5/12/08 S-Works takes the call to arms - BACK

OK, that was cruel.

SECOND ROADRACINGWORLD.COM PRESS RELEASE IN TWO DAYS

No other way to explain it. From Thursday afternoon, when the phone first rang and I dropped the circular saw in a panic to go find a notary for the pro license and ship out the paperwork next-day air to the AMA, to today late afternoon, this opportunity has been offered and then taken away from us about four times. I've kept a pretty level head. After all, in the last year we've been promised some pretty remarkable things - every one of which fell through.. So ever since Bob's call I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Bob needed photos, I'm a photographer. He needed a racer, I'll run like a bull with his ass on fire. He wanted a team player, we had his back. We needed a license app to be in Ohio in 13 hours, Tracy and I got it done. It seemed like every situation Bob needed resolved, we had the answer for, and we answered it. But in the end the young rider being fired weighed a little too heavy on Bob's heart so he backed down, again. That pretty much leaves us out in the uncola. There are no hard feelings. I know Bob's got a lot on his plate right now, and he's being tugged in about seven directions simultaneously. In situations like that it's tough to make everyone happy. Probably impossible actually. And the last thing I want is to be the source of stress for anyone, so it's cool. I understand.

I'm glad for the kid. He's young and he's got promise. And now he's got something even more rare - a second chance. Hell most of us never get a FIRST chance, never mind a second! I hope he and his soccer Dad of a father can learn to work as just one part of a much larger picture/team now and in the future. If nothing else, I hope at least this good comes from all the recent confusion.

As for where this leaves us? Well let's see - having a press release sent out to the media channels saying you've accepted an offer to ride for Triumph doesn't mesh very well with any future Ducati plans. Apparently these brands are like oil and water. But maybe this new door being opened for just an instant might spark something new in the future. I know I'm tired of sitting around. That's for sure.

Amongst all this crap there IS one reality which we own and which can't be taken away from us by anyone. There was a chance, and we pounced on it. This means a lot to me. After all the crap of last year, throughout all the bullshit, the hunger survived. The fire still burns red hot.

After Bob hung up tonight, which was his final clean-up step before issuing the "I take it back" press release to Roadracingworld.com, I turned to Tracy and Matthew and said, "Don't be down guys. We WILL race this year."

If I was a real champion I would go to Infineon this weekend to help S-Works out, anyway, dispite the disappointment. For sure at least someone on that team needs a better understanding of what exactly a "TEAM" is. Not sure I can man-up, swallow my pride and limp to Infineon to be that guy yet, but I'll try.

Sorry for the let down people. I even had a cinematographer - Brian Luce - coming to shoot HD video of the entire experience!

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