*Liam's Wild Ride*

[MotoLiam]

Couple things about this bike. . . . remember the Sesame Street song? Three of these Hondas are doing the same thing, one of them isn't the same. . . . . .

 

[MotoLiam]

The beautiful corner where I managed to spend some time today. The F1 cars don't take the longer route through here, the cut through the coned off area. The bikes, oh man, the bikes come through and sing their glorious music through a decent sized left-hander with their exhausts pointed straight at the grandstands. You can't help but get excited listening to them shift through the gears and accelerate out of these corners at warp speed. *Pure Magic*

 

[MotoLiam]

This is the last thing you want to see when you're on the track. If you do manage to catch Valentino from this angle, you have screwed up! Big Time

SBK Phillip Island Race 1 was Off-The-Hook! I'm so energized right now I think I'll just roll the clock around and see Race 2 at 5.30AM before heading back to the Circuit de Catalunya!

 

[Mille R boy]

Dude, I said hold off on the comments until I'm done posting! I'm up late because I'm watching the SBK race from Phillip Island right now, showing at 2AM! That means I'm multi-tasking so you guys can get your moto-fix, so don't bother me! Phew! !!

Someone didn't get their nap today
Great stuff Liam!

 

[MotoLiam]

Someone didn't get their nap today
Great stuff Liam!

Sleeping is for days when there's no moto going on! But I have since amended my post (and I see M has, too), because I don't ever mean to bite anyone's head off. Everyone, feel free to jump in

The SEASON is right around the corner! Anyone planning on going to the Jerez race, email me your contact information as soon as possible to we can plan a meeting and help spread Barf around the world! I think if we all join forces we'll have enough Roving Barfers to cover everything and help report and promote motorcycling to an even higher level.

 

[Mille R boy]

Sleeping is for days when there's no moto going on!

EXACTLY! You rock Spain my brother!

 

[Stuff]

Wow 64 pages of so much positivity and a great bunch of fantastic shots.

Some people plan shit out but I know as well as you do now that the best moments and memories are those that have very little planning and are the results of seizing the moment and "I wonder what will happen if I try this".

Continue to have fun out there Liam.
And thank you for sharing your journey.

 

[ecruz]

Does anyone like this current helmet with the four bullet marks on the top?

Actually, if you look closely, he has 7 bullet holes. Get in? 1 for each championship. Clever, but I think this is only his "Preseason testing helmet. He had the "Tide" graffics last year, and this year it is the big "46".

At the first race, I bet he will debut his new helmet.

 

[rothmans]

Keep up the good work Liam! I guess you are still trying to land a job, I have a feeling things are going to work out for you, and it may be one of those things where you start out thinking you will do one thing but then end up doing something completely different....moto-journalism perhaps?

 

[teapot]

And another thing about Checa. . . . I noticed him doing something strange out of the corner of my eye. I managed to get it with the camera and closer inspection reveals it is a "Rossi-esque" manuever! This happenned more than once. . . . . . something about the Yamaha or the Michelins? I hear the new tire profiles are sharper and provide more rear grip, which causes the front to push . . . .and other things . . . . .

Liam, absolutely outstanding effort to put all this together. F A N T A S T I C.

In your above post I got confused, is it a typo? Do mean Dunlops? Checa + dunlops, not michelins.

Thanks for sharing all your effort and knowledge. You need to save this work for later in life, somehting to look back on with great pride.

Keep it up!

 

[MotoLiam]

Hi Guys, what a weekend! How long will we have to wait until we have another American 1-2 at the top of the boards, or better yet, a 1-2-3! I was rooting for our boys today, and towards the end of the timed shoot out it got really exciting.

As some of you may have noticed, there are a few inconsistencies in my observations . Some are intentional (to see who's paying attention), while others are not. I always welcome feedback, and thank you to those who catch the littler things. Teapot, you're dead on. It's a typo that I will correct later today. Ecruz, you've missed something a little more obvious

Stuff, welcome to our humble forum. And Rothman's, I'm not sure could make moto-journalism work for me, but I'd give it a shot!

It's difficult to be objective and fair, particularly when you look for different meanings behind things, as I do. I've now been privy to more of the inner workings in GP, and while most (if not all) of the things I've seen have impressed me, a few left me surprised and shocked. I think I love the bikes too much, and I don't have a similar fascination with the pilots. I respect their abilities, but moreso, their competitive spirit. It's not all about the Bike, or all about the Rider. For me, the beauty of GP revolves around the symbiosis of man and machine at it's highest level. Where else does something as simple as adjusting your seating position have such drastic consequences? What about turning your head at speed? Where else does an 1/8 turn of the throttle mean the difference between accelerating hard, pulling a 12 o'clock down the straight, or flying off into oblivion? Sometimes I think it's like riding a bucking bronco, othertimes like straddling the Space Shuttle. Are there any other motorsports where the human is as connected to the machine? I'm sure there are people who would argue with me all day, and maybe they'd be right. All I need to know is that I'm here and I'm trying to make it work. For me, this is where it's at! I'm proud of what I've managed to do and see so far, but I'm not finished yet, not by a long shot. I've been so fortunate already, and I've seen things that would make Everyone's jaws drop. I'm only getting hungrier

 

[MotoLiam]

Anyways, enough of my ranting

Today was even colder and more forboding than before, full of clouds and a dull, white light that made taking photos very difficult. With my limited experience behind the lense (settings - what're those?), lack of proper equipment (we're talking a $100 dollar Craigslist lense - yeehah!), and not much cover to duck under in case of showers, it made for a fun, if frustrating day. I couldn't seem to get my circular polarizer to do what I wanted and it really felt like I was just spinning my wheels out there. On the up side, I walked around the entire circuit and it's an amazing place. Underground tunnels to connect different areas, HUGE grandstands set up throughout the course, it's an enthusiasts kind of place. Later this year if I manage to make it back here for the GP race in June I'll be sure to take more comprehensive pictures of the circuit. It's *very* nice.

I walked about a half hour from the paddock, ducking through two tunnels along the way, and made it to this nice grassy hill near the Pelouse corner. The grandstands here are towards the end of the main straight.

 

[K-dog]

Originally posted by MotoLiam It's difficult to be objective and fair, particularly when you look for different meanings behind things, as I do.

You've been overseas too long. Americans want slanted, and totally subjective news.

I'd love to comment on more of the moto stuff, but I'm still a n00b to most of that, and like you the pilots don't seem nearly as interesting as the machines to me.

 

[MotoLiam]

Because of the cold track tempuratures, most of the teams waited until after 11AM before taking to the track. First rider out was Vitto from Ducati Corse (riding Capirossi's bike), followed quickly by KRJR. Kenny put in quite a few laps by himself out there, and due to the track's lay-out, elevation changes, and grand stands, the sound of the bike was reflected constantly, providing me with the ultimate wake-up call. A little wheelie to shake the cobwebs out?

 

[MotoLiam]

One of the bike's I missed yesterday came out hard and fast today. Shinya Nakano didn't waste much time scrubbing the tires in and getting serious.

 

[MotoLiam]

Thas' Right, Baby! My big, bad flag made it all the way here from last year's Shanghai's GP (it's even in the race video for a split second). This flag has also seen the Dakar, and whenever I get the chance, I like to let it wave hello to any American rider competing on foreign soil.

This flag came from a barfer named Eden, who now lives in China for work. He procured it for me at last year's GP after I got jealous of some Spaniards, and their flag. After seeing them I immediately threatened to find the U.S. Embassy in Shanghai and cut one down because I wanted the biggest one I could find (which in hindsight would probably have been a very bad idea). Fortunately, Eden came through, and this big mamma-jamma has been with me ever since. Oddly enough, Eden put together a replica bike for himself a few years back, a hot pink GSXR with full Rizla graphics. Coincidence? I'm sure someone here has a pic they can post
Another strange thing is that wherever I put this flag, people stop and take photos of it. In the pouring rain in Portugal I wore it like a toga, and people got photos of that, too. With the decidedly anti-American sentiments in Europe and around the world, I like to think that seeing it sends a positive message to our riders. That we're here, and we're here supporting them!

 

[MotoLiam]

Definitely the sleekest bike in the garage, the ZX-RR is beautiful in person. I love the lines, and the howl emitted by the big bang four isn't bad, either
Notice how Shinya seems to be sitting "in" the bike, as opposed to sitting "on" it.

 

[MotoLiam]

Everything about this bike seems so right to me, from the leaness, the pointed shapes, the exhaust. How I wish they'd put the 250KXF motor in a 125 chassis with this bodywork and make it streetable. Hmmmmm. I think KHI is working on something like this already, as evidenced by the GP-Mono class in Japan. Nakano's new helmet features Shurikens on the sides, less colorful and more deadly than the old design.

 

[MotoLiam]

Dani Pedrosa spun some laps, and while Hayden wore his new helmet in morning warm-up, Pedrosa wore his older, non RB sponsored, one. Both riders wore their normal helmets for the BMW contest, so I wonder if Red Bull's contract doesn't start until later in the year, or has some clause for practices but not races. Who knows? Watching Pedrosa gives a clear idea of what it takes to make the bike go around quickly. His body positioning is usually indicative of what the bike wants to do, and what he has to do to overcome that. He wasn't too fast in the rain today, but for a new guy without a lot of rain-time on the bike, he probably didn't want to risk an injury at the start of the season for a car. In real life I've seen him driving a Honda Civic hatchback in BCN, and his mom was driving a Civic today, too, now that I think about it. Here he is noticing Old Glory.

 

[MotoLiam]

He chokes way up on the front end when he's on the gas.