Unfortunately, my next run through the technical infield I hit one of the plastic, fake tiger teeth and left my left kneepuck behind me. Unable to put my left knee down (no feeler gauge), I was forged to give up chasing the lead pack and went just fast enough to beat the novices and slower experts by several seconds.
While not the chase/battle I would have preferred (I hate racing alone in between two groups) I did what I came to do -- win the race, and widen the points gap back to 2nd place. In fact, I succeeded better than I hoped. The only two individuals with enough points to beat me got 4th and 6th respectively. This means I've won the championship unless I don't show up at the last race *AND* Michael wins the race - at which point we'll be tied.