October 2009 Archives

So I didn’t quite make it up at stupid o‘clock once more this weekend to watch the penultimate race in the MotoGP season out in Sepang, but thank goodness for iplayer, as it was one hell of an eventful Grand Prix!

First up was the incredible torrential rain that came 30 minutes before the race proper, after it had been sunny and dry all weekend, which would have completely messed up the riders preparation, then the fact that Lorenzo failed to make it back to his starting position in time meaning he had to start form the back of the grid looked to have ended any hopes he had of taking the Championship before the race had even begun.

Then when they finally did start, Rossi uncharacteristically lost his advantage from starting on pole as he slipped back to 5th on the first corner, and was languishing in 11th by the end of the first lap.

Suddenly it seemed as if the race was back on, with the awful conditions meaning Rossi could fall at any time, and with Lorenzo rapidly gaining back places it seemed as though we would have a race after all!

But the wise head of Rossi meant that he had actually simply stuck himself on the back wheel of Lorenzo, to ensure that he wouldn’t get away from him, knowing that a top four finish would do to help him take his 7th Premiere title.

Ruthlessly he loitered in Lorenzo’s mirrors, until he realised his teammate did not have the pace, and then he simply ghosted past him, and from that moment on, even though there was always a chance of a crash in the horrendous conditions, you just knew that “The Doctor” had it in the bag!

The most bizarre bit of the day though was clearly when Rossi, having won the title, decided to stop and pose with a chicken adorned in his colours…….no he hadn't mistakenly popped into a KFC Drive Thru, but instead the reason for this strange celebration is simple really, as the great man said "My celebration was because in Italy we say an old chicken makes good soup but can no longer lay eggs! I am like the old chicken - 30 years now - but I have made another egg! That's nine!,"…………………okay maybe not that simple, but zany enough to be done by Rossi!

He truly is the greatest, he has set pretty much every record and deserves to be champion once more, but I can’t help think that next year, with a fit Stoner and more experienced Lorenzo, it will be harder to make it a nice round 10. In fact Stoner was such a class above everyone else, he was in different time zone, having put on a 18 second lead in about 10 laps, he simply cruised home, and this young Aussie is looking better than ever, amazing when you think that the Ducati he is on is notoriously hard to ride!

Moving to the football, I was gutted to see Arsenal throw away the 2 goal lead at Upton Park, and with it the chance to go top of the table, sure its early doors, but games like that can make a huge difference at the end of the season. Just ask United who had their worst nightmares come true at Anfield as they were played off the park by a Liverpool team with something to prove!

Chelsea won again, although the real thriller was between Bolton & Everton…….I know who’d have thought it, especially with the fact that Megson’s men were actually playing some decent football and just not lumping  it up to Davies for him to get stuck into.

In fact after this weekends results, I would say that the Premiership is really open this year, and the European places, as no team seems to have an unbeatable air about them at all, and others seem to have really raised their games.

I managed to pick every game wrong this week in the Guinness Premiership, as my beloved Tigers went down at the Madejski to London Irish, again without scoring a try, and I would be seriously worried in the Tigers camp about their lack of penetration at times. Quins beat the impressive Worcester, Newcastle picked up their first win of the season at Bath, and even Wasps managed to beat Gloucester away! Sarries continued their 100% record with a hard fought win against Leeds, and returned to the top of the table, while with Northants beating Sale, they moved up into 4th place above the Tigers.

So all in all, both Premierships are throwing up some results that lead me to believe this could be one of the best seasons of sport ever!!

On a personal note this week, I am turning 30 on Friday, so I mostly going to be out celebrating, by going to see the Dead Weather tonight, hosting a premier in Birmingham for my listeners of Jennifer’s Body (Megan Fox as a demonic cheerleader…….hell yeah!), and then watching Greenday at the LG arena on Weds before heading home for a bone scan on my neck, and some fun and games with my mates and family back in Epsom!

Chances are then that the next time I’ll blog I will be thirty………….maybe I should get me a chicken too??

What a weekend for motorsport!

I awoke with a rather large hangover on Sunday afternoon to the bliss that is the MotoGP. In fact I was so not with it, that I even phoned my mate Gary up who runs Streetbike, as I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing!

Lorenzo flying off at the first corner, and taking poor Nicky Hayden with him, was so unbelievable to me after watching him all season, that I had to call someone, it was only then that Gary pointed out to me the race had actually taken place at stupid o’clock that morning, and I was in fact watching the highlights!

Good news though, as Gary subtly didn't ruin the race for me, and just said to keep watching. What unfolded over the race was simply breathtaking, two men riding their bikes right on the edge, all the way to the chequered flag!

You would have though Rossi would have eased off and given Stoner an easy win, but it was not to be, as both riders showed just how good and competitive they are, still pushing right to the end, with both almost losing at the final corner!

For Stoner it must have been bliss, as he proved all his doubters wrong and has shown that now he is fit, he is up there with the very best, and just seems to be enjoying riding now, and with Rossi’s lead at the top now 38 points surely Lorenzo has blown his title hopes?? Bring on the next race!

Then after some frantic walking of my friends dog….for two hours to sober up, I settled in at possibly the perfect time to watch a Grand Prix. Seriously, 6pm, after a nice Sunday lunch, and with it cold and dark outside, how cool was it to watch the Brazilian grand Prix…….oh and that man Button!

I really thought Button was blowing the Championship this year, he is a natural racer, and he has struggled in races ever since he has seemingly been trying to play it safe. I really thought another performance like that might cost him the title. Wow was I wrong!

After the worst qualifying of the season for Jensen, and starting in 14th, he must have just decided, sod it, and with his teammate and championship rival Barrichello in the lead early on, we got to see some of the best driving I have ever seen on a Formula One track!

Button was incredibly, battling his way up through the pack with a mixture of incredible overtaking skills and real on the edge driving, and it was obviously he had had enough of the negative tactics that had seen his lead at the top of the table diminish so rapidly. Yes Brawn haven't been on pace for some races,but to see his true colours come through in Brazil was simply astonishing!

What a way to shut your doubters up and show you truly are a World Champion! Also wasn’t it lovely in world more associated with the cold calculating egotistical genius of drivers like Alonso, Schumacher, and to an extent Hamilton, wasn’t it great to see the emotion that poured out of Jensen after the win, something that made the struggles of his career all the more tangible, although I do feel his rendition of we are the Champions may come back and haunt him on the new TV Show I have heard about being made by the BBC, Celebrity come Dancing Karaoke on Ice…….seriously though Button, top work, an amazing job by everyone at Brawn too, and to see the “Ice Man” Ross Brawn break down into tears at the end….well it just rounded up a perfect day, and show you how much these guys keep there emotions in check most of the time!

So then this week I am mostly riding lots of motorbikes in the rain, which is nice, if you haven't already check out my other blog to see what I’m on about in the Motorcycle Diaries, and i am also loving the return of Champions League footy to warm my dark and cold winter evenings, if only the results weren't so predictable, Man Utd and Chelsea win, Arsenal play well but struggle to a draw and Rangers getting thumped, plus of course the normal doom and gloom surrounding Liverpool after a few bad results.

On a personal note, I am chuffed this week after having actually managed two gym sessions in a row without breaking down! My neck has been playing up so badly over the summer but light is at the end of the tunnel, and I am off for a Bone scan next week, and I’m seeing a Neuro surgeon the week after, hopefully to get the all clear so I can start running into people head first again on a rugby pitch!

Apologies for lack of bloggage over the last few weeks, I have simply been so busy that my head exploded, and unfortunately while i though I was actually blogging, I was just taping away at an empty table with my laptop on the other side of the room.

In all seriousness I have been rather taken up not only with my daytime show on Kerrang Radio, but also with the ever developing and exciting Motorcycle Diaries which I have now taken into the video stage, so go check them out! Oh and here is a picture of me doing some Moto X just in case you don’t believe me!

On top of that I launched a new club night, and have been doing lots of work for my TV show, plus now I’m also starting back in training to look at seriously playing a bit of rugby again!

Only one problem there, and that is I’m awaiting the results of a bone scan and Neuro surgeon consultancy in a few weeks on my injured neck, as something wasn’t right on the MRI i had two months ago, but hey, heading back in the gym tomorrow to see if I cant get somewhere near match fit, so I can go and train and hopefully play with the Birmingham & Solihull Bee’s again at some point in the near future!

I couldn’t have asked for a better game to get the blood pumping and get me focusing on rugby fitness than Leicester vs. Ospreys at the weekend in the Heineken Cup….what a comeback by my beloved Tigers, and a great example as to why fitness in the final minutes of a match can make such a difference! Also it was just to have Europe’s premier Rugby competition back……man I missed it, and as always it didn't disappoint!

Oh and Billy Twelvetrees, I don’t care how many larches you own son, you did ace!!

Not that I’m anywhere near match fitness, in fact since I injured my neck at the end of last season, its been hard to get a weeks training in without breaking down, but hopefully, I have turned a corner and can start getting “Massive” as they say again!! Yay!

I thought it was a shame to see England throw away their 100% World Cup qualifying record against Ukraine on Saturday, all pretty much down to one silly mistake from a certain Rio Ferdinand. No doubt a world class player, he has copped a lot of stick over his mistake that led to Robert Green being sent off, and he will be in no doubt that he needs to get himself out of his comfort zone if he is to up his game….but come on……we were already through!

Sure it wasn't a great game, but you know what, we have done the hard work, and so if our players want to mess up at any point in their international career now is a good a time as any!

I read someone’s Facebook status (you can add me on here www.facebook.com/superstarluke to stay updated with the latest blogs!) after the final whistle which read something like “God why do I bother to support England after a game like that!” and couldn’t believe it! I mean this is a side that has just walked through qualifying with one of our best runs of form ever, scoring goals for fun and looking great while doing it, and they were judging them on the Ukraine match. I say, take it easy, these boys have already got their mind on 2010, so it was never going to be a full blooded performance, but the main thing (Just ask Maradonna with Argentina) is that we are through, and will be in South Africa next year!

Right then, I am aiming to update this at least twice a week from now on with my sporting views and random gibber jabber, so until next times my illustrious compadres!!!