By Dean Adams
NASA astronaut and the ex-commander of the International Space Station Tim Kopra is visiting CoTA and MotoGP today. Kopra said that he wanted to attend the Texas MotoGP event last year but his job kept him away–and the fact that he was working 249 miles straight up in the International Space Station.
Kopra is excited to see MotoGP with his own eyes, and is looking forward to the race on Sunday.
Intelligent fans don’t see racing with a “those guys are crazy” mentality. Kopra likened his work clothes (space suit, helmet, etc) to the advanced protection a MotoGP rider wears on the bike.
“The right equipment and right technology mitigate a lot of the risk,” the two-time visitor to the ISS said.
But … getting down to brass tacks … what exactly does a guy do for kicks after you’ve been on the ISS and done a few spacewalks?
“I ride motorcycles,” Kopra said. Kopra said he finds a thrill riding his BMW streetbike
