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*Liam's Wild Ride*

I haven't been posting so much lately because I've been excercising more and trying to study my Spanish books. Finding work is a continual struggle, but hopefully something will come through. I'm a bit worried about my future because the season is *Here* and I haven't found a ride yet. I just have to hope that someone doesn't work out somewhere :)

Speaking of work, one of the reasons I was so happy to take the job with D'antin Racing Services was because I knew that I'd be in Qatar when the big boys were there. Big Boys? Well, this week I'm leaving for Qatar a few days early to help clear out the paddock and prepare for the arrival of WSBK!!! That's right, Feb 23-25 is the first race of the year for World SuperBike! The championship I work for, the Losail National Cup, will be the support race, and we're moving further down the track to make space for WSBK. I can't wait to see and hear all the bikes! I'm not sure what my exact work load will be at this time, but I'm confident I'll have a few minutes here and there to run around and snap some photos :) It will be an important weekend for the WSBK series because it will be the debut of the '06 Pirelli Control tires, and we'll get a chance to see just how fast this year's Superbikes are compared to the GP machinery. Two weeks ago Valentino Rossi tested at Losail and set a fast lap of 1:56.53 seconds. Anyone want to guess where the WSBK guys will be next weekend? I might also have the chance to work on a Superbike while I'm there. Not a factory machine (but damn close!) run by a privateer named Talal who is a wildcard entry in the Superbike race. Talal won last year's Losail Cup and is one of the fastest racers from the desert.

Also, remember when I posted the video of race morning in Valencia?
http://home.comcast.net/~schmeer/vids/valencia.mpg
The song was Riders on the Storm, originally by the Doors, but remixed. We couldn't figure out who was responsible for the mix. . . . . . . . . until now! A very astute Barfer named Strike emailed me recently and passed along that the song is known as the Before L'Apericlub remix and is by an artist known as Yonderboi. It's available through iTunes as a downloadable song and is found on one of the Rewind! compilations. Yes! Fresh beats with a mix of old and new. Thanks Strike, and thanks Willit for hosting the video!

Talk to you guys soon :)
 
It never gets old...... I'm still jealous!
 
No prob, bro.
By the way...
As a former USAF aircraft mechanic, but currently doing something else because I have to get my A&P license first b4 working on jets in the civilian sector, I envy you and your determination to chase down a job as a MotoGP wrench. Keep at it... something will come your way. Just look at how much you've already seen and done as a result of your drive to get where you want to go.
 
Strike said:
I envy you and your determination to chase down a job as a MotoGP wrench. Just look at how much you've already seen and done as a result of your drive to get where you want to go.
Click to expand...

Thank you Strike. I truly hope all goes as planned for you as well. Avionics is a great field to be in, what with the potential travel benefits and the chance to work on Monster horsepower engines :)

I have been very, Very, lucky so far in my quest, and I wish I could thank everyone whom I've come across. I've been to places I'd never have dreamed of going to a year ago, had my first helicopter ride at a Rally race, and seen the very motorcycles I love up close and personal. It's been absolutely amazing thus far, and I hope to continue to surprise and amaze myself with the situations I manage to find myself in :laughing
I think it's because I have a difficult time focusing on the ordinary day to day life. I can't seem to live properly in the mainstream, and when I find something that I like, it consumes me and I follow it through as much as I can.
I used to be heavily into minibikes (yet another oddball offshoot of motorcycling I love), building them, customizing them, riding them, and yes, even racing! I remember racing against the likes of Jeremy McGrath (and getting SMOKED!), Vic Sheldon, Craig Mason and the crew from Fast50's, and many others. It was a fantastic learning experience for me, and I was so happy to be part of a new and exciting minimoto-culture that I started a race series in Fremont at Le Mans Karting go-kart track. I'm sure there are a few Barfers who might remember the mini-supermoto races I put on -usually on Thursday nights when our girlfriends were watching Survivor! I don't really think about that kind of stuff anymore, but I recently came across this old photo and it got the gears turning in my head again :)

Can anyone guess where I am in this photo? I'll give you a hint; it's at a National . . . . .

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I don't se anyone missing a shoe, so I can't be sure you're there! :laughing
 
Wow! What a hard two days since I last got online! First off, I needed to get ready for my flights early Sunday morning. I have a slight problem waking up in the morning (if there are no bikes to work on!) so I decided to do my best to get a good night's sleep. On Saturday I got up as early as possible and had a busy day running errands. I had a beastial work out on the bike in the afternoon, rough enough that I fell asleep five minutes after I got home. I wasn't sure if it was from dehydration or what, but I was woken up two hours later, around eight, by my roomates. Apparently there was a big party scheduled Saturday night, to celebrate one of my roomate's birthdays. We had had a special dinner earlier in the week, so I thought we were done with that particular celebration, but boy was I wrong. Around nine, Hiro showed up, and shortly thereafter, about fifteen people rolled in and started partying up a storm! I had no choice but to go along for a while, and because of the noise I had no chance to sleep. Thank goodness they left around 3AM to go find some afterhours dancing! I decided to roll the clock all the way around so I could sleep on the plane, and somehow I managed to do just that (well, almost :laughing).

I had a chance to talk to Hiro quite a bit about the new KTM 250, and we discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the program at this point. This was his first official outing on the bike, and due to the inclement weather at Estoril, Portugal, he didn't have the bext time. He also fell off three times and injured his left ring finger. Someone suggested a traditional Spanish remedy, and as soon as I get the photos from my roomate's camera, you guys will be in for a treat!

Anyway, I flew to Madrid Sunday morning, then to London in the afternoon, and then finally to Qatar in the evening and through the night. Arrived in Doha at 6:30 AM, with a few hours sleep and a restless feeling to get started on the bikes! In Heathrow, London, I finally broke down and had a hamburger. Not bad for 10 Pounds (with a beer!). I managed to try the infamous HP sauce, and it's just like Worcestershire!

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I arrived in Doha exhausted and in need of a cigarette. I quickly got my luggage and some large boxes filled with bodywork I had shipped from BCN and ran outside. For some reason there was a large group of middle-aged (and older) Koreans on some kind of tour, so if you can imagine Muslims surrounded by a giant Korean tour group, you'll be seeing my bleary eyed morning! I hardly noticed when this guy came outside and lit up, but after a split second I called out, "Ohaiyoo Gozaimasu Yukio-san!". I joked around with him a bit (in my faltering and completely humiliating Japanese) and he told me that cigarettes were the secret of his Japanese Power! Really nice guy, and because of his time in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) his Engrish was pretty good! After a couple minutes talking about the differences between the '05 and '06 Pirellis, and some other fun stuff (Omedetoo Biaggi-san wa kitte shinai), his driver showed up.

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We had some trouble throwing the golf clubs in the back. Yukio Kagayama, of the Alstare Corona Suzuki team, won a couple races last year, and he arrived in Doha a couple days early to acclimate to the time zone and be fully prepared for the race on Saturday. Naturally, he needed a golfing partner, and who better to fit the bill? Nitro Noriyuki Haga!!!!! I'm guessing he was as tired as I was :)

Gambarimasu!!

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We caught some cabs to the hotel and prepared for a long day of transferring our bikes and gear from the big paddock, to wherever we were going to be placed. A quick shower and I was ready to go! I had thought we were moving into a large tent (as I had been told), but was pleasantly surprised to find that they had erected a portable room for us. It's going to be a tight, and possibly impossible, fit for all of us in there, because we're also storing two hundred + tires and equipment, too! Here's a shot of the new spot before we get settled in. Note the insulated ceiling - just what you need in the desert!

Whoops! I'll put this pic up further down the line ;)
 
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MotoLiam said:
In Heathrow, London, I finally broke down and had a hamburger. Not bad for 10 Pounds (with a beer!). I managed to try the infamous HP sauce, and it's just like Worcestershire!

2298073-sp480.jpg
Click to expand...
:drool Oh, how I miss english bacon.
£10 is a bit steep but the airports are a bit pricey compared to the traditional english caf'
 
I love this thread. Had a great ride today and life does not suck for me at all but gawd damn Liam, you rule dude!! Thank you Liam for posting, thank you BARF for hosting. Stuff like this, to me, is what makes this forum the best around. I know the bitching/fingerpointing/repostnazi's/insert bitch about Barf_here gets old but with threads like this it's so easy to see past all that stuff. Sorry to sound like a broken record.
:blah :rant :blah

ps// This thread rules!
 
Lonny! That photo's dark to show how it really is in the secretive world of Pirelli! One mo' time!
:laughing

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While I was moving our equipment from the hangar to our lil' shack, I stumbled upon these! It's soooo great to be on the inside when no one else is around ;) That's all the time I have right now, as I'm up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and for the rest of the week. Rob, Lonny, Dan, Eric, and the rest of youse - hold on to your hats because this week is going to be *Awesome!*

I'm surprised no one guessed the answer to the dirty moto shot I posted earlier; I even left a clue in the picture! JohnC, I'll be in touch with you later this week, because I have some Ducati related questions that you might be able to answer! Everyone else, stay tuned!
 
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