Some photos from Imola..

I was down at Imola on Saturday, watching the World Superbike and Supersport guys tear their way around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari during qualifying.

The Imola circuit is truly breathtaking - even if you're not a revhead like myself. It is set in a gorgeous tree-filled park in the middle of town, with the track spread over a hill which endows it with a fair bit of relief. As a result you are presented with the strange scene of watching the bikes tear over the crest of a hill, while in the background you can see a lady hanging up her laundry on the balcony but a couple of hundred yards distant. Solo in Italia!

Here are some pictures I took of the action on track, the majority of which were taken when I was parked at the final chicane where riders are going quite slow. So finding the right aperture/shutter setting to allow an image with a shallow depth of field while keeping the rider looking sharp but granting the image a sense of motion was hard work, especially considering I'm a novice photographer using not the greatest equipment.

Below are what I think are some of my better shots. If anyone has any pointers for me that would be great! (Click the images to see the high res shots).

I like that Gino Rea and Luca Scassa were using clear visors as you could see the whites of their eyes when they were on the anchors for the chicane - awesome!

Staying on the topic of bikes, I am off to Vairano with some mates for a track day this weekend. The RSV is all prepped (including some rubber foam to patch up the light recess in the nose fairing - ghetto style) so I will upload some pics of that adventure once we are done and dusted.

David Vs Monsanto - a must watch video

This is compelling stuff. How can a government go into bat for giant corporations at the expense of the rights of the common man - especially in a case like this where the implications can potentially affect the way all of us live.

So set aside an hour, grab a coffee and prepare to be shocked.

Presenting Allegra..

the Aprilia!

She rides..

So, I finally bought a motorbibike. After months of wheeling, dealing and putting up with dodgy and at times uninterested vendors, I have handed over some of my hard earned on a 2002 Aprilia RSV Mille R.. noice.

I spent a good part of last week riding through some of the many wonderful roads that are within a stone's throw away - the passes Mendolla, Tonale, Gavia, Stelvio - just to name a few. The bike was faultless though I think it will have to wait until I get to Vairano for a track day next month to see how it performs in its element.

I will post up some pics as soon as I take them and hopefully some action shots from the track day.

As I sit here typing yet another Thunderstorm is making its way down from the mountains - it really is a land of extremes here, much more than back home in Straya.

Finally, what a sad, sad thing it was to witness the passing of Shoya Tomizawa in the Moto2 race at Misano on the weekend. He seemed like such a happy-go-lucky yet humble young bloke and despite the tragedy I am glad that he didn't suffer and died doing the thing he loved most.

RIP Shoya