Duel in the Desert
Man, what a week of racing in the Desert!
I wish I had more time to focus in on myself and reflect on this past week, but the season is here, and we've got to prepare for Jerez. We didn't find as good a setting as we would have liked at the IRTA test, so I think in some ways the next race will be more difficult. In any case, I've finished one race this year in my new position, and so far, so good. 17 more to go!
I'm still using my glitching camera, but it works more often than not, so for now I'm not changing it. What I have been thinking about, is upgrading my wheels in BCN, because my time to ride has become that much more precious to me, and I want to enjoy it as much as possible. Ordinarily, this would mean a full tear down and a piece by piece inspection/repair/replacement of anything I didn't like on my old bike, a 2001 Haro Mirra 540 Air, but I honestly don't have the time to go through it like I want to (sourcing BMX parts in BCN is a bitch!) and I'm thinking about handing it off to a shop near the Ramblas to piece it out. What?? Not do the work myself? Well, time and space have closed in on me, and I'd rather use the three piece crank on my vintage '96 DiamondBack flatlander. I'd love to soup up the DB, but there again, no time or money (same sob story for almost every project I ever started, Bwahahahah!). No, this time I'm thinking it's time for a clean slate purchase, something sexy for the summer months. Photos to follow as I continue to get excited about it, and as funds flow in to make it more viable. Who knows, maybe I'll just rip my black bike down, grease it all up, and ride it till the wheels fall off. Shouldn't be long now anyway.
Back to the business at hand. The business of racing motorcycles. We scored a 9th and 11th place finish at Qatar, and as the season has just started, this means that I'm sitting 9th in the World Championship. That's the highest position we've ever recorded since I joined this team last year, and it's a building block for even better finishes later this year. You can read the full race report on my website, but here on Barf, you can expect to see me spending my free time with the Barfers who make it out to the races! Here's Wingnutthehutt (Carl) and his girlfriend, Lisa. We went out to a few choice spots in Doha, and had a great time. I know they sure had fun
. I expect we'll see a great thread by them in the future, detailing how they got in the mix and had one of those rare "private" races that can alter the course of someone's life. Or not. Maybe they'll settle down in Sacramento, I don't know, but what I do know is that their Qatari friend, Rayad, is cool as heck and thanks for the hook-up at the Admiral and for not laughing too loud at Garvey's. What a night that turned out to be!
Mad props to Hopper for sticking through the race despite the agony, and as Dean Miller told me after the race, you really couldn't expect too much more from him. After all, Valentino and Pedrosa are[arguably] the two best riders in the world, so to be up there running with them was a fantastic start for the Rizla Smurfs. Huge congratulations to Ducati Corse, for shutting down the Japanese twice in a row, closing the 990 era and opening the 800cc season with wins. You cannot comprehend what an achievement it is for this small group of engineers to beat the might of Honda, and the skill of Valentino. Frankly, I don't care how they did it, Stoner crossed the line first so all the moaning about top end speed, braking performance, yadda yadda, doesn't mean anything to me because whether it's a inch or a mile, a win is a win. We all know the caliber of Valentino, that's never been in question, so now Yamaha will go back to Japan and think about things a little more, as will Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki. I'm sure the Yamaha's are going to run well at Jerez, and if the IRTA tests were any indication, straight line speed is not going to make as much of a difference there. Huge pat on the back to Barros, for coming back from 19th on the first lap to hit the top ten, moving in to 8th at one point. As luck would have it, the Hoff also suffered a bit in the first corner, and he pushed from 19th to 11th by race end. The determination is there, now let's see if we can get some decent qualifying runs in and get some solid starts! As for Colin? He said before the race that they had two tires to choose from; I guess they picked the wrong one, or maybe that's the hand they were dealt on raceday.
Gotta remember, these are prototype tires. 22 Lap race? Tires might last 24 or 25 laps. Maybe. And they're sure not going to look pretty by the end of things. Why do you think they cover up the carcasses on Park Ferme? To show off the tire warmer sponsors?
Just to make a note about the new lean angle data. Does anyone else think that 60-70 degrees of lean is even possible? Does anyone think that Rossi wasn't full on the brakes at the end of the straight? I think all the data was off a smidge, because both Marlboro Ducati and Fiat Yamaha are using the same gen of Brembo gear, the latest stuff. It just seemed a little off to me, that's all. I can't believe that Rossi (master of trailbraking) could use less than half his registered braking force, after getting on the brakes later than Stoner, then bend it in and trailbrake comfortably at warp speed. In my mind, when you brake later, you have to get on it harder, then turn in and trail brake, but then, I'm not the Doctor. So many good things in store for this season! I had a killer chat with Vermeulen at the Airport, on the way out to Qatar, along with his girlfriend and travel companion of the last 3.5 years, Toni. They're a really down to earth couple, joking about cooking and just really normal (goofy hat aside). It was an informative talk, and I learned a bit more about Chris' impressions of the RC211V he rode for Camel Pons in late '05, which kind of went along with what Barros has told me about his stints on the Repsol and Camel Honda teams. Mostly rideability type stuff, which is something most non-Honda riders envy. Until now. I think Chris is going to have a hell of a season, so all the best to him. And for Nicky? What can I say, it just wasn't his month. I sorta feel that getting to grips with the RC212V is like learning to race with a tele-lever front end. With the tank that low and back, the bike just doesn't pitch down on the brakes like he's used to. Coming from a style that doesn't even have a front brake, feel is everything, and once he's got something comfortable to work with, I'm sure we'll see him charging hard. Time will tell.
Maybe Sonoma if they come in a Merlot color.
