Runt, Fredvance -
Ah, yes - bullet dodging.
I've been there myself, and if it wasn't for testing, it's likely I'd have fried my engine in 2012.
We were doing some dyno work on a chassis dyno, and I had a valve seize up on me. If I hadn't tried it out in advance, it's not likely I'd have made it through my rookie run.
I was three days to leaving for Wendover.
We're all looking for seat time, but I see no fun in running at a meet 1600 miles from home and having the horse throw a shoe.
That was my first trip in 2010 with an unsorted engine and a top speed of 22 mph.
Trust me - it's a lot more gratifying rolling it off the trailer ready to compete than pushing it back on and reintroducing yourself to your drawing board.