Happy with 7th

I decided that I would join an MTB Club and do some short xc riding this year. I'd joined WSMTB last week and signed up to ride the 2nd round of the CamelBak 4 hour as my opening race, this was a bit of a learning expereince as this was my first time riding Yellomundee and riding solo laps.
Have to say that the organisation was fantastic so it's great to see that WSMTB is a well run and organised club, clearly this is down to the people that volunteer and take the time to make the events the success they are, so well done to all.
Not knowing the track at all, or the speed of the riders, I decided to place myself 4-5 rows back from the start and take the first couple of laps to orient myself. I was actually pleased that we went into s-track almost straight away as this meant no more jostling and I could make some mental notes at a relatively easy pace. Turning into transition i nearly lost the front end and noted that it was a very loose and slippery corner (one of many as I came to learn). Out onto the first loop and I was happy to sit in on the s-track sections and content to pick up some places on the fireroad climbs. I walked the rocky climb (as did all those around me) on the first lap but tried to find a line to ride in the coming laps.
After a couple of laps things settled down and i stuck to my plan of a gel every couple of laps and drinking when I could. I found that the track didn't leave much opportunity to eat so I was stopping in transition to have gels. A few minutes into my 7th lap I noticed my front tyre going flat so re-inflated with a co2 and moved on. A couple of riders came past me so I was keen to regain whatever place I was in (i didn't have a clue at the time) although within another 5 minutes the tyre was losing air again so rode easy for the rest of the lap until I could see the guys at Bike Minded. Taking the tyre off we could see that there was no sealant (LEsson learned for future races is to check sealant levels!) and so we put sealant in and re-inflated. Looking at the times I think this cost me about 7-8 minutes in total.
Last few laps went without incident, I was trying to pick up lost places and passed a few guys with Solo coloured number plates. In the end I came in 7th which I was happy with considering my lack of track knowledge and the puncture.
Thanks to all for a great day of racing, everyone was really friendly and look forward to the next race.