The ‘cities’ that belong to the MotoGP family

To keep things running like the clock on race weekends, teams are starting complex assembly of the whole operation a few days before the bikes start racing.

Assembling and disassembling everyone involved in holding the Grand Prix was not an easy task. Behind each race, hours and hours of work are accumulated in the shadows in which many people participate, who are the real architects of creating real cities within each circuit.

The large trucks that included the MotoGP circus, the necessary material for its development, the rest areas for the riders and staff of each team, as well as the standard services and space for the mechanics, were conveniently arranged to everyone is at ease and can carry out their work with maximum comfort. There is nothing left to chance. Everything is carefully planned. Not in vain the World Cup is held in 21 circuits and covers no more and at least 17 countries. Can you imagine moving all that material from country to country in no time? Almost nothing…

The art of building a city on each circuit

The trailers set the caravan of the great MotoGP circus they line up and distribute themselves in areas designated for this purpose, forming a true micro-city in every circuit where they arrive. The ‘backstage area’ of MotoGP is rolled up and dismantled as if by magic, with amazing automatism, but thanks to great professionalism of a large team of technicians and those in charge of this work. Without the efforts of these unknown men and women, the Grand Prix dispute would not have been possible.

So, on Tuesday at noon before the race, some 300 vehicles are starting to enter the circuit in question in a staggering manner and under the IRTA organization –the team association–, which oversees the formation of the paddock (the area reserved for nearby 3,000 professionals moved to work at each Grand Prix)distribution of available space for each team and access control.

The first to enter were the MotoGP vehicles, the teams trucks and the hospitality (a kind of dining room to receive guests, riders and journalists, which was also a home and office for the teams) and eventually the Moto2 and Moto3.

There are also ‘pilot’ motorhomes ’and the GP Rooms, an itinerant hotel that offers spacious rooms allowing pilots who want to relax and have privacy. This company, which started operating in 2009, is currently making available for those who want to contract its services 5 truck-hotels with a total of 22 rooms in all World GPs.

The distribution of space is largely dependent on the dimensions of each circuit. Since MotoGP is the jewel in the crown, it takes up more space than other categories, giving each rider a box and each team space to put their hospitality. In general, they are usually placed together with equipment owned by the same manufacturer in adjoining spaces, to facilitate the work of technical teams.

The paddock is physically located at the rear of the garages. A large portable office is also installed here, where there is space for the management team, all relevant departments, communication and maintenance personnel, among others. In addition, there is a space for the Mobile Clinic next to the hospital circuit, at the point of best access.

In the case of the Repsol Honda team, seven trucks were used last season (including the Hospitality and Test Team) due to the pandemic. However, eleven in total have been used in the past. Two of the trucks were for pits; two for logistics; two for HRC; and one for hospitality. The assembly of this last space – which under normal circumstances would require ten people and six during the pandemic – is held on the same day and lasts until Wednesday, the day on which the box assembly is held, where 20 people participated. Installing the same space takes between six and eight hours.

Argentina, England and Germany, the most complex circuits

The most common difficulties faced by collectors are related to failures in power and Wi-Fi connections. “Often the facilities of the circuits are unprepared and fail”, explains one of the five assembly and disassembly coordinators of the Repsol Honda team, to whom the most complex circuit to deploy all logistics is Argentinaalthough he clarified that “in Europe it will currently be Silverstone (Great Britain), due to Brexit, and also the Sachsenring (Germany)”.

Exactly, on the German circuit – no longer comfortable to work with, due to its reduced facilities and very small paddock – a few years ago the team had to overcome an added difficulty that put them in real trouble: “All night for a It rained on Friday and water accumulated in the central tent, causing almost the entire structure to give up. They had to empty it and fix it on the clock before the guests arrived. ”

Although the members of Repsol Honda Team come from all over the world, the largest group has Spanish nationalityso not surprisingly the circuit considered more sociable and more comfortable for most of them is the Circuit de Catalunya (in Montmelo, Barcelona). In addition, “the Honda factory is next door and many of the workers are from the area”, as a spokesperson pointed out.

The detour of hospitality

When the first fans arrive on the circuit on Thursday or Friday, the paddock setup is complete. Trucks have an obligation to look impeccable, so they have undergone a complete cleaning. Hospitality and other tents should also be installed, showing a very attractive appearance to welcome visitors and press.

In this type of itinerant camp, a series of urbanity rules that must be strictly followed. For example, you can’t make noise from 12 midnight to 8 am the next day, you can’t walk around without a shirt or drink alcohol, animals are not allowed, you can’t cook or eat outside the premises. intended for this (hospitality) and pilots are required to wear long pants when they attend official press conferences.

Last season, during the Grand Prix, the Repsol Honda catering service served about 700 meals (just for the team, as guests are not allowed). It is expected that by 2022 standard hospitality will be set up again in the presence of guests (although the restrictions required by the championship will be maintained), which means serving between 1,200 and 1,500 meals. In addition, it will involve additional personnel and several more trucks.

A ‘city’ that was demolished in a matter of hours

When the Grand Prix is ​​over (on Sunday), it only takes three hours to perform complete disassembly. Trucks full of all material, if they are in Europe and the next GP is also held in a European territory, are moved directly to the next circuit.

Then, the drivers returned to their homes aboard the plane. The great caravan trucks of the Motorcycle World Championship They cover approximately 25,000 kilometers on their routes between the 12 Grand Prix taking place in Europe. When circuits are on other continents, vehicles are moved by boat.

The small town of MotoGP was assembled and disassembled in the blink of an eye. This is the other achievement, but it is anonymous, that happens in all Grand Prix.