The rider does make a BIG difference... I have beaten several times my neigbor and his Craptor 700... His is pretty much stock, and he did drop to a 13 tooth sprocket for "low end"??? But you just have to be comfortable riding the Shee with it sounding like its going to twist apart, you need to practice your holeshots taking off in 2nd gear if you have the power to do so, and you have to stop giving up until the race is over... Pipe it and get some good filters, regardless this is a must. Drop the stocker tires and just ride it. If you still think its to slow for you look into porting or other $$ mods... My bike is realtively stock and on the trails anyway I can keep up with any of the 4-pokers I ride with, and they are all jealous of how the Shee sounds and smells.... I am always getting, "Man that fucking thing screams, or that fuckin thing is awesome... can I ride it?"or that old school 2-stroke shit is pretty cool....
Have fun....