gareth bouch :: stuff & things

This has been going on so long it no longer feels like news to me.
Nonetheless it *is* news and it’s good news.
Say hello to VROOM Magazine – my latest web launch and a project that I have really enjoyed developing along with stv21 (that’s Tamara to you and me) – who helps run the BatiFans network of sites as well as her own blog, Sonrisa de Talavera.

VROOM Magazine has been in build since late 2009, and has been the subject to ongoing development, content backfilling and design tweaks to bring it up to a really spiffing launch standard. And of course that’s all well and good, but the key question is *what is it*?
There are plenty of websites out there dedicated to MotoGP (mainly the top class admittedly) and to bikesport in general.
VROOM Magazine was built because in running BatiFans it became apparent that fans who support one Spanish rider quite often support or follow or take quite an interest in others – often, many others, too. It’s not everyone of course – and we all have our likes and dislikes – but it has definitely been a genuine and widespread phenomenon.
And basically we thought it was worth exploring… Was it worth publishing a full-blown webzine whose mission is to focus solely on Spaniards?

The answer: Yes. Absolutely. And we want to ensure that we not only bring news of the main riders (let’s face it, it’s not hard to find out what Lorenzo or Pedrosa are up to for instance) but also the rising stars in the lower Moto2 and 125cc categories such as the widely popular Pol Espargaro and Marc Marquez, and also the “feeder” series that is the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. We’re even making sure we include other relevant championships such as Buckler-CEV covered too.
We reckon that the lower categories and related series are hugely important – and hugely exciting – and we want to spread the word about them, and share news of the up and coming riders that we like (yes, “like” – there is bound to be a bit of a partisan attitude here and there – we’re allowed to have favourites too you know!)
We’ll also be aiming to genuinely be a magazine/webzine by extending the remit far beyond mere race reports and standard coverage, and will aim to even pull in geeky things that appeal to me such as diecasts – so long as they are also about Spanish riders.
And although we label the webzine as being dedicated to “Spanish riders” that’s not entirely true and it could perhaps be slightly more honest (though far less catchy) if it were described as being dedicated to “Iberian riders” as we also intend to make sure we follow the likes of the mercurial Portuguese talent that is Miguel Oliviera.

So – there it is – VROOM Magazine. Finally launched and up and running.
Big thanks to Tamara, who’s now its official Editor, for all the help so far in getting the whole beast built and prepped. Now we move to stage two and get it running smoothly and developing it as a living thing over the coming months and years, and hopefully bringing news of – and interest in – Spanish MotoGP, Moto2, 125cc and Rookie riders to more and more people in the English-speaking world.
So – enjoy. Go see, bookmark and share – and do feedback to us if you have any comments or suggestions.
For now though, it’s all go… Vroom Vroom!