How l Spent My MotoGP Summer Break
The MotoGP season is pretty hectic and a whole lot longer than most national series, with 19 races from March through November. For me, living in Luxembourg, every race is an international one, which means long drives, lines in airports and multiple flights, visas & going through customs, all before we’re able to pack in 5 days of the most intense work imaginable. Luckily, we have an entire month off in the middle of it all and I was glad to come home to Florida with Gracie & Michele and spend some time catching up with my mom, dad and good friends.
Of course, coming home to mom, dad & the golf course means rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty- just because I’m on vacation doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do. Fortunately, working with Big E is usually pretty fun. Our first order of business was to install air-ride suspension on my truck to increase the load capacity:
- Dad helping me install airbags.
- Installing airbags
- Installing airbags
Then we got to actively test our installation, building a bridge on the golf course. The truck & I carried 2 3500-pound loads of concrete for the footings:
- Transferring 3,500 lbs of concrete from my truck to the tractor… X 2
- Building a bridge with my dad and good friend, Blaine Hirst at the golf course.
Next, I removed and replaced a new swing in my parents back yard with my Dad & brother, Ryan:
- Removed and replaced a swing in my parents backyard
- The finished product with my Dad & brother, Ryan.
But, you know what they say, “all work and no play, makes William a dull boy…”
- Me & Michele at Pompano Joes, in Destin
- My brother, his wife, Michele, me, my best friend from high school chad Blanton and his wife Shannon and daughter Emily.
- Sun and sand….. Ahhh, this is living!
- A view of the beach
We also got to have a lot of family time at the pool, but dear lord, I’ve got a wicked MotoGP tan!:
I also got to spend a bit of moto-time with Gracie- this summer, she upgraded from her Yamaha PW50 to a TT50, and handed her old bike to her cousin. They had a great time riding together and I might have had even more fun watching them.
- Gracie getting familiar with her PW50 again after a year in Luxembourg.
- Gracie giving tips to her cousin, Sophia on the PW50.
- Gracie has now moved up to TTR50
- l had to test Gracie’s TT50; you know, to make sure it was safe…
- comparing my lap times with Gracie’s
It’s now the first week of August and summer break is over; l’m back to work with Paul Bird Motorsports Aprilia. We’ve got a ton of work to do in Indy before bikes even roll on the MacAdam, fixing all of the crash damage to Michael Laverty’s bike after the German Grand Prix. it’s lucky that l love my my job. Scratch that, i’m lucky! Stay tuned for Indy updates!
Glad you had a good time…now back to work!!! Good luck guys!