I wake up early, 5 o’clock. Train “Shikansen” takes me to good old Utsunomia where I have a lot of good memories by now Smile
I was about to ask directions where goes “special bus to Motegi Twinring” but I don’t have to. Queue, half mile long. No way that it’s national gathering to worship Shakai-san 10000th anniversary, it’s gotta be because of bunch of guys riding around the track.

Queue takes about 10 minutes to get packed into buses. I love japanese efficency. I thought about taking a taxi to track but figured, that they honour buses and have a separate line for them near the track. They didn’t but I got there anyway.
Warmup was just started (yes! 4 and a half hours from a hotelbed to the track), I took some pictures in turn 5 (?). You can see by timing, that the camera I have is not really the fast one. I learned quickly, that those bikes get out of corner so fast I have to time earlier. It’s just amazing. And again, NOISE they make is just too much. When they rolled on the throttle, they were aiming their mighty pipes right towards me. And it was like somebody was hitting with a club to your chest. Big, alloy baseball club. Mamma-mia!

From warmup to paddock. I checked the back of the pits to see if any rider is just going to their temporary homes so I could make some pics and maybe get some authographs. Well, I got Lorenzo. And look what happened, he got banned! And then I stopped at Rossis tent and he was still inside, but close to exit and was giving interview to Italian media. My Italian is bad but as one of my friends in Italia confirmed later, he vowed to win and take championship in style. Well, I got his picture and look what happened.

The 125cc race was raising over the horizon and I was chilling (literally, it’s 31 degree by mister Celsius in shade and my blood is too thick for those temperatures) in paddock cafe and chatting away with mr Chuck Aksland from Team KR. They are very eager to get back to racing, he remembered warmly how McWilliams did the first test back in winter with then brand new KTM engine. Things are changed quite a bit since then, KTM found out in hard way that tuning the 4-stroke is different planet and gravity is more than on earth on that planet. Shame they pulled the plug. But home of the rising sun is surprising once again - negotiations are still in very early stages and it may all go other way or it just be taken as rumors, but Team KR is talking with Honda who may give them engines and have another place on grid filled against Yamaha-Rossi dominance. Now that Yamaha has de facto two championships and going for third, they sure are cutting back on spending. THAT may be the main reason Rossi is changing sponsors and going for a one man team. We will see.

As I was sipping my icecold coffe, Thomas Luthi and Andy Ibbot (California Superbike School) were walking past. Luthis team has invited Andy to participate on rest of the races to instruct Thomas, to retain championship lead. Keith Code technologies are really working and maybe we will have a Swiss MotoGP champ one day, who knows.
I took off to my usual watching place, right in front of mediacenter - it’s great view to start-finish line, most of accompanied race photos and celebrationpics are taken from there and it’s windy and somewhat cooler as well.

Some japanese messed up the electronics and red lights switched off and 125cc race was on. I hoped for a better finish but it is really something to see bikes crash right in front of you. Thankfully, riders are both OK thou Luthi will take further medical checks. Odd podium pics with one rider missing, even odder parc ferme, with only one bike to show up.

Then, electronics were fixed, red lights were lit again and then computer crashed and lights went off again and 250cc grid took off to roundabout to see, who can carry more cornerspeed on go-stop-go track. It would be great to see next year Pedrosa racing against Rossi. Pedrosa seems to lack the killer instinct like did early Rossi. But boy how he can race. Sure, no match to his teammate but after 6 laps remaining, he took his mind off of teenage japanese girls and did some passings. Lorenzo, whom I took picture and to whom I told to lighten up a bit (look at the pic Smile ), got dizzy and made some strange moves. If you ask me, one race ban is WAY TOO HARSH sentence. It was racing incident, not intentional move to bring everybody to check the kittylitter. Why they keep doing these things in 250 and 125 is beyond me. I hope they change their minds, especially in light of later happenings.

Then, MotoGP class started their engines and vibration from the noise shaked red bulbs out of their sockets and race was on. Surely, crowd was cheering for their home heroes. But also for Rossi and especially to Capirossi. Is it because of “made in” tires? With every lap he lead, cheering was getting bigger and bigger. It was like rock concert and applauds after every marble-packed line the lead singer was yelling to mic. I love the way they cheer when riders take great passing moves, and even more I like when they “oooh” and “aah” when somebody goes wide. And it’s not like Spanish way “We hate you, Doohan” banners, but still very kind. It sure is down to culture, be nice and noble, always.

MotoGP ninjas where making moves and then mother of all “oohs” broke out. I saw Melandri going down. And then Rossi. Whaaat? I remember making mental note to crash, whatever it takes, to Rossi celebration party, but I realized there’s going to be a lonely sushinight, not champagne-sticky spaghetti eating and whopped-cream cake war. Will Italian media eat Rossi alive now? Not only he didn’t deliver but he managed to injure fellow countryman. Rider whom Rossi has publicly let known is a guy he wants to get along on paddock.

After that, race was not the same anymore. Riders were spread along the track, everybdy except Capirossi and Biaggi were playing it safe. Thank got Loris still got some powder and it’s dry. Bridgestones really do work miracles on this track and at final laps Loris broke away and brought it home to much delight to local public. I took couple of pics of while he was passing Ducati Island, I remember our local forum admin Popmonkey is Ducatisti. So there you go Smile
After race, it was time to look around at shops, to get some gifts to home. Man they got really blinf-bling mad stuff over here. I also took pics of Kawasaki to our japanese guest and users and Nickys 69 to our American-breed guests, users and admins Smile. I love the umbrellagirl, for sure Smile.

I couldn’t choose anything to my friend who asked something from Yamaha. Everything with name Yamaha on it was also Rossi-flavor but I wanted Yamaha only things. And to be honest, I don’t want to fan the greatest racer in the century. I want to race against him. Pipedream or a real sign of fandom, true admiration thru desire to measure against? Hopefully, I will find out.
I’m homebound now, flying over the Urals, sun behind me. SAS Airlines have wifi onboard so I can send it right away to rideontwo.com and share it with you. Thanks again for Jim for inspiration and forwarding Yamahas invitation, that little email snowballed to full scale avalance of happenings.

(ed note: This is Heiti, raw and uncut, without the proper accompanying photos. Due to popular demand we are putting thiese up now, and will fill them in as time permits. best…)

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