Attack Yamaha also lined up at Jerez with rider Bobby Fong aboard. Like almost everyone not named Ben Spies, Fong wrestled with the Pirelli front. Credit to him — he was smart enough not to turn the bike into a broken, hissing heap on the crash truck while doing the 'Does she like me? Does she not? Does she want to be friends or more than friends' with the Pirelli front tire.

"It's all happening ..."

'Fahie? Fahie? Where do I remember that name from? Say, got an email here from someone named Fahie ...'

Attack's R1 Superbike stripped to the bare necessities between sessions. The bike is a well-developed monster Superbike.

A skilled tech can reduce an Attack Superbike to this state with about four tools — though Mike Sinclair (Mike Sinclair is author of "King Kennys Spannerman") would argue that’s three tools too many. His gospel was simple: make every bolt head the same, and you’ll never waste a second reaching for the wrong wrench. WHERE THE F^&$ IS THE 16 MM DEEP SWIVEL SOCKET?! DON'T TELL ME IT'S IN CALIFORNIA.

Here, dressed and ready to roll with "roller" rain tires.

Two WSBK weekends, three headaches: Pirelli tires, spec fuel, and the elusive WSBK fuel-flow meter. Here Attack and PATA Yamaha trade notes on keeping an R1 content in 2025. Fong hums, “the way-ay-ting is the hardest part...”

How do those European tracks always look brilliant and colorful on the race weekend? Because Juan here paints them with a frickin' roller. And yes those were his good shoes ...

Paddock still life: spec fuel, granola bars, and just enough caffeine to make another debrief sound interesting. Attack found the very expensive WSBK spec-fuel ($45 a gallon) to be an interesting blend from what they are used to: they could run the bike much leaner with no problems. They did two WSBK weekends on one engine and saw very little carbon deposit on the pistons.

Fong struggled with the same thing every new WSBK rider does: the Pirelli front and its, uh, unique sense of rider feedback. On the plus side, the team logged six full days of testing and came away smarter about both Pirelli tires and European racetracks. They strengthened ties with the other Yamaha teams and WSBK management — and capped the long season by giving everyone a serious case of jet lag.

The Pirelli complex at Jerez does its best impression of a restaurant in nearby Arcos de la Frontera at 7:00 PM. (Many restaurants in Spain do not open until 8:30 PM or later.)