One of the things that impressed Garrido about MotoGP was the accessibility to top riders. "Can you imagine getting a one-to-one interview with the god of the sport in Formula 1?" he enthused after popping his own special questions to Valentino.
I guess the only sad part to all this is that it took an accident to unveil this cache of ten million actual or potential motorcycle racing converts, rather than
MotoGP's promoters having already sniffed them out a few seasons ago. Dorna's sponsorship summit in Barcelona in April (see our news story) is sorely needed.
JAMES TOSELAND strode across the stage at the launch of his Hannspree Ten Kate World Superbike team in Milan. He sat at a piano, and belted out an astounding version of the vaulting soul-rock ballad, Walking in Memphis.
Solo, no backing, just him and the keyboard. The several hundred guests of the Asian TV manufacturer were stunned into silence, as much by the unexpectedness of the performance as by its power and sweep.
Toseland was in the process of recording his first CD last year, but shelved his music career because if he had released the album he would have had to tour to promote it - and that would have compromised his attempt to win back the World Superbike Championship.
I had never seen James play before, and until that night in Milan I had assumed that his level was a little above that of your average pub-rock band. But he's an artiste - there's no other word to describe his quality of delivery and the power of his voice. Rock stardom awaits when he packs in two wheels.
In a way, his stroll through Memphis inspired me even more than his bounce up to the top of the World Superbike points table with a stunning 1-2 performance in the opening round at Qatar.
Troy Bayliss, who inexplicably slumped to fifth and eighth places in the desert, will get stronger during the season. And Max Biaggi, who won on his Superbike debut, will win further races on the Alstare Corona Suzuki.
