Floribama Riders

This comes late as I've been slammed with a real estate project this week (but for which I'm thankful in "this" economy).

The Indy MotoGP was a blessed combination of fellowship, motorbike racing and rubbing elbows with the Euros and South Americans.  For that alone Indy is a must do.  If you didn't get to go this year then go ahead and start on that 2nd home mortgage to be able to go next year.  I've been to Indy 7 times for Formula 1 so I knew what was in store for us.  All the others have correctly noted that the city of Indy and the Speedway know how to put on and manage an event. We sat on the roadway after the race and watched the crowds go by.  It didn't take 90 minutes to get things cleared.  Compare that, to say, Talladega, where it can be 5 hours to get out and away.  These people are good and don't think that played heavily in the MotoGP's decision to give a nod to Tony George.  He promised alot and in my humble opinion, over delivered.  There is such a mystic that surrounds the word "Indy" that when you get there the hair stands up on your arms and back (or if you're a girl , your...........oh, you know).

O.K. enough that shiznit.  Let's go with McGovern's Super 7:

1.  My Oh My the sound.  These 800 cc MotoGP bikes have a purely orgasmic sound.  No similies here can do it justice.   You're gonna  have to simply get your ass there.  At the end of the front straight and into the turn 1, 2, 3, 4 complex, it reverberates through the hallowed stands of Indy and makes a sound that I several times referred to as the motorbike equivalent of Kasmir by Zeppelin.  The "bwwaaappp bwwaaaappp bwaap" just made me tingle.  And folks, I've heard alot of hotrods in my life.  On the boner scale, it would go like this:  1.  Ducati; 2.  Kawasawki; 3.  Suzuki.

2.  Friends, fun and fellowship.  What the F good is lifes experience if you can't share it?  I got to with Frito, Mulley, Cradall, Petrey, Spradley, Lucky Bastard, Woody, Gary, a furry Caribbean refugee and a Big Daddy (more on him later).  This event alone bonds us further together as friends and motorbike fanatics.  When we look at each other, we can give that little "eye" or "nod" that we'll recognize that says "I was at Indy for MotoGp with you, Dude.  We rock."  Don't F up.  Join our fraternity next year.

3.  Great accommodations.  I've always stayed away from the track and had to make the "commute" each day.  Not this year.  50 yards folks.  50 yards from bed to gate.  After the days events die down and the sun weighs heavily on the horizon, it's knda cool to stand there and look over from your compound and see the stands right there shadowed in the nights twilight.  Cool.  Cool.  Cool.

4.  A great meal makes for a great event.  Many of lifes great events are celebrated over a great meal.  Thursday night me, Davis, Woody, Gary, Garry and Petrey got a table at the infamous St. Elmos Steak House in downtown Indy.  You pay a little more but get alot more.  I've known of this place since the NHRA US Nationals in 2001 when Steve Johnson welcomed a man into his race pit named Steve House and his lovely bride Lila.  But the end of that particular day we were out of our shorts and t-shirts and into pants and collared shirts.  Desitnation:  St. Elmos.  Steve House was the Owner of the restaurant and  welcomed us to his table and took me downstairs to pick from his extensive wine collection.  This year I walked into St. Elmos with Kevin Swantz and after we all ate and went to the bar there in the corner was the Midget, Danny Pedrosa.  My efforts to say hi,shake his hand and wish him good luck was met with a strange look.  F you Danny.  We love Nicky.  Got to Indy?  You must go to St. Elmos.

5.  The pit walk around and huge fake boobs.  Mulley and I did the Thursday afternoon pit walk around which is so, so cool.  You get to be right there.  Stand on the bricks.  Kiss the bricks.  Meet the racers.  Also saw a couple of cool stunt dudes.  One on a BMW and the other on a Honda 600 areu are.  They were really good.  As we made our way down pit lane, we got in the vicinity of one of the KTM 250 teams pit when we noticed a girl in a pink top who was running 600 cc's left and 600 cc's right.  It was funny enough to watch the guys stopping and staring (yes, yes yes, myself included, helllllllllooooooooooooooooooo