft everytime the motor was rev'd; something that should never be seen!!

After some quick disassembly, the team was shocked to find that the entire cassette door had come unbolted save for one bolt near one of the two locating pins.  The other pin had ripped completely out of the receiver in the case, tearing the case boss in the process.  The cause?  Well, lets just say that Vince wasn't too happy to recall the procedure he had followed the last time the motor was assembled. <gasp>

Things quickly went from bad to worse.  The issue, though quite ugly and severe, seemed to have a simple enough remedy.  Use the remaining receiver to locate the dowelpin by preloading it against the remaining part while the door was tightened (properly).  This seemed both reasonable and efficient given the context of needing the bike to work asap!  But - as the Gods of kharma are often a cruel bunch - this plan was thwarted when Vince reinstalled the case cover and promptly broke the water pump impeller drive gear by failing to align it properly (f*&^ing Yamaha design!).

With desperation now fully set in, Plan B was enacted.  Thanks to USGPRU top dog Stu A-C, Vince secured the seat of a....waitaminite....what is this....a 125?!?!

Desperate people do desperate things and no more great example may exist.  Our man would be defending his final championship position on a 'half-pint'!

But, in a final twist, the Gods of Kharma seemed to coalesce with the Gods of Irony.  As the boys got ready for the final showdown in Texas, the heavens opened up wide and began to spit down their liquid poison;  Yes, the rains came.

Now, at first glance this may appear to be the final nail in the coffin:  an unfamiliar track, an unfamiliar bike, and rain to make sure there is no possibility of success.  But, in this case, the 'three lefts make a right' came into play.  From 8th on the grid, Vince got a rocket start on the unfamiliar single, surprising himself a bit on the run to the first corner.  With only half the torque of a proper 250, the little 125 was much easier to manage with its slick tires on the slick asphalt!

In the end, Vince was able to bring the borrowed bike home in 6th place, nearly beating its proper owner in the process (sorry Stu ;) ) and hold onto the 3rd position in the championship despite Reiswigs bid which put him up into 2nd in the race. 

In a final sad racing twist, Day, who had the championship easily wrapped up with just about any points finishing result, crashed heavily while contesting the lead and thus conceded first position in the championship to Carter.  Thats why they run the race!