While we are at it, I should mention that I finally got to try out the Watson Performance shock setup on my 449. This is the shock that Mark ran last year on the 511. We set the sag at 100 and off I went (mind you I weigh about 70 lbs more than Mark does so this wasn't the best spring to use).
The Eddieville course has an especially diabolical criss-cross whoop section on a short uphill just after a barrel turn at the bottom of a downhill. It is pretty easy to carry speed into these whoops, but they invariably try to chuck you sideways before you get to the top if you maintain that speed under power. With prior bikes and setup ...CRF450, WR300, TE250, TXC511...every one I have had to roll off and coast to the top to keep it settled. On Saturday I got in a situation where power on all-the-way was the only choice.....and voila it tracked straight, stayed stuck and I came out under power and easily flicked it into the right-hander to follow.
Miraculous!! Tom Watson for Pope, I say.
