It's a hoodie, so it is...

By Burning Rubber on Feb 4, 10 04:42 PM

WELCOME to February!

As every two-wheeled motorsport fan knows, this is the month when it all kicks off again.

While the rest of our racing series won't be roaring into action until March and April, we can always rely on the World Superbike boys who line up for their first round at the end of the month.

February 28 sees the first round from Phillip Island in Australia, and since the Sunday Sun budget won't stretch to send me to the other side of the world, you can rest assured that I will be burning the candle at both ends from home that weekend to ensure all the action appears on this blog as it happens.

For me, just the knowledge that three weeks from now I can wave goodbye to the off-season for another nine months is enough to bring me out of the winter gloom.

Especially since it's all happening again - riders and drivers have been in touch with all of their news, and at last I feel alive again.

Ahead of his World Supersport challenge, Mic and I met up for a curry and a gossip with Eugene Laverty and his girlfriend Pippa last week.

A year ago they introduced me to what Eugene describes as his favourite restaurant in the world, the Millennium in Framwellgate Moor. Now, when a guy who has travelled the world several times over gives somewhere that type of accolade, you know it's going to be good. And it is.

They also turned up bearing gifts in the form of Eugene Laverty hoodies for us both...and I decided it was another chance to try and convert my non-racing colleagues into my world of madness last Friday.

On the last Friday of the month, here at Sunday Sun towers we have a dress down day where we get to wear civvies in exchange for paying £1 towards the Sunshine Fund, the Evening Chronicle's own charity.

So after threatening to do so, I turned up all Laverty'd up in my black and green hoodie. Expecting a deluge of grief, I was cheered somewhat when even the office fashionistas said they liked it. blog size hoodie.jpg

OK, I've not brought them round yet but we'll get there....eventually.

This weekend, Mic and I have been invited to the NEMCRC annual awards dinner. We went with Pippa last year and it was a great night, and I was delighted to be invited back.

It's always nice to support the local racers, and I know I've said it before, but this season I do hope to do more to raise their profiles to readers.

It's these local clubs where most of the UKs top two-wheel boys earned their stripes, and it's great to see so many novice and upcoming riders - some young and some old - are still managing to fund their own racing, despite the recession.

It just goes to prove that if racing is in the blood, these guys - and girls - will do whatever it takes to ensure they're on the grid.

Hopefully we'll have some photos to share next week after the dinner, so pop back then.

Check Burning Rubber in this week's Sunday Sun for a chat with Northumberland's rising road racing star Scott Campbell, as well as more from Harry Vaulkhard who today announced he is off to WTCC this season.