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 :)

Fodder

The testing ban has been lifted.... YAY!! All of the MotoGP teams, except for Ilmor, will be back on track Monday to continue smacking around the new herd of 800's. Ilmor will not take part in the first session in Jerez, nor will they be present for the second session in Phillips Island. They will patiently wait for Jeremy McWilliams to heal 100% before they continue with testing. As for the rest of the teams.... GAME ON!!

In recent news, Casey Stoner got hitched. Yea, I didn't think it was legal for 12 year olds to get married either.... but as it turns out, he's of-age, as is his new bride, Adriana. All the best to you kids :)

YAMAHA!!!! When are you going to announce a sponsor?? They have signed on for the 2007 season as Factory Yamaha naming no official sponsor. It's very possible they will self-sponsor... but why? Telefonica (Movistar) will not sponsor Renault in F1 in '07. It just makes sense that they would come back to MotoGP. I have also heard rumors or Fiat throwing their wallet into the ring. It's all interesting, but I am growing tired of it. I suppose we will all find out soon enough.... patience is a virtue (poppycock!!!).

Ducati unveiled the new bullet. It is indeed stunning ....

Team KR also revealed Kenny Jr's ride for 2007. The KR212V....

And I am sure you have all seen the new Ilmor X3, but I thought I should plaster it on here anyway.....

I am excited to see the new livery this year..... if March 10th will ever get here!

That's about all that's new-ish on the MotoGP stage. Since things are beginning to crank back up, I am sure that I will have some more fodder soon.....

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Gresini signs sponsor and Rossi just rocks!

The news surfaced several weeks ago that Gresini Honda and Fortuna had parted ways, as well as Camel and Yamaha. Gresini has secured a sponsor for the 2007 season, Marco and Toni will be piloting rockets supported by HANNspree, a Taiwanese company that produces TV's and LCD monitors.

With that mystery solved, attentions are turned toward Yamaha in anticipation of their new sponsor announcement. Rumors are still spinning that it will be Telefonica.... that would be more than acceptable. I heard a horrible rumor circulating about McDonalds..... sweet fancy Moses NOOOOO!!! If that's true, someone needs to sink that boat and fast. Keep your little nuggets on the NASCRAP track Mickey D's.... don't cheapen our circuits with your image. I don't want to see Valentino jockeying a McRib around Estoril.

I'm sure most of you have seen the new graphics on Rossi's test bike and helmet by now, but I have to mention them.

It is indeed King Arthur's Excalibur.... with the Yamaha forks on the handle (ahhhh, the perfect touch!). Once again, Vale shows his sublime sense of class and humor without having to say a word. We all know the story of Excalibur.... the sword, the stone, only the REAL king can possess it.... NICE!! Aaaaaand, just to solidify my earlier point-of-view, Excalibur can not, in any way, be incorporated with anything remotely associated with a Mc-Frickin-Muffin. I digress, Valentino said that the sword just represented that he was going to do his very best during the winter testing sessions. That's a very humble way to side-step the nutmeat of the gesture. Me thinks it's aimed directly at the Farmboy..... watch out Nick!!!

Nicky, by the way, is recovering from a successful surgery on his shoulder and should be back up on two by the time the testing ban is lifted in January.

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Testing concludes in Jerez

The fastest men on two wheels have concluded their last round of testing in Jerez before the ban. All of the teams seem to be very pleased with the way things are looking for the 2007 season. Dani Pedrosa put down the fastest lap in the final round, followed closely by Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri. Blazing into the 4th and 5th place positions were the Suzuki boys, Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins, respectively. Suzuki has made a FINE showing since testing began, surprising not only most of the MotoGP fans, but themselves as well. I am counting down the days with exhuberant anticipation until the 2007 season finally kicks off on March 10th.... It's just too damn far away :(

Jeremy McWilliams, one of Ilmor's test riders went down hard this weekend. Although he only refers to it as "taking a bit of a tumble" he will require surgery to repair his broken bones, which include a collar bone, a fractured femur, and a finger (which he will lose part of.... but says that it's been broken before and didn't really do him much good anyway... no love lost there huh Jeremy??)

Nicky Hayden didn't participate in the last round of testing. He is at home awaiting surgery for an injury to his shoulder that he sustained in the infamous Estoril crash. Dani represented the team well in his absence though as he brought Honda home on top of the time board..... good on ya Midget :)

There's not much more going on in the world of MotoGP, or the world of Motorcycle Obsession. It's been eerily quiet around here. It's a crappy, rainy Saturday afternoon and Sue's Busa, Spaz's TL and Ducati Mike's Duc are all in the patient ward at Mitch's shop awaiting repairs/upgrades so there will be no riding this weekend anyway. I am getting ready to suit-up and take the SV over to Spaz's house to see what kind of obnoxious sound we can get out of the factory cans... JOY!!!!

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Nicky's broken :(

Early last week it was reported by a not-so-dependable news outlet that Nicky Hayden had suffered a shoulder injury during his tangle with teammate Dani Pedrosa in Estoril. I was intrigued by this news, but I was waiting for a more solid source to report on it as I am not one to pass on "tabloid" fodder. It has become official over the course of the week... trickling out slowly from the recesses of the MotoGP news vaults. Nicky did indeed sustain an injury in the crash in Estoril.... a shoulder fracture. He kept it on the "down-low" (if you will) so as not to hand Rossi any more of a psychological advantage than he already had leading up to Valencia. Props to you Nick! He went in with his "All In" poker hand represented on his bike and the mental attitude of "Crash or Win".... no excuses. I must say I have gained some respect for The Kentucky Kid in light of this news. In all fairness though, none of us know what would have happened if Rossi hadn't crashed. Did anyone check Nicky's leathers before the race to see if he had a banner tucked in there prepared to be unfurled at the finish had he not won? Something along the lines of "I am riding injured somebody hug me". Me thinks the news would have been shouted from the rooftops during the post-race interview had the victory escaped him. Alas, this is merely speculation. Nick will miss the final testing session in Jerez, and fly home to have the injury assessed by a doctor and possibly schedule surgery.

The 800cc testing is going well. Suzuki, to everyone's surprise, has found a lovely spot at the top of the time-boards. It looks like they may have gotten it right this time around. Ironically, Honda .... (yes, the same Honda who proclaimed that, in the interest of safety, the machines should be slashed down to 800cc) is struggling a bit with their set-up. Nicky has been quoted as saying the bikes "need more power". Maybe so, but Suzuki has managed to find themselves a second quicker than the track record, set by Loris Capirossi on the liter-class Ducati, in Sepang. There is still much more testing to do before the season cranks up for 2007.... then the tale will be told ;)

Valentino Rossi has been droppin' the proverbial hammer as a contestant in the WRC (World Rally Championships). He finished an extremely respectable 11th in his privately entered '05 Spec Impreza in NZ. Seriously.... where does the coolness end with this guy? He was considering a switch to F1 for 2006 (which never happened... but he still got out there and drove the thing like it was his duty to God and country) and now he's dabbling in the world of rally racing to gauge it as a possible post-MotoGP profession. *** Post MotoGP*** Translation.... after he tires of being THE fastest man on two wheels. I heart me some Valentino Rossi.... he does NOT lack awesome.... and he accomplishes all of this while being at least one nugget short of a Happy Meal.

Tech 3 Yamaha's new edition, Sylvain Guintoli, has managed to injure himself during a tire-testing run on one of the 990cc M1's. They were wet-weather testing and Guintoli was "kicked off" after a sudden loss of rear grip at nearly 145 MPH. He fractured his bone of the collar variety in the accident, but sources say it does not require surgery, and he should be fully recovered in 6 weeks.... ready to get back to testing after the ban is lifted in January.

That's about all I have in me for today.....

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Fare thee well Sete

Fare thee well Sete

Well, I have said it before, and there's no denying the truth behind it... "all good things must come to an end. " Sete Gibernau officialy announced his retirement this morning at a press conference that he called a few days ago. I hate to see him go, but after hearing what he had to say, I will agree that it's for the best.

“I am not enjoying my racing any more and I do not want to keep going just for the sake of money.”

That's it right there... he's not enjoying it anymore. Yes, he's had a fantastic career... he was a formidable presence on the track and basked in the glory of many wins. He doesn't enjoy it anymore. It's become a "job" to him. It's time to get out.

I can relate to his feelings 100%. The moment you realize that your passion has turned into a laborious task is a sickening one. No one pours every ounce of heart into a "job" unless they are passionate about what they do and are lucky enough to be paid to do it. Although that would technically deem it a "job"... it's really not..... until you stop enjoying it. When that happens, you stop putting 100% of yourself into it and it's time to walk away. In Sete's case, ripping down the front straight at 200 mph and tipping into corners at a blinding pace while dodging 20 other riders doing the same thing, is not something that should(or can) be done with half a heart. There is a VAST difference between riding to win and riding to survive and I give Gibbers "mad props" for recognizing this and bowing out now. He did the right thing.

Granted, he wasn't offered a ride this year after Ducati replaced him with Casey Stoner, but if he still had that passion to ride he would have found a way to stay in the mix.

Godspeed Sete! Enjoy your retirement.... you earned it! I thank you for the years of stellar entertainment that you provided and I wish you nothing but the best in life wherever it may take you next.

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)