So close I can taste it!

March 10 is right around the corner (Happy Birthday Spaz!!!!) and so will begin the 2007 season for the boys of MotoGP. The camps have been busy running tests over the past few weeks, dialing in their new 800cc rockets. Casey Stoner binned one of the shiny new Ducs last week in Jerez (who's surprised??). He suffered a concussion which resulted in some blurred vision in his left eye, but after a visit to the local hospital and a subsequent MRI, he was released with a clean bill of health. He chalked it up to "tyre" discrepancies (that one's for you Mikey!). Rossi walked away with the Beemer :)

Most of the teams have unveiled their '07 liveries, with the exception of Yamaha, who ran the factory colors this past weekend to honor Yamaha and the crew for all of their hard work. I don't buy it.... they are working the suspense angle!! The unveiling of the '07 Yamaha bullets will take place on March 5th, just 5 days before the season opener. I have my money on Fiat as the team sponsor.

Ducati clearly dominated the boards this weekend. Dani "Pudrosa" was firmly in the mix atop his snub-tailed Honda, rolling in with the fastest non-Ducati time (2nd, 2nd, 4th , 6th and 3rd respectively). All of the Ducs present held top-ten times all weekend. It's been rumored that Honda is running special "power-up" parts on the RC212V's, but judging by the times of the reigning "world champ", the Hayden who is knownst as Nicky (19th, 9th, 8th, 11th and 6th) , me thinks this is not the case. Unless, of course, Honda really has strapped him with the lesser bike in order to groom "The Pud" for a championship. "The Numbers Don't L1e" do they Nick???

Okay, on to the visual portion of my post... first up, a few pictures of the Yams. These are the "commemorative" colors that flew in Jerez this past weekend:

Kenny Roberts, Jr. on his freshly clad rocket:

Nicky Hayden:

Marco Melandri and Toni Elias of the HANNspree Honda paddock (Gresini)

Randy DePuniet (YAY!!)

Olivier Jaque :

Alex Barros (Pramac d'Antin Ducati):

Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki):

Dani "Pudrosa":

On a personal note, I will be traveling to Daytona this weekend to support my good friend Mike Haile (on his trusty Kaw) who will be competing Friday, Saturday and Sunday (March 2nd-4th). Also, my buddy Jeff from Colorado, will arrive in Daytona the evening of the 5th with Jessica (Jessica Zalusky - Pro AMA #172... www.roadracinggirl.com) to kick off her 2007 season, riding for Kawasaki as well. I expect to see all of you there!!!!

I would like to take this opportunity to promote the efforts of my good friend Jim (Jimmy with the bad ass bikes!), who is participating in the 2007 Racing To Save Lives charity event that will be held in Utah, May 3rd-the 6th. This event is a 4 day showcase of motorcycle road racing, which raises money for children’s' charities. Local and national competitors will ride from sunup to sundown for 4 full days.

His goal is to raise over $ 2500.00 for the various charities. Contributions of $50 or more are tax-deductible, and Racing 2 Save Lives is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. At the conclusion of the event, you will receive a receipt via postal mail for any donations of $50 or more. If you can’t give $50, he'll take contributions for as little as $5 or $10, every little bit helps. If you are in a position to support the effort (and I KNOW you are), please make it happen!! I did :)

Alright, that will do it for me... it's time to lighten the load on the Smirnoff "jug", it's lookin' a little too full.

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Test Pilot

The world of MotoGP is slow to return since testing has resumed. Not much new and exciting. Phillip's Island was inconsequential as a couple of the key teams did not attend the session.... hence Honda's domination.

I have been taking supreme advantage of my "down time" for the past few weeks. The SV has undergone a few upgrades, and is poised for several more. It has officailly been dubbed the one and only SV1000R in all the land. That's right, the spec sheet on the beast includes a fully integrated exhaust system that will entertain a 3 or 4 bolt flange. She now runs with a couple of Two Brothers cans strapped to her. How you ask? Well, that's a secret, but I can tell you this.. it involves one Mark, one Spazgyver, a welding machine and a grinder...... and, of course, none of it would have been possible without one Steve.



I had a chance to play test pilot over the past few weeks to a couple of different bikes. First up was a 1999 Suzuki TL1000R (Thanks Spaz!!!!). Although the TL and the SV are basically the same machine on paper, I found that this is not so much so on the asphalt. The TL packs a little more punch when you get down to the nitty-gritty. A beefy machine indeed! On the straight, it tends to be a little light in the front end.... all good for a power wheelie (the hottest of the hot!), but the corners are a different story. The SV sticks solid during hard cornering.... get in right, set your lean and throttle out... she'll stick. The TL...... spot your line, set it up, throttle out.... she'll row like an Ivy League team after the gold medal. As long as you know it's coming, it's all good.... loosen up and ride it out. If you are not aware of the "special characteristics" (Have you seen my wiener??), it can surely take you by surprise. All-in-all, though, a fun bike with some interesting quirks.

Round 2....



the 2005 GSX-R1000. Sweet Jesus! First of all, thank you Steve for letting me ride that beast (sorry about the spot on your seat!). We'll address the down-side first... the right peg and I didn't agree. I had to be conscious of my position 100% of the time in order to stay on the ball of my foot and not let it slip back. Other than that.... it was indeed "all that (and the gratuitous bag of chips)". You would be hard-pressed to pry the smile off my face while I was riding it. Light, agile, flickable, and TIGHTLY WOUND.... no matter what I asked of it, it wanted more. The last I looked at the speed-o, we registered 165, and it was still pulling.... still pulling!!! Granted, I consider myself a rookie when it comes to top end. The SV and I visited 155, and it whined and cried as it tapped out. The Gixxer? At a buck 65, it giggled like a school girl in health class. The shifts are smooth as silk.... no effort, two fingers and a tap and you're in. I was, in a word, impressed.... too impressed.

I have been a die-hard Yamaha fan for as long as I can remember. I have said I would not rest until I was straddling an R1... I can only hope that the test drive goes half as well as the GSXR's did. I am notorious for sticking to my guns.... loyal to a fault (if you will), but my head has been turned and it's going to take one hell of a ride to change my mind at this point :)

GAME ON!!!!

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)