I had a great talk last Friday with Jules (Popmonkey) of Ro2 and MotoGPod, and it's finally up online. We spent over an hour covering bits and pieces of my life, China, the situation, the race, and my girlfriend.

You can listen for yourself to this beautiful Podcast at www.MotoGPod.com

Eric F. (former owner of one Carvin Guitar) wrote in to me after listening, and I thought his response was so good, I'm posting it here:

". . . it was fun hearing the "saga of the Carvin". More importantly, thanks for being so honest and transparent, sharing the human side of the MotoGP circus. I'm as big of a gear head as anyone, but there is obviously more to this story than facts and figures (or motorcycles, for that matter). The fact that you are so observant of people and cultures, and so articulate at communicating your perceptions, makes my own vicarious MotoGP experience that much more rewarding. Thanks again."

Hope you all enjoy it, and while I cover some of the same things you'll see written here, there's a different dimension, tangible, and I think it helps the photos and faces shown here come alive that much more. Sorry the first 11 minutes or so are choppy and difficult to listen to, but that's just one of the constant realities I have to deal with when I'm trying to talk to my girl on Skype, and it's an accurate portrayal of the life. The show only gets better, so a special thanks to Jules for putting up with me and just listening.

Getting back into China was a little more difficult this time around, as increasing restrictions and bureaucracy led to frustration and annoyances, and a whole lotta hassles! It's not just about the long journey to get to the Middle Kingdom, but the country's dynamic is moving and shifting so rapidly in certain directions, and tediously slowly in others, that I never really know what to expect once I leave Pudong Airport in Shanghai. Would it be the same crazy place, filled with colorful lights and distractions of every sort so you don't see the filth in the streets and the people looking to capitalize on every tourist in some way? Would it be more sedate and self-confident as China geared up for the oncoming Olympic Games? You never really know what you're going to get . . . and the sleeping giant never disappoints. I spent my time there, quite possibly my last visit for the foreseeable future as the Chinese GP is likely to be dropped from the calendar next year, quietly reflecting on my previous travels there in 2005 (not to mention last year's incredible trip!), and trying to absorb and understand as much of the people and the culture as I could. I sure as heck didn't get anything from the ruling party except a headache, haha, but overall I was very happy to have spent more time in the Far East, and I truly wish I could have extended my trip this year. There will be time, though, because the world isn't going anywhere right now. I am!

I've spent the past week thinking a lot about my feelings concerning China and preparing a huge, double post about the last MotoGP race to take place at Shanghai - but now is the not the time to think about motorcycles and racing - now is the time to give your loved ones a hug and let them know how much they mean to you!

When I look at the faces of JL48's pit crew, the mechanics who formerly worked on Colin Edwards' machines when he was partnered with Rossi on the Factory Yamaha Team, there's a new calm, a new confidence. There's nothing sweeter than results, and it totally justifies so many long days and late nights. In that respect, I feel like we're bound to have some good races in the future, and I believe that our turn around starts in Shanghai. It's a process, like all things that happen step by step, and by Le Mans, we should be even more equipped to battle for some real points. I'm looking for that quiet peace of success.

We arrive tomorrow, with only a small time zone to hop through, meaning my flight there from BCN will be 40 minutes long, and the return flight 2:45 long. If . . . . everything goes according to plan, haha. In the meantime, let's get ready for Estoril with this Beautiful Re-Mix!

And while you're at it, have a look at the updated Extras Page, which features additional music you may not have caught since this season began.

Unlike Qatar, where I was unable to directly access my webserver and upload music, I'm doing just fine in the Hotel la Cueva with their wifi, so without further ado, here's your
Song for the Jerez GP08!

A professional face, experienced and calm, waits on pit wall to see the first grid of 2008 assemble after their warm-up lap. It's our first race of the season, and the anticipation is high. Tonight has been a target for months, and a lot of hard work has already taken place.

They bring the lights, we'll bring the fire!

By this time tomorrow night, we'll be packing up the entire garage after two weeks here in the desert. We'll know who's for real, who's on, and what the Championship will have in store for us this 2008. I can't wait. Wish I could give credit for this amazing aerial shot of the Losail Circuit, but I don't know who took it, only that it was floating around the paddock this weekend. A truly magnificent capture of this impressive event. Here's to more this year!

Teams arrived in Qatar last week, not quite sure exactly what to expect when the first Night Tests would take place. Already adjusting to a relatively minor 2 hour time difference from Europe, everyone would then further adjust to another shift of about approximately 7 hours, as the bikes were scheduled to be on track from 5PM through 12AM. I was just as curious as everyone else, and as I transferred flights in Madrid on my way to Doha, I spent some time wondering about the additional logistics needed to make the test and the race successful. Certainly, this would be one of the more complicated races of the season . . .

Most importantly, at Jerez we were introduced to our Alice Team Ducati GP8's! These four bikes will be mine for the next 9 months of racing competition, and I aim to keep them going in tip-top shape.

I'll be updating with IRTA Jerez photos and thoughts sometime later this week while I'm in Qatar. There's a lot of information that I'm still sorting through, and the work rolled right along through this past week. I should have some personal time soon, between the Qatar Test and the Qatar GP, because we'll be staying in Doha the entire time instead of heading back to Europe in between. We have our first "Night Test" in just a couple of days, and hopefully that will get us pointed in the right direction because the first race of the season is upon us, in two weeks! I had a few days here in BCN, with constant construction noise waking me early while our building underwent renovation to the water supply lines. That meant no running water from 8AM til 8PM. It was trying, hahaha, but I survived to fly another day. I'll land at dawn with the rest of the Team on Tuesday morning in Doha, and then it's off to the racetrack.

Bumpy little tune for the Night Test

Mad Props to my boys and girls back home who are looking out for me - you know who you are. See you guys there (and hopefully the Ates clan, too!).

El MotoGP al que llegue se parecia al que habia sonado. La unica differencia es que mi MotoGP era mucho mas ingenuo.

Una nueva ciudad te brinda la misma oportunidad que un escenario: puedes decidir que personaje vas a ser cada dia.

Cuando consigues lo que llevas mucho tiempo deseando se produce un vacio, es el momento de valorar tu intropia. Que significa haber alcanzado tu sueno y cual sera el siguente.

Ganar carreras, y ganar viviendo.

-el "L" con tamara rojo

Unlike previous seasons, where I have flown from Barcelona to Madrid and then driven down to Jerez de la Frontera, 2008's IRTA Test will see me flying directly there, which is a welcome change for me. Woot! Other Team members will be flying in after me, so I'll have a short break at the aeropuerto to relax with my PSP watching a movie, or maybe I'll manage to see something interesting there, as I have never been to that airport and that area of Jerez.