I know, I know, I have once again been remiss in my postings. I have no excuse (at least not anything good) so I will just leave well enough alone with my weak, satirical, self-welcoming opening.
Testing is in full swing, and the MotoGP boys are adjusting well to new "tyres" (dammit that cracks me up!!), rockets, set-ups, teams, etc.
Casey and new teammate Nick have been putting the new GP9's through their paces. There are varying opinions as to how well Nicky will adapt to the Ducati. Apparently the best approach with the Ducs is getting them "to full throttle as soon as possible and letting the electronics do the rest". It was reported though, that after his first ride on the new rocket he dismounted and said "Whatever they pay Casey (Stoner), it´s not enough." Ha!
SETE!!!! How happy am I about this???? I am standing here beside myself! The Gibbers has come out of retirement. We all remember how sad I was to see him go, so we can all imagine how ecstatic I am that he has returned. And coming back with style as (yet another) member of the Ducati paddock. His timing couldn't have been better. With Ducati's myriad of bikes on the track for the 09 season, a brand new design and a bevvy of fresh tenderlings to jockey them around, Sete's knowledge and experience will be well received when it comes to dialing them in.
Will he be rusty? Afterall, he's been in retirement for what... 2 years now? He's no spring chicken either. BAH! His test times were a mere half second off of Casey who ran at the top of the boards. So watch out "freshies" :)
Of course, there's still the little issue of the Rossi Curse that was thrust upon him at the close of the 04 season. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out for him. I yearn (yes, yearn) to see a few more of those epic shoot-outs of yore. I hope you're up for it Sete.... I'm holding my breath.
Okay, now for a few fun things. If you are reading this, you are obviously a fan of sportbikes and/or MotoGP racing, OR you are being forced to read it against your will by someone who is a fan that you clearly love enough to subject yourself to the torture. Either way, with Christmas approaching faster than Rossi from mid-pack, you are looking for some sort of gift for said loved one, or yourself. I personally like to wrap everything I give me, tag it with "to: me, from:me" and rip through it Christmas morning with all the vigor and excitement of a 4 year old looking for the-one-with-Elmo-in-it. Right... cue the crickets.
During my daily cruises through the online haven of bike-related goodies, I chose a few to highlight here for that hard-to-shop-for bike freak on your list.
First up is a perfect gift for the GP fan. A little pricey, but would certainly be much appreciated. It's Tissot's official limited edition MotoGP watch
You can get it here. With free shipping.... like that's really gonna make or break the deal when you're dropping that much cash :) But hey! Incentive is incentive. It is really quite spectacular.I also checked out the MiniChamps die cast models. They are much more budget friendly.... unless you are looking for Rossi's 2004 Jerez test bike... in which case GOOD LUCK. That particular model trickles through eBay from time to time, but most store inventory is sold out internationally. I did find ONE from an online store in Europe that listed for $1295.00. I digress, the little replica helmets are fantastic and will only run you $20(ish). The model bikes, are a little steeper, but not bad at all, $30-$50 in most cases.
Minichamps on eBay
They even have.... and I LOVE this... the little Rossi figurines. Most of them are of him standing, sitting sideways on a rocket, blasting a champagne bottle on the podium, etc. The two that caught my eye were his signature crouch pose and him kneeling in front of his Yamaha to kiss it after winning his first race for the factory in South Africa. PERFECT!!
Above is the actual picture of the touching moment, and now you and your loved ones can commemorate it with this lovely MiniChamps figurine (bike sold separately). Hahaha... if you think this isn't on my mantle you're nuts.....
Click on the image to purchase one at Grand Prix Legends.Oh, and the crouching Rossi.... I couldn't find a suitable actual photo of him doing it, but we've all seen it... pre-race, in the paddock. The first few times I saw him do it, I thought he was stretching out his leathers. Not the case, after all, this is Vale... that would be too simple and down-to-Earth. He is actually having a little conversation with himself and his bullet about what is about to happen and what he expects of it (and himself). I love me some Rossi :)
Click on the image to purchase one at Grand Prix Legends.Okay miniChamps, you've captured him doing everything else, when do we get the one of him standing on the pegs to dislodge his wedgie right after he gets on??? He's certainly not shy about it, and the rear bike cam always airs it, so I say we cast that precious moment in resin so I can put it on my mantle too :)
Until next time ....
Rubb'er Down :)
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