Crockard

Published: 12th June 2008

Author: Gordon Crockard Photo by hoppenworld.com

Gordy’s finally got his visa and things are looking up Stateside for the Pride of Ulster…

Hey ho! I’m on the balcony of my apartment here witnessing a serious thunderstorm - so far it’s been going for over six hours. Yesterday was the hottest day yet this year and today it’s lashing! I’d planned to ride my bike today but I can write that off as I don’t think the Husky or its pilot would survive a lightning strike. Anyway, enough talk about the weather you’ll agree…

This month has been mega. I flew home to the US Consulate in Belfast and got my American visa approved. Happy days as now I have a legal permit to be here in America which means I can finally get paid and it also reduces the interrogation at immigration at the airport every time I enter this fine nation. I do like it here and enjoy a lot of aspects of the culture - nowhere near as much as William MacKenzie though but it’s still a cool place to spend my time.

I had 10 days at home in Northern Ireland on my trip to get the visa completed and in that time I was real lucky to catch a heap of things that were coincidentally happening while I was in town. First up, on the same day I got back an old friend who’d moved to Hungary to work was home for a break so I met up to catch up. The next day was the NW200 road race on the north coast in Portrush and a good friend kindly invited me to join him at his table in the corporate VIP suite. Although I was knackered from travelling, jet lag and talking with my Hungary mate all night I surely had reason to keep my eyes open as the racing was electric. The way the travelling worked out, by Saturday night I hadn’t been to bed since Wednesday. The day was just the place to catch up with everyone so thank you very much Mr Gavin Boyd for having me there.

I then headed up the country a bit further to meet up with my girlfriend Amy. She had organised a weekend in Donegal at her grandfather’s house and I enjoyed a couple of days in the excellent surroundings there are there. I even had a swim in the sea the weather was that good. It was absolutely freezing but once you were in you got over the initial shock.

Monday I had over three months of post to work my way through and also some documents to prepare for the visa interview. Tuesday saw me walk out of the US Embassy with a smile on my face and a visa in my hand and onward I headed to a fund-raising charity grasstrack race which was being held in the evening at Balnahinch. I didn’t have a chance to race but was happy to be there spectating.

I was out on the bike the next day practising on the same course I’d ridden since last November but now it was dry and really, really fast. The trees were all out in bloom too so that made it harder. It was a great feeling whizzing through narrow forest but obviously highly dangerous if you got out of control a little. I’ve had a couple of big enough smashes and thankfully haven’t been injured in any of them.

I got to see some crashing action at the Red Bull soap box race in Belfast at the Stormont parliament buildings. Incredible location for it and as Red Bull sponsor me I got the VIP treatment again for the second time in one week. It was held on a Sunday and had a huge crowd attend.

My mate Sammy married Louise on Tuesday and I got lucky to be there to see that, so congratulations and thanks for having me there. I flew the next day to Cincinnati and raced one of the hottest races ever on the Sunday. I was 12th and blistered up pretty good but I’m healing well. Your body adapts to the heat the more you’re in it so my conditioning will continue to improve while I’m here. I’m really pleased with how my training off the bike is going - that’s one aspect that I do have complete control of so the sky’s the limit in that department. I’m doing all my own nutrition too so it’s kind of verging on boot camp with the level of discipline in the training and the diet.

The GNCC series takes a two-month break in July and August so depending on some pending factors yet to be finalised I may get back for some events I’d choose to do. We still have no BMW equipment here in the US to test or race and I don’t know when they may arrive so it’s a little tough to plan ahead exactly - the worst thing I could do is go and double book myself for something. But one thing’s for sure, whatever I end up doing I’ll be fit and strong for it.

I’ll end now on that note as I like the way it reads. You’ll either believe me or think that I’m just talking myself up. Take it as you want…

The Fanta Bomb