I’ve been following a few of my favorite riders on Twitter, and watching them talk about the upcoming AMA pro road racing season has me thinking.  How many of you wish SPEED would do more coverage of the AMA races?  I really wish SPEED would show the races live because there are a lot of people like me who just can’t afford to go to the races yet I can’t watch them at the hours they’re normally shown…late at night.  Thank goodness for DVR right?  Seriously, though.  SPEED, do you not find AMA important enough to lend coverage to?  I think you’re doin

After reading about the movie marathon Hubby and I had and knowing of my love for Rossi (I’d stand in the pits in sexy lingerie any day for that man!) a friend suggested I watch the documentary called Faster (2003).  I threw it on my Netflix list, and when it arrived Monday I knew exactly what we’d be doing that evening.

As with most of the motorcycle documentaries I watch this one was narrated by Ewan McGregor.  Even though it’s an older documentary, it takes you inside MotoGP and gives a perspective you don’t normally see.

Here’s how Netflix describes the film.

Ewan McGregor narrates this in-depth look at the MotoGP world championship, an event watched by more than 350 million people worldwide and considered the pinnacle of motorcycle sport. The film explores the risks and rewards of this dangerous sport and the fast-paced subculture surrounding it, and also profiles some of the event’s most fascinating personalities (including two-time world champion Valentino Rossi and bitter rival Max Biaggi).

I was surprised to see that the documentary goes pretty deep into the rivalry between Rossi and Biaggi. As a Rossi fan I knew the rivalry existed, but I didn’t know it was a deep as the film shows nor did I expect either of them to outright profess their hatred for one another.

Aside from that, you can an up close and personal look at what it takes to ride MotoGP, and you quickly learn to distinguish the true talent from the factory bred riders.

If you’re a MotoGP fan, you really should check this one out.  It’s definitely worth the rent.

Now I’m off to finish another documentary we dvr’d called Birth of A Racer.  I had read about this documentary following the development of the Motoczysz C1 motorcycle on The Kneeslider, and I had queued up the title to dvr the next time it showed up on Discovery HD Theater.  We finally got lucky enough to catch it this week.  It’s definitely interesting, but I was so tired I only made it about half way through the 2 hour documentary before I crashed out on the couch.  So far it’s definitely worth the watch, and I can’t wait to finish it this morning.

Did you catch the Daytona 200 yesterday?  I did, and I wasn’t very happy with the whole Miguel Duhamel black flagging.  He was black flagged because after he completed his first lap he pitted and switched to his backup motorcycle.

AMA rules states that any rider who was at the start grid or had to drop out of the race is only allowed to switch to the backup bike after the rider in the lead has completed 3 full laps, and the rider switching to the backup has to receive permission to do so from the Chief Steward or Race Manager.

Yes, he was legitimately black flagged.  He broke the rules.  I just wasn’t happy about the way the AMA handled the situation.  Instead of immediately black flagging him, they allowed him to race for awhile, and they finally pulled him out of the race on the black flag with 13 laps to go!

AMA says they waited so long to black flag him because they were reviewing the situation and making sure they were making the correct call.  When the bikes were swapped out the Honda race team did ask for permission, but they didn’t ask the Chief Steward or Race Manager.  They asked someone who gave them an incorrect answer.

Still, three laps weren’t completed by the lead racer before he swapped out the bikes.  To me that’s a cut and dry case.  Why take so long pulling him off the track?  I would be infuriated if I was allowed to race that long only to find out I was black flagged.

You can read more about it at the AMA site.

Motorcyclenews.com reported yesterday that their will be no World Superbike race in Indonesia this year. The track was deemed safe to ride, but no reason has been given for the cancellation. Motorcycle News reports that the Indonesian government withdrew their backing for the event, so this could be an issue over funding.

There will be 14 rounds for the 2008 season. You can check out the final race schedule here.

As much as I would love to attend a World Superbike race, I just can’t do it. I will however be attending going to Atlanta in August for the AMA Superbike racing at Road Atlanta. Hopefully I’ll be able to pick up some schwag, even something as small as those personalized pens made up for different events will do, but I want something I can be able to give away to you guys when I return!