Photography by Andrew Wheeler
This was my fourth trip to Phillip Island to cover the Australian GP. No real drama this year, as Valentino Rossi had already taken the MotoGP championship in Japan with three races to go.
In the media center, I set up my laptop, scratched my name onto a little tag that made my spot official and fired up Skype to chat with my wife back in the States. Skype and other electronic tools are a lifesaver for many folks who travel extensively. It’s still not the same, though, as being home. When asked if he was planning to stay in Australia or go on to Malaysia for the penultimate round of the series, Rossi said he was going home to sleep in his own bed and play with his dog, Guido. Sadly, Guido died the following weekend, reminding us that there is a price for all of this.
Anyway, the weekend was fairly typical for Phillip Island: windy, rain at least once, followed by a stellar race. After a crash in qualifying, Rossi was 12th on the grid. With 2007 champ Casey Stoner on pole and Nicky Hayden next to him, we knew we were in for a good race. Rossi, Stoner and Hayden didn’t disappoint and, in what has become a tradition, fans poured onto the track for the post-race podium celebration.
Standing next to Stoner’s wife, Adrienne, I had a little insight into just how excited she is to see him at the end of the race. She couldn’t wait for him to take his helmet off and give him a kiss. He took off his gloves and she held them with a reverence I have never before seen. I found it touching and completely opposite to what many think is a world of machismo.
The final race of the season, held at the Circuit Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo in Spain, was next for me. As always, it was a feast for the senses. The jam-packed amphitheater created a canvas painted with bright yellows, reds, blues and greens of people supporting their favorite riders and teams. Air horns and chanting similar to a championship soccer match filled the air with excitement. The smell ofpaella—fish, rice, chorizo and chicken—cooking on open burners taunted my appetite with its complicated aroma. On the track, the racing was the main dish and the fans ate it up. Dessert was a fireworks show that sent vibrations through my core with each explosion.
On the Monday following the race, riders who changed teams sampled their new machines. Nicky Hayden moved from Honda to Ducati, Marco Melandri left Ducati for Kawasaki, and Sete Gibernau is back in the MotoGP paddock on a satellite Ducati. Rossi is, once again, number one, though he will stick with the “46″ of his father on the front of his Yamaha; as in the past, the Italian will display the “1″ on his leathers.
