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*Liam's Wild Ride*

Thirty minutes after arriving at the hotel we were loaded into four cars (about 20 of us total) and speeding towards the circuit (pronounced theer-Quit). Once again it was like driving in a rally race, with former racers and testosterone taking over. Our caravan made *excellent* time and stopped once for fuel, where I spotted this.

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I wonder if I'm the first Barfer to make it here? I'm definitely going to be back at some point! The natives are friendly, and the food is great! Well, mostly the food is great. The circuit's cafeteria left much to be desired, but then, I was spoiled by the hotel's restaurants.

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Walked in to the hangar like pit area to find a couple of these! These two bikes were some of the spares, though frames, swingarms, wheels, engines, and more were situated nearby if necessary.

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Actually, there were lots of bikes, all needing love and attention. The bikes were used the previous year and had about 1700 Kilometers on them, all track time. That's about 1100 miles. They were in decent shape, but nothing to write home about, haha, just kidding. We spent the day cleaning them up and changing fluids, checking torques, and generally just making sure they were race-worthy. The day finished about 6:30PM, an hour to drive back to the hotel (we got lost), and dinner was at 7:30. Everyone needed sleep, including me, and 8 hours was not enough. We were up at 6 the next morning and due at the track at 7:30. Enough time for a shower and some breakfast, though smart cookies like me showered the previous night. Who wants to get in bed all nasty?

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The following day was rough! I had gotten some sleep the night before, so I was better prepared for the long day. And it was long! We got to the track around 8AM, after a breakneck romp through the desert highway, and the adrenalin was pumping when we jumped out of the cars. There was a trackday scheduled that day so the locals were out in force. It's about forty Euros a day, as much as you want to ride. I met with some ExPats there and they explained that this is the only way to go. You can either buy a boat in Qatar, a dune-buggy, or a motorcycle and race/tracktime with it. There are about thirty expats and thirty locals who regularly use the track. . . several times a month. Who wouldn't like to have their own personal track?!?Everything is relatively cheap there because people get paid so much so most of the Expats were decked out in some pricey gear. One of whom was wearing a Colin Edwards Laguna Seca helmet! I grabbed some photos, but mostly I was busy working and I didn't want to be spotted with a camera in my hand, so I didn't take a ton of pictures. I'll have other chances in the future to capture some neat shots :) The day became night, and because of the missing boxes lost in transit we didn't have all the pieces to put the bikes together. They arrived late the second day and by the time they got to the track it was early evening. Naturally, we stayed to make sure the bikes would be ready to go the next morning. 20 guys, no radio, all working hard until 4:30AM. Then it was another race back to the hotel (again we got lost) and by the time we got to sleep, it was for an hour. Up at 6 on Saturday for another day . . . .More pics of the event to come, I haven't downloaded a bunch from my camera (and others). Here's a neat picture of how the Qatari also like to illegally hide their license plates like back home! Squids are international, too!

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simply awesome. dude, you seriously need your own website with a daily log, like liamsdiary.com or something. i'm sure you could get sponsors and with donations from a very appreciative public i'm sure it'd help you get by. in a year compile everything into a book and make millions. it would be awesome. shit, you should have your own reality show on discovery or something.

meanwhile, know that all of us, even those of us that don't know you personally, support you and greatly appreciate being able to live this journey with you. we are very grateful.

if we can do anything, like send care packages or help out in any way, please post up!
 
cardinal03 said:


meanwhile, know that all of us, even those of us that don't know you personally, support you and greatly appreciate being able to live this journey with you. we are very grateful.

if we can do anything, like send care packages or help out in any way, please post up!
Click to expand...

Thanks man! I had a great time working my butt off in Qatar, and there are more photos and cool stories to come. . . but I'm too wiped out right now to sort through the pics! IF anyone wants to help me out, PM Lonster for a "special project" we're working on. Specifically, I'm trying to buy a bicycle that isn't available in Spain and have it shipped to me. Anyone have any shipping discounts with FedEX?!? Or does anyone know the fastest, cheapest way to get a bicycle from Norcal to Barcelona? Or if anyone wants to donate funds for the bike (I really, really need a two-wheeler), just let him know. Now is a good time for me to give a shout out to Lonster and say thanks for all the time and effort he's put into tracking this bike down for me and dealing with everything! I've found that care packages are great, but the shipping kills! That said, it might be easier to combine everything into one big lump and ship it one time at a discount (if possible).
P.S. keep an eye out for the February issue of Cycle World. . . . .

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I noticed there was an R6 article in there that happened to mention Qatar and thought to myself, "Isn't that where Liam is?!?!?" :laughing
 
Thanks for the props Liam.

If there are any BARFers out there that have an "in" in the international shipping industry, or if anyone works for a company that has a regular shipping account that ships to Barcelona, Spain, please contact me thru PM's. I have most of the details ironed out, but any money's saved on shipping Liam his bike is more than welcome.
Also, if anyone is interested in sending a small (or BIG :teeth) donation to the 'Help Liam get his Bike' fund, you can Paypal me at ( fordscj@yahoo.com ) and put something in the description about Liam.
I will make sure that ALL proceeds go directly to the Liam Bike Shipping fund.
If you feel the need to talk to me first, PM me and I'll forward you my phone number.
Liam, thanks for the great adventures already sent, and the great adventures ahead!
Rock on Bro!!

Lonster
 
If anyone knows anyone who is going to Barcelona in the near future, you can bring a bicycle with you on the plane as a piece of luggage, you just need a box. AA charges $80.

edit: from AA website "If bicycle and container are less than 62 dimensional inches and under 50 lbs., the bike is free in place of one 62 inch bag in the free allowance"

Maximum Size and Weight: 70 lbs/115 inches
 
Well, that's certainly a good option, as the box is less than 60 inches in length and under 50 pounds.

Anyone going to Barcelona in the near future???

Thanks cardinal03,

Lonster
 
I will talk to my shipping guy at work to see if I can get a good deal on International FedEx. He's a mnt bike freak and owe's me a favor, so hopefully he can hook it up.

Keep the story coming Liam, I can't image how many of us are living vicariously through you. :thumbup
 
SC. Heckler

Robo50 said:
Thanks man! I had a great time working my butt off in Qatar, and there are more photos and cool stories to come. . . but I'm too wiped out right now to sort through the pics! IF anyone wants to help me out, PM Lonster for a "special project" we're working on. Specifically, I'm trying to buy a bicycle that isn't available in Spain and have it shipped to me. Anyone have any shipping discounts with FedEX?!? Or does anyone know the fastest, cheapest way to get a bicycle from Norcal to Barcelona? Or if anyone wants to donate funds for the bike (I really, really need a two-wheeler), just let him know. Now is a good time for me to give a shout out to Lonster and say thanks for all the time and effort he's put into tracking this bike down for me and dealing with everything! I've found that care packages are great, but the shipping kills! That said, it might be easier to combine everything into one big lump and ship it one time at a discount (if possible).
P.S. keep an eye out for the February issue of Cycle World. . . . .

2236510-142006185611.jpg
Click to expand...
Heckler w/ vbrakes & Shimano XT components UPS-ed to you can be possible. I'll know this weekend meeting w/ my SC mt.bike crew on my B*day 1/21... What can BROWN do for you?
 
Shooter said:
I noticed there was an R6 article in there that happened to mention Qatar and thought to myself, "Isn't that where Liam is?!?!?" :laughing
Click to expand...

Actually, I was hoping someone would notice something like this in the February issue of Cycle World:

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Thanks to everyone for helping on the bicycle front! I feel so much better knowing that everyone is looking out for me back in the states! While there's a lot I am able to do over the internet here in Spain (and beyond!) there's no substitute for actually presence. Just because I am about to delve deeper into the Qatar journeys doesn't mean you guys can forget about the bike stuff!

Friday was to be our longest at the circuit. I took this shot early in the morning before the heavy work began. It's totally surreal to be at a big track when no one else is around. Mystical, really. After getting eight hours of sleep the night before, my batteries weren't recharged, but I wasn't hurting as bad as before. I knew that I would have what it takes, for as long as it would take because plain and simple, I love bikes! Something kicks in whenever I start working on them, and this has enabled me to spend many a night working right up through dawn until I have to go to my "day" job.

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This was my bike, #14, in the line. Each rider was assigned one mechanic and although we were all technically "teamates" there was definitely a feeling of competition going on as far as servicing the machines. Since this was my first time working on an R6 I took my time, and soon enough I was discovering little tricks and shortcuts to make my life easier. Not to mention, I was the only guy to bring a couple tools on my own, and let me tell you, Snap On is the bomb! Thanks to some of my rachet wrenches, trick ratchets, and more, I was able to breeze through things and I knew I was going to have a good time.

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We worked through the day, checking and re-checking things and waiting for our parts to come in. Lunch was uneventful, another day at the cafeteria (which is also open to the public -- if you're ever in the area). Dinner was another story! We didn't have time to go back to the hotel for food so we split into two groups to go eat. D'antin took us to the Doha Golf Club, an exclusive resort style course with fantastic food. I suggest the Australian Sirloin, and I even managed to have a couple of Guiness', too! Finished the meal off with some espresso, naturally, and made our way back to the track around 9PM. We all knew it was going to be several hours before we'd be headed back to the hotel so the mood was a little quieter than normal.

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Keep 'em coming! :teeth
 
You know you were looking at it! This is how the ballers in Qatar roll when they hit the greens!

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