Hi all.
Just got back from my trip to the Assen MOTO GP 2008 event, we rode 952 miles in total and have to say it was a great experience, from the moment I left home at 0630am on the 25th, getting back at midnight yesterday, Sunday the 29th.
I have to recommend to anyone who has never had an opportunity to either Tour in Europe or got to a major Bike event there, to really do it and then make the time to do so.
Apart from the pants rain each morning of the 2 main days, the weather was ok, some sun, mostly cloudy, but nonetheless acceptable.
6 of us from my IAM group went and no there were defiantly no slippers and pips seen, smoked or worn. (New Tiger, Kawaka Ninja and Gixer k7 1k, VFR and my Fazer 600 S2)
The riding was challenging, as I had not ridden in Europe or rode as part of an “observer” type set up in close echelon. There was a fair deal of filtering on the M25 and on the roads to Rotterdam, with long progressive progress squirts on the motorways, fantastic.:thumbup:
We stayed about 15k from Assen in a holiday park, with 2 per caravan / trailer and the whole set up was well worth the money paid. We had 2 long days at the Circuit to watch all the practice. Qualifying and races with a 1.5 mile walk each way, from the coach drop off. On the Friday, with a quick turn around, we went to the Assen carnival, which was blast.
Here I spent the best 10Euros of the trip on a T shirt, that in Dutch said “ I’m now 50, can you help me cross the road” From the moment I put it on to the moment we left 4 hrs and several beers and red bulls later, we had such a laugh watching the locals read the T shirt, with that quizzical grins / smirks, to some actually doing what it said, or some coming up to me and saying “do you know what that means, to which obviously I did, but as the beers took over, the translations changed (LOL) with several offers coming my way… very flattering.
Another great moment was when a local Cop was seen pushing a shopping trolley and I got a “bollocking” for taking his picture:ban:, to a local guy, going in to a portaloo and his mates turning it round to face a wall and then tipping it up.
:Sport:
I don’t know what you thought of the GP, Stoner was like at Donnington, on the money, but fair play Rossi was really Awesome and on each recovery lap he got loud cheers and to get the position he did really was breathtaking. Oh yes, the noise those bikes make, wow!!
I’ll try and get some pics attached to this thread.
As for next year, well don’t know where yet, but I’m going!!
Back to work, Wednesday … DOH!!!!
Just got back from my trip to the Assen MOTO GP 2008 event, we rode 952 miles in total and have to say it was a great experience, from the moment I left home at 0630am on the 25th, getting back at midnight yesterday, Sunday the 29th.
I have to recommend to anyone who has never had an opportunity to either Tour in Europe or got to a major Bike event there, to really do it and then make the time to do so.
Apart from the pants rain each morning of the 2 main days, the weather was ok, some sun, mostly cloudy, but nonetheless acceptable.
6 of us from my IAM group went and no there were defiantly no slippers and pips seen, smoked or worn. (New Tiger, Kawaka Ninja and Gixer k7 1k, VFR and my Fazer 600 S2)
The riding was challenging, as I had not ridden in Europe or rode as part of an “observer” type set up in close echelon. There was a fair deal of filtering on the M25 and on the roads to Rotterdam, with long progressive progress squirts on the motorways, fantastic.:thumbup:
We stayed about 15k from Assen in a holiday park, with 2 per caravan / trailer and the whole set up was well worth the money paid. We had 2 long days at the Circuit to watch all the practice. Qualifying and races with a 1.5 mile walk each way, from the coach drop off. On the Friday, with a quick turn around, we went to the Assen carnival, which was blast.
Here I spent the best 10Euros of the trip on a T shirt, that in Dutch said “ I’m now 50, can you help me cross the road” From the moment I put it on to the moment we left 4 hrs and several beers and red bulls later, we had such a laugh watching the locals read the T shirt, with that quizzical grins / smirks, to some actually doing what it said, or some coming up to me and saying “do you know what that means, to which obviously I did, but as the beers took over, the translations changed (LOL) with several offers coming my way… very flattering.
Another great moment was when a local Cop was seen pushing a shopping trolley and I got a “bollocking” for taking his picture:ban:, to a local guy, going in to a portaloo and his mates turning it round to face a wall and then tipping it up.
:Sport:
I don’t know what you thought of the GP, Stoner was like at Donnington, on the money, but fair play Rossi was really Awesome and on each recovery lap he got loud cheers and to get the position he did really was breathtaking. Oh yes, the noise those bikes make, wow!!
I’ll try and get some pics attached to this thread.
As for next year, well don’t know where yet, but I’m going!!
Back to work, Wednesday … DOH!!!!
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