Bikers on the Move
If its the first weekend in November it must be Moto GP time in Valencia. People converge from, quite literally, all over the world for this event. Naturally the racing track of Ricardo Torno de Cheste features front and centre, and what takes place there is religious worship. The very small town of Cheste goes from being a little village to more than 200,000 people.
I live next door in the pueblo of Pedralba. I have owned motorcycles all of my life, so naturally people think I'm a petrolhead. The gathering of so many bikes and people is electric, but the fact is that I do not attend the races. Any activity where people are almost certain to become seriously injured because the danger level is ultra-high, I do not consider entertainment.
I have watched the bikes going round the track at speeds that are breathtaking, and the riders have to lay the bike down so low I can't understand why the bike just doesn't simply fall to the ground. From time to time riders and bikes do part company, and in most cases the guys get up and walk away. However, we know that the sport is incredibly dangerous because a few unlucky guys make the point through very serious injury, and even death.
The weather is beastly for this year's event, which in a way demonstrates the mood. At the forefront of everyone's thinking will be No. 58, Marco Simoncelli, who as we all know lost his life in a recent race. The Cheste event will be a homage to him, but life, and the races will go on, as it does. We can only hope that there will be fewer casualities in the future.
For me. the loss of this young man's life is my worst expectation and the reason I stay away from such races. But, that's just me. I don't expect to change anything.
Copyright (c) 2011 Eugene Carmichael
