A month has passed in what seemed like a fortnight. I wrote my last installment the week after the Nurburgring and it’s fair to say a lot has changed since then. The championship was blown wide open at Imola but just one week later at Magny Cours things took a turn for the worse as I slid up the road on my arse! 19 points is now the advantage Crutchlow has on me at the top of the table so with just 25 points left on the board it’s Cal’s championship to lose. All I can do is go to Portimao and try to win the race, I’m not interested in messing around as I believe in good sportsmanship. If Cal wins the championship I’ll be the first to congratulate him as he’s put together a fantastic season. If I win the championship on the other hand I’ll not stop smiling til my jaw locks up and a doctor prescribes a frown as the remedy!
On the trip from Imola to Magny Cours we endured a torrid time. Phil Marron, Pippa and I joined my brother Michael for a 10,000 km road trip in his American motorhome. First off we lost a wing mirror going through the tightest toll booth in the world; half the paddock were down a wing mirror come Magny Cours as it was impossible to fit through! We pulled over to try to knock-up a makeshift mirror but it was useless so we parked up for the night. At 07.30 the next morning we got the mother of all wake up calls as the trucker next to us set off taking the front right side of the motorhome with him! He’d turned the steering wheel thinking he was clear but he was five foot premature. The windscreen was shattered and there wasn’t a wing mirror in sight but somehow we managed the final few hours to the circuit as well as the trip back home to England after the race! Poor Michael has to be the unluckiest man in the world in 2009. Back at Daytona someone stole his wallet then he had a pair of leathers pinched at a later round of the AMA. As if that wasn’t enough he had two helmets nicked at Imola shortly followed by his motorhome being trashed in France then to top it all off his paddock bike was stolen a few days later at Magny Cours. Last I spoke to Michael he was investing in bubble-wrapped clothing and considering getting an elevator installed so as not to have to use the stairs.
This week I’ve been in England with Pippa. On Thursday we went to a place called ‘Go Ape’ which is full of arial slides and stuff. I’d recommend going for sure, it’s great fun and some of it is pretty ballsy. I got a fright on one of the Tarzan Swings as I free-fell for a few metres before the harness finally grabbed me around the crotch and my stomach returned from my mouth! On Friday we travelled to Oulton to watch some BSB action before returning up north on Saturday night. I’m all set to watch the races on TV- who’s going to lift the British Supersport title? By the time you read this the champion will be crowned so I’m not even gonna bother guessing the victor!
Righto, I’ll stop by again before Portimao.
See ya,
Eugene
