I had planned to write an entry on the flight to Monza last week but instead I got a big sleep in.  I’d driven through the night with Pippa and my chief mechanic Phil to get to Stansted in time for our connecting flight to Milan so we were pretty knackered!  THAT volcano decided to play havoc again causing our flight from Northern Ireland to England to be cancelled.  To be fair I’d have cycled to Monza if I’d known I was going to receive 25 points on Sunday afternoon!  That was a sweet sweet race won on turn one.  I received a great message from my friend Ben Parkinson via Twitter after the race.  It read, “They say you can’t win a race in the first corner, I’m not so sure.”

It was a great fortnight for me and my brothers with my back to back victories at Assen and Monza as well as Michael’s debut BSB victory and John’s debut BSB podium in between.  Our parents worked very hard to give us the opportunity to show our talents and we owe a lot to them.  I don’t think we ever imagined we’d achieve success at this level back when we were sat in a caravan in the fields of Donegal during our junior motocross days!

I was glued to the TV the weekend between Assen and Monza with the MotoGP from Jerez on Sunday followed by the BSB on Monday.  The Moto2 race was very exciting, I’ve read that Aspar will switch to the Suter chassis so expect Julian Simon to start kicking ass soon.  Tomizawa has been the revelation of Moto2 proving that the switch from the politically corrupt 250 category to the new equal opportunities 600 category was the right move.

Already people are asking where I’m going next season and my answer is as simple as this: I have two interests, WSB and Moto2.  Both are now stepping stones to MotoGP so my decision will be with the most competitive offer.  I want to continue winning races next season albeit in a different class and I believe that I can do that in both those series so long as the package is right.  I know all too well following my two seasons in 250GP that everything needs to be in place in order to fight for victory.

I’m in South Africa right now taking it easy having flown through the night.  I won the race here last year and i’d love to do the same again.  The title race has really tightened up between Lascorz, Sofuoglu and I so it’s going to be an exciting second half to the season.

Catch y’all again soon,

Eugene

I’ve just arrived back in Fuschl, Austria having spent the weekend with my friends Ariane and Barry in Vienna. I flew to Austria after Valencia to spend some time at the Red Bull Diagnostics and Training Center and I plan to leave here in a plane for Assen in three days time. I say ‘plan’ because while that’s what I’d like to do this Icelandic volcano seems to have other ideas! I could be in for a LONG train journey from Salzburg to Amsterdam.

Two races have passed since I last stopped by and things haven’t ran so smoothly. After a great start at Phillip Island it seems that Sunday just hasn’t been my day lately! I enjoyed two pole positions at Rounds Two and Three but disastrous races have followed. I want to make amends at Round Four with another victory at the venue where I scored my best victory last year. As I expected Lascorz and Sofuoglu are proving to be my two main threats for the title, however, Chaz is really starting to look the part on the Triumph. Who know, we could have a four-way fight for the title which would make things interesting!

I’ve had a great week so far at the Red Bull DTC with just one focus and no other distractions. In the evenings I’ve been taking it easy and just catching up on all the action from the 2010 AMA Supercross Championship. I really like the way Ryan Dungey rides, you can tell he’s not the most naturally gifted rider but he’s worked damn hard to go round in circles fast. He’s broken it all down and sussed the job out with the help of Ricky Carmichael, who had to do the same towards the end of his career in order to keep the amazing talent of James Stewart at bay. It really annoys me when people talk about naturally gifted riders because nine times out of ten they get it all wrong. They always think that the guy who is making it look easy is the naturally gifted one, whereas it’s usually the opposite.

The restaurant is now open so I’m off to indulge. I’ll stop by again after Assen be it good news or bad!

Eugene

Almost a month has passed since Round One where we were victorious at Phillip Island. I head to Round Two looking for more of the same, but knowing at the same time that a repeat performance is unlikely. I just can’t see my two chief rivals letting me head off into the distance again so I predict a three way tussle all the way to the flag.

After Phillip Island Pippa and I spent a week up on the Gold Coast of Australia. Unfortunately we were hit by a week of freak weather which typically cleared up the moment we left for home! Nevertheless it was a fantastic week, it’s hard not to enjoy the Aussie way of life. Gino Rea was also up on the Gold Coast for the week so we hooked up with him briefly. The work started when we arrived back in Northern Ireland as it was moving in time. I thought it was going to be stressful times but the excitement of making our new house a home took over. That and the fact that Pippa was on the case sorting most things! For two weeks many of those days were long as I’d get up around 7.00 to train then carry on with moving in duties before taking on my second training session of the day later in the evening. We did have some time off last weekend with Pippa’s parents coming over to stay. On Friday we visited the Giant’s Causeway which is always a nice way to get away from the world.

I went trials riding on Sunday for the first time in a few months and it was great to be back in the forest having the craic with the boys. Nowadays we do more talking than riding, when the sun’s on your back sometimes it’s just nice to lie back and talk rubbish! Usually it’s one person trying to climb a hill while the rest stand scattered across the hill ready to catch both bike and rider when they inevitably fail to make it to the top. After a few attempts that person will park it up then it’s times for the next person to be picked on. I’d like to say the selection is random but it’s more a case of going after the person who’s most likely to bite! Our new recruit Barney is good entertainment, he stands at the top of the hill and provides us with some comedy. He brings a jerrycan filled with fuel but I’m sure a little vinegar jar would be ample for all the riding he does!

I’m travelling to Portugal a day earlier than usual so I hope to catch up with my teammate Miguel and our team owner Paulo at some stage. It’s a nice feeling to go to the team’s home round as the leader of the World Championship, I hope I leave there in the same position.

See ya,

Eugene