Superfan: Chuck’s MMP Blog, Part 2

By Chuck Forquer

For part one, click here.

Chuck's crew's HQ: behind the the Corona truck. Chuck Forquer photo

Day 3 (Friday)

Friday was a late start for all of us.  The superbikes were going to be on the track around noon, so everyone voted to sleep in.  Leah Skerrett greeted me with a big smile as I picked up my media credentials at the registration desk.  Our first goal of the day was to set up our own hospitality area.  Although I am friends with the Corona Honda team, I like to stay out of their way at big events such as World Superbike or MotoGP.  The best location I could think of was directly behind the Corona trailer.  Within an hour or two, my mom felt right at home and I was mixing mimosas for Stephanie Little and Emily Wheeler.  It’s really nice to be hundreds miles from home and have a place to relax and congregate.

With my friends all set up and the bikes on the track, I set out for the team garages area with my cheesy camera.  This is the part that I really enjoy.  Let’s say you watch a race on your television.  You’re only going to see a few minutes of racers and their crew because the rest of the time it’s bikes circulating the track.  There’s so much more going on behind the scenes!  There’s nothing better than capturing someone’s facial expression or snapping that shot where no caption is needed.  I guess the only other thing that could compare is Dave Williams capturing video for OnTheThrottle TV.  I wish that we could have more coverage on TV to give fans a better connection with their favorite racers.  How do we know to cheer for a racer like Ryuichi Kiyonari if he never has any TV coverage? Fortunately, we do get to watch a few post-race interviews, so we can make that connection with the top riders.

This is the first year that we’ve had World Supersport here as well.  A few of the

guys we’ve seen around for years, such as Katsuaki (Kat-chan) Fujiwara and Garry McCoy, were racing.  Both Garry and Kat-chan have raced in the big class a few years back.  This practice was a good chance for me to get familiar with some of the Supersport names.  This 600cc class has been just as exciting as SBK, if not more so.  Melissa Paris was chosen as a wildcard, which is sure to draw more attention to the class.  Last year, her husband Josh Hayes filled in at the last couple of rounds in World Supersport.  (At Vallelunga last year, Noriyuki asked one night if I had eaten dinner.  I happily responded “Yes Nori, I had dinner with the other #41–Josh Hayes!”) Good to see the Americans represent!

After I snapped photos of both Supersport and Superbike classes, I spent most of the time rolling around with my friends and catching up with people.  It was unfortunate that AMA Pro couldn’t be here because it would’ve been great for Ben. Nothing better than a welcome-home party, right? If you ever get a chance to do an overseas round for WSBK or MotoGP, you must do an Italian round.  Monza is the home track for Team Yamaha Italia, which is why you saw the “Welcome Home Ben” banner displayed.  Mary Spies was kind enough to give me a pass for that round, which allowed me to meet a lot of folks prior to this event.

As the afternoon wound down and the crowds were leaving the track, I heard from my buddy Alan Sessarego that “Jim’s shoot” was going to happen.  How can it be that my adrenaline kicks in from hearing a simple rumor?  Jim Gianatsis is the man who does the FastDates calendars which I consider mandatory garage wallpaper.  The last time I had the privilege to attend was way back in 2004 at Laguna Seca.  That year, I met one of the nicest, most beautiful ladies I have ever met–Nicky Lane, who’s currently in college over in the UK.

Jim mentioned that a lady named Sabella Shake was doing the photo shoot.  Sabella is not your stereotypical umbrella girl, considering she ’s working on her law degree.  I added Sabella on Facebook and sent her a few messages and photos describing the upcoming World Superbike event.  As I walked onto the hot pit, I saw her for the first time.  Holy smokes!

It was about 7 p.m. in the evening and if there was any Superbike action going on, everyone forgot about it as we watched Jim’s photo shoot.  Teams and racers basically quit whatever they were doing and watched the show.  Sabella and he coworker strolled from one bike to the next, doing poses with Jim’s suggestions.

Once I snapped a few photos of  Sabella with Noriyuki’s bike,  it was time for everyone to have dinner and get some get some rest.

Chuck Forquer is one of the most rapid road racing fans we know. Stay tuned for his account of Saturday and Sunday.

Jim Gianatsis and his FastDates models. Jim Wolf photo