Wow, I thought it was strange that this particular topic was missing from the forum. I'm so sorry, I was quite rude not to search for it more actively. Well, I made a brief introduction when I started participating in the Aston Martin forum and then filled out my membership form, thinking it was the chosen way to introduce myself.
My name is Carlos, and I live in northern Spain, although I've lived in many places before. But I think I'll stay where I am: north of Burgos, in the Mena Valley.
I've always loved racing. When I was 14, I fell in love with F1, or more specifically, with those beautiful Lotus JPS cars. And I spent all my weekly allowances buying French magazines because they were much better than the Spanish ones. Later, I bought every magazine I could find, regardless of the language. This way, I improved my English, French, and even learned some German and Italian.
Almost at the same time, I also fell in love with motorcycles after seeing a disassembled Godier Genoud Kawa. I thought it was beautiful, too.
At 21, I started writing for a Spanish motorcycle magazine, Solo Moto. They liked it and appointed me as a reporter for the Basque Country. They even began offering me more important assignments related to, for example, the National Trial Championship. But the demands of finding a more secure and better-paying job forced me to abandon journalism four years later. So I focused on a job in the financial sector where I started working at age 14, as a bellboy, while studying at night.
I also started a collection of my favorite motorcycles: several Rickman Kawas; a Kawa H1 500; another GPZ900R... I ended up owning six bikes, all Kawasakis. Meanwhile, I attended Formula Renault, where a friend of mine raced, to help him. I designed his helmet and repaired the car's stickers at first. Then we'd discuss together what I saw in practice: where the other riders were taking the corners, the difficulties he seemed to have in some places, the times in each sector, and how he could improve.
That was until, in my 30s, I decided to buy a car because I only had motorcycles. I've had a few, though they were much less impressive than my bikes.
When I entered my 40s, I started writing for magazines again, this time about classic motorcycles. Along the way, I also created posters for races organized by acquaintances and the comic that a magazine had on its back page.
I also created a forum for Bultaco TSS model enthusiasts on Yahoo Groups USA. But I eventually gave it to my friend Donald, who's American. He had a ton of TSS models and information about them, and the forum was also in English. It was the best thing for everyone. Later, I created another forum in Spanish for vintage motorcycle enthusiasts. But people's behavior was giving me too much work as a moderator. So I got bored and closed it.
In 2017, I decided to sell my motorcycle collection to a friend for an unbeatable price. And I focused on my true hobby, even above racing, motorcycles and cars: drawing, painting, sculpting, and engraving. It's what I've always done best, but when I was younger, I couldn't make a living from it.
I've also worked in advertising, owned several motorcycle and machinery repair shops. I was a business promoter for a Spanish autonomous community and for almost five years I worked in fish and seafood imports. All this while continuing to work in the financial sector.
I had several health problems (my heart, which is normal with so many jobs) and retired a few years ago. I'm now 65 and I dedicate myself to art, although I never exhibit because I throw away everything I do, except for portraits of my pets. I'm too much of a perfectionist. And I also follow this forum more and more regularly, where I have a great time.
If anyone needs anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask. And sorry for the length, but I also like to write.
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