There’s something about Qatar that makes everybody operate at half speed.  Not on track but in general.  The entire paddock strolls around like they haven’t a care in the world.  The strange thing is that you still get things done; you’re just relaxed in doing them.
 
I haven’t built any sandcastles yet, although I might do shortly.  There’s very little to do here and so Pippa has quite rightly taken off shopping with the rest of the WAGs.  This morning I arrived at the track at 10.15 and organised my kit for the weekend.

Jarno from Alpinestars delivered my repaired suit from my Phillip Island wet warm up spill and you’d barely even know I’d went arse-skating!  It looks brand new.  I watched the race back from last year then did two laps of the circuit on a scooter to make sure all looks the same.  After lunch I had nothing on so I decided to write up the first half of this instalment which finishes… here.
 
At 3.30 Miguel and I got changed into our kit for the programme profile shots.  This is becoming a regular thing in 2009 as we’ve had to do this at the Portimao test and then again at Phillip Island.  

I’m beginning to think that this happens at every round in this championship!  Afterwards Brains and I discussed our plan for the weekend ahead then I headed back to the hotel.  The team went to dinner at TGI Friday’s in the evening which was fun, 11 of us were piled into a little taxi bus of which a few of us may have tried to get into a tankslapper on a roundabout or two!  

There are some great characters in the team which is important; you need to be fit to have the craic during a race weekend otherwise you can end up getting yourself all stressed.
 
Tomorrow I hope to begin well and run comfortably in the top six.  We’ll see how goes.
 
Until tomorrow.
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