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In our previous post we was in 2008.

Fast forward one year and we’re still free to rock’n’roll. Amazing, it’s really nice. No home alone lockdown.

First things first tho: 250cc and 125cc guys are coming to Estoril once again, what do you do? You jump into your sports car (aka first gen Clio with a 1.2 litre carbureted engine, a thoroughbred fire-spitting single exhaust monster on the road) and drive as fast as you can to reach the circuit. Remember this is prehistoric Iberianmph and we have no paddock access, but it doesn’t matter. What we’re after is good times and mighty fun, smell petrol, hear some noise, watch some fast machines devour the classic Portuguese track’s tarmac.

No big act once again, no MotoGP bikes, a slight disappointment, however it’s not a deal-breaker. We’ve got good memories of MotoGP from roughly 2002-2005 I think, those pictures did not survive, regret to inform you. My first Sony digital camera was a strange beast, plus I’ve lost my old CDs where them pics were stored. Tough sh*t. C’est la vie, dudes.

I knew Luthi would be there, buzzing and all. Why Luthi? I think I used to be like totally obsessed with his main sponsor during that period, Emmi CAFFÈ LATTE. A cool sponsor to have, innit? I’m a coffee guy as well. I take it white, like my car. I didn’t spec it, I bought it second-hand, it’s been white all its life. Green is the colour, should I ever go for a new one. Metallic green bird poop type of colour, what’s it called?

He’s an interesting character, Luthi (or rather Lüthi, with an umlaut – for all the Swiss and German perfectionists), a rare bird. Your pure motorhead person personified, the embodiment of someone catching the racing bug early on and being unable to find the cure for it. I mean the guy might’ve easily hung up his helmet, but no! 2021, he’s still on the Moto2™ grid, still racing some 16 years after his one and only title so far (125cc, 2005). Give the man some credit.

So there’s that, obviously. Luthi. Yeah.

What’s also interesting is if you want to play Where Are They Now? game. See tags ⇑ as I tagged all the riders that took part in the session (15 Mar 2009). Lemme know if I got something wrong. Nah, bugger off. I don’t make mistakes. Many a rider seen here in the photos managed to compete in the premier class for a couple of seasons. Others are involved in the sport up to this day. It’s a wonderful game to play, gives you a sense of how well does one age or not. Should you need to positively ID riders and teams, lick the screen HERE.

You’ll recognize the -elli and -telli duo, I’m sure. Simoncelli is riding the T-bike with no number on it and a white helmet, while Locatelli is wearing his normal helmet and is carrying a big fat #15 on the front.

Super Sic 58

Additionally, young and tiny Stefan Bradl and Bradley Smith made guest apperances.

I enjoy this normal, almost organic quality of my vintage photos, they’re not too impressive but capture the moment alright. It’s the essential stuff, being able to freeze that particular instant, split second, a still life (but not really), if you will. It’s the best feeling ever, massive satisfaction. By not being too professional, posh or sumptuous, they do gain in the sincerity department. We keeping it lo-fi, bro.

Then you can study all the little details, not dissimilar to Julio Cortázar’s “Las babas del diablo”, no.

I took about 300 photos, which could prove too much for most peeps. I downsized to 170. The first corner sequence is worth some extra attention, based on the fact that you can observe who hits the apex or who misses it completely. Could be their riding (vorsprung durch) technique, dunno. Amusing to compare different riders and their lines, nonetheless.

Voilà, after ’08 and ’09 there can only be ’10! I’ll see you in our next video.