...so I was speaking to one of my oldest friends last night and said to him, "You remember when I used to go out with that beautiful German model?" and you know what, he'd TOTALLY forgotten that I used to take my replica Messerschmitt Me 262 plane to fly in the park every day.
My current German model is a VW Polo 1.4 which despite being covered in dents and scratches bless it, still managed to get me from London to Burton-on-Trent, Burton-on-Trent to Birmingham and Birmingham back to London without once emitting smoke or a disconcerting noise.
I was due to meet the former 4-time World Superbike champion and current team owner of Foggy Petronas Racing, Carl Fogarty, at his Burton HQ at 12.30pm today but I turned up closer to 1.00.
You see some unfortunate lorry driver had had a bit of a prang and had spent his entire load all over a hard shoulder just outside Toddington Services. I really hope that he was ok.
This meant that much of my journey was spent just inches behind the van of P. O'Brien Plant Hire - For All Of Your Plant Needs. I assumed it was full of compost.
Once we all got moving again I tried to make up for lost time, but wasn't helped by the fact that I passed junction 24 only to find that there was no junction 24a which appeared on my printed directions(this only exists on the southbound carriageway) and that for those coming from the South, Junction 24 was actually the correct point to leave the M1.
I then tried even harder to make up for lost time and almost ended up in the Shardlow Gravel Pits.
I did arrive, however, and despite having difficulty trying to open the door of the Foggy Petronas offices, what is it with me and doors? I tracked down Sue who was my lovely liaison lady for the day, and soon thereafter she introduced Carl.
Whilst I'd been in the waiting-room, I tried to swat up by reading the World Superbike 2004 compendium that had been on a table next to me, in order to try and impress Carl with my knowledge of his sport. I'd made a mental note that the number 1 Foggy Petronas rider was an Aussie called Troy Corser, and so when Carl arrived....
"So Carl, hoping for a good year? think Troy will do the business?"
"Unlikely," he said with a smile. "He hasn't ridden for us for 2 years."
"Oh yes of course. So now it's...."
"Craig Jones and Steve Martin."
"Oh that's right, Craig and Steve."
I dont think I got away with it and I have therefore made a vow to myself to watch them in action this year (and to root for the FP team of course).
Sue took this photo in the team workshop next to three of the most amazing looking bikes I've ever seen and which would no doubt rip my arms off if I tried to ride one of them.
Carl's manager Neil then appeared and asked for a photo of his own for the Foggy Petronas website, which I was rather flattered about, before I was handed SIX signed posters for the auction, 2 of Carl, 2 of Steve Martin and 2 of Garry McCoy.
I thanked them, wished them well for this season, and sped off into the distance.
At a legal speed I should add.
