Just like California’s weather conditions, we’ve suffered from a drought for too long. Our parched souls yearning for a single drop of motorcycle racing news, forcing us to fan our fires with gossip and speculation. When we believe we won’t survive another moment, the desert of Qatar quenches our thirst.
And for The Kid and I, it was a deluge.
I had just found my bike. I did everything possible to convince The Kid that this one is without a doubt my bike. It worked. Saturday morning of qualifying, we made a visit to our new friend Bill at the bike shop and made a deposit. We were all so desperate for some motorcycle action that The Don even showed up just for fun, and now we’re all pumped and ready for GP weekend.
We return home, prepare some kabobs and veggies for race day, and then spend some time decorating for the GP. Only I’m not decorating for the GP. My enthusiasm is so far gone that I’ve built an entire website about it, and I’ve given myself a deadline of publishing it on MotoGP Sunday.
I’m ready to celebrate my hard work, the return of racing and the love of my life who’s just agreed to buy me the bike of my dreams.
The Real Jerry arrived from out of town Saturday evening, ready to have some dinner, watch some qualifying and join our little community of racing fans.
At 6AM, I awoke from the alarm in my heart. The one that doesn’t let me sleep-in when there’s fun to be had or work to be done. Fortunately, I’m well-versed at throwing parties and I prepare everything in advance.
We all avoid social media spoilers, and spend the morning watching old race clips while I straighten the fallen décor. The first to arrive is The Mrs. and The Don, and I wonder why we’re even waiting for the others.
They’re not race fans. They’re our friends and family that are only here to support me and my crazy website idea. But they do arrive, and what ensues is the longest drawn-out day of motorcycle racing to date. We began around 11AM with Moto3, took a break, published the website, watched Moto2, took another break and then grilled before ending the afternoon with the main race. It. Was. Incredible.
When we anticipate this day for months, why would we rush through it?
The best part…watching the races with an enthusiastic new-comer. I love the questions like “How fast are they going?” “Who decides their places when they start?” “Qatar, is that why we’re eating all this curry?” For us, a successful GP party involves the possible recruitment of a new fan, another friend to join us or to possibly host a round of GP.
There are 18 more to go this year- plentiful opportunities for us to spend days with friends and quite possibly expand our GP party crew.
