ACTION
Above and left: Casey Stoner is considered by some to be the best rider to ever race in MotoGP; earlier this year, the two-time world champion announced that he was going to retire. He’s 26 years old. It is unlikely he will hold onto his title in his final season after injuring his ankle and requiring surgery
instead of a Stratocaster to play, he would sound different. And he might say, ‘Well forget this, for me to do my thing, I need my Strat back.’ It involves a physical interaction that is very subtle and different for each rider.”
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t’s Sunday at Laguna Seca. Race day. In the previous day’s qualifying session, Lorenzo claimed pole position, followed by Stoner and Pedrosa. Everything is exactly as expected in the world of MotoGP. The race flies by in a haste 40 minutes, highlighted by a thrilling manoeuvre on the 21st lap when Stoner passes Lorenzo cleanly, securing his fourth victory of the season. Watching from the grandstands with dark sunglasses visoring half of his face, and a long grey beard that adds a wizard-like gravitas to his demeanour, is the unofficial ‘Mayor of Laguna Seca’, OB Gold.
“It was a real treat this weekend to watch Casey Stoner race,” Gold says. “Casey’s not the most liked person in the paddock – he’s very rough on his fellow competitors, you know bumps them with his shoulder, very aggressive, not friendly necessarily to the press, definitely not friendly to the MotoGP establishment – but Casey Stoner rides a motorcycle unlike any other person on the planet.” Gold has been coming to Laguna Seca for 42 years and has never missed a race in nearly half a century. He is the author and publisher of The Hot Pot Handbook – a guide to the healthy, safe and rational use of cannabis – and certainly looks the part. He has the sagely wisdom of Gandalf, the kind amicability of Santa Claus. He expounds upon Stoner’s indelible will – “Casey Stoner won this race in practice; this was preordained” – and the Australian’s loss of interest in the sport and disapproval of the CRT teams. He sincerely praises the cleanliness and sterility of Jorge Lorenzo’s style: “He drives utterly free of drama; it looks as if he’s driving taxi cab.” But OB Gold’s parting shot is his most passionate. It concerns the magnetic spell this sport holds for him and millions of others, for those who cannot go a summer without watching the unfurling of its annual theatre. “MotoGP is the pinnacle of motorsport excellence. It requires the highest level of physicality for the riders, it has the greatest level of danger, and it’s colourful and exciting,” Gold says in an even, gravelly voice as if he were Moses delivering a Commandment. “I can’t stay away. It’s tremendous.” Death defying: www.motogp.com
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