Last weekend (okay, two weekends ago now), we ventured up to Indy, pulling B behind us in his truck.
Mind you, I ordered these event tickets months ago - I got them for his birthday in February if that tells you anything.
So finally, FINALLY got to go to the Indianapolis Redbull MotoGP.
HOLY CRAP, guys.
SO MUCH FUN, even if just for the fact that I got to see Valentino Rossi own the first 10 laps of the race on Sunday.
On a Yamaha, of course. I'm going to start rooting for his teammate once he finally retires, too. The kid has skills that are unparalleled and if he's on a more powerful bike in the future he will be untouchable. I've only ever seen that kind of raw talent out of Rossi himself, and Lorenzo makes him just look... Rossi is a natural, an extension of the motorcycle, that kind of thing. Lorenzo pushes the envelope with a new type of riding where the motorcycle is an extension of him at this point. I saw him lean so far that Rossi and Marquez, the frontrunner, looked like novices in comparison. Kid's got guts. So does Dovizioso for Ducati, but he doesn't have the staying power, he just has aggression and daring, which he definitely showed on that Sunday.
I now own my very own #46 The Doctor t-shirt as well. It's a hideous shade of yellow but, hey, it's Rossi's number.
Anyhow, getting up there race day, being that we were staying an hour away with my parents, the day opened up with rain. And as anyone who's ever ridden even a bicycle can tell you, riding in the rain is not only uncomfortable, but it can be dangerous too.
Finally there was a break in the rain, though still gloomy, and I geared up and hopped on my bike, much to my mother and step father's shock. Kenny took the truck and trailer (being that Beast was still down for the count with a broken faring stay on top of the broken plastic) and followed behind me.
Now, it's been a month since I was last on a bike. I had ridden my bike 6 whole times. And my 7th time was going into heavy traffic on a 2 lane highway where the speed limit is around 65.
I was a little shaky to start but once we got out of town I did fine, and even rode while it sprinkled. Every time I thought about pulling over to trailer my R6, it would stop raining, so I kept going. Finally, at one point it just became an utter downpour and I'm sure I was making a very comical face inside my helmet. It finally cleared but by that point the damage had been done and I was soaked and my poor decrepit left hand was feeling everything, which is never a good sign. I knew we needed to gas up the truck too so I started keeping an eye out for the gas stations I knew were coming up.
Amusingly enough, I watched as a car passed me and a guy literally leaned out of his car window almost breaking his neck to see that yes, I was a chick on a sport bike. Thank you. He gave me the props-nod and I returned it before they zoomed on. I also made sure to wave back to the few people that waved to me on their bikes, though most of us were more intent on keeping our bikes from sliding out in the puddles.
Finally we pulled over and I changed into clothes that were a little more dry, though noticed my changed shirt was black and would not work for a sunny day outdoors.
Kenny took off on B to lead us the rest of the way (my bike handles differently, obviously, plus I was nervous to get on a 4 lane interstate without him beside me) and I followed him with the truck and trailer. We made it to the previously discovered parking lot that nobody would ticket us for parking in, parked the truck and trailer and then took off to the Speedway to go watch what was an extremely heart-attack-inducing race.
I'm already trying to figure out pre-ordering for next year because we want to get the VIP passes, plus reordering now means we get massive discounts on the extras- hell yes.
One year we might go to Austin to see that circuit, but Indy is just so convenient and only a 3-4 hour trip.
Now, in more updated and recent news, his faring stay came in Saturday and his farings are here... so today we go strip down his bike. We have to reorder him another mirror and a new windscreen, but those are piddly.
He's finally excited about his bike again. Not a moment too soon though, because I know my arm can't handle riding in the cold and I'm hoping we have a mild fall like we did last year, because then I could ride into November to get me comfortable on the bike... and get me on the interstate. That's my goal before the riding season is up, even if it's just to go exit to exit. I need to get over that hurdle before I give myself an aneurysm. But I need Kenny there beside me.
Off to go strip the old farings off of Beast!