Sunday Oct 15 2006
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS LIVES THE MOTOGP EXPERIENCE
Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis got to experience the full
force of MotoGP at Estoril this afternoon, riding two high-speed
laps of the Portuguese circuit aboard the Ducati Marlboro Team
Desmosedici two-seater behind multiple GP winner Randy Mamola.
Day-Lewis, a long-time motorcycling fan, enjoyed the ride
hugely, especially because it gave him the ultimate insight into
a sport he loves.
"That was radical, I beat my
own personal heartbeat record and I think I'll be talking
Martian for the next few minutes!" beamed the British
actor who lives in Wicklow, Ireland.
"That was just unbelievable,
definitely the best cure for anyone who thinks they can ride a
motorcycle. I've ridden one track day but the braking was
totally different, amazing. You're used to releasing the brake
as you crank into corners but Randy just kept braking all the
way to the apex. And the acceleration was astonishing, you get
the full measure of it down the big straight. As much as you
feel the force of the braking throwing you forward, it's the
opposite when he gets on the power. These guys are real
athletes, Randy could probably carry the bike on his back if he
wanted to!
"But the really lovely thing about the ride was that it gives
you a taste of what it would feel like if you were able to ride
a bike really well. And it gives you a huge insight into what
these guys do, now I'll be able to see the racing a little from
the inside. I've been into bike GPs for years, watching Randy,
Rainey, Schwantz and Doohan and then the current guys, and Joey
Dunlop was a huge hero of mine."
Day-Lewis won his Academy Award for best actor in My Left
Foot. His other films include Gangs of New York, Last of the
Mohicans, In the Name of the Father and My Beautiful
Launderette.
Next up on the two-seater was Portuguese rally champion Armindo
Araujo. "That was a fantastic
experience," said the former
motocross rider. "The performance is incredible in every
way but what really got me was the braking because in bikes you
brake all the way inside the corner, it was a special."
