FEATURE
P120
P
ink Floyd's seminal
track "Wish You Were
Here" was written as
an ode from Roger Waters
and David Gilmour to former
band member Syd Barrett,
a man whose life was ruined
by the schizophrenic effects
of LSD.
It's a song about detach-
ment from reality, that no
man's land Barrett found
himself in after years of
substance abuse. Yet for me
personally, the song has a
different meaning, thanks to
its appearance in the Mo-
toGP film, "Hitting The Apex."
The 1975 Wish You Were
Here album cover was the
theme for Valentino Rossi's
helmet at the 2013 San
Marino MotoGP, the scene
where he pays tribute to
fallen comrade and close
friend, Marco Simoncelli.
In the film, the iconic song
accompanies footage of
Rossi and Simoncelli racing,
laughing and playing around
together—memories of a dis-
tant time. And as I enter the
toll gates at the beginning of
the Pikes Peak Mountain on
the pre-race setup day, the
radio DJ drops "Wish You
Were Here," it plays out from
the KTM Mercedes Sprinter
van's speakers, and I think of
the ill-fated Mr. Simoncelli.
2017 PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB
Rennie charges up
the mountain past
the Start of Leg 2 on
the Cycle News KTM
1290 Super Duke R.
Cliff Racing
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LARRY CHEN
