Grandstanding

In the past couple of weeks, a couple of Road Racer X readers have sent in reports on their recent experiences as race spectators—one at the Red Bull USGP and another at the soggy Donington MotoGP. We decided to post them here.

Wet, Chaffing, and in Heaven
By Kevin Wehr
(Click here for Karen Jenson's USGP experience)

Let me just say that MotoGP bikes are loud—really, really loud! Never go to a GP race without a pair of earplugs, and be prepared to taste the burned race fuel each time the riders go by. The world’s greatest riders on the most powerful and technologically advanced motorcycles ever built were right in front of my eyes, the rain was falling, and it was nirvana.

Being an American expatriate in England has the perk that one is able to attend a MotoGP race (the sport’s 11-year absence from the States meant I had not yet been exposed to the sport), so this was not just a race for me, but a quest to experience the greatest show in the world.

Of course this was England, so rain was forecasted for the entire day, but the track was dry during the practice session. Riders played cat and mouse with one another, speeds ranging from fast to “Oh. My. God!” and machines were pushed to the edge. Yet the real test was to come.

A spitting rain started to fall as the 125cc class finished racing, and the rain became heavier as the 250cc class battled. During the latter stages of the 250cc race, fans (including me) sought shelter and warmth from the rain. The exhibition center, filled with vendors and food stands, was wall-to-wall people, body heat warming the place while exposed heads radiated steam.

About 20 minutes before the MotoGP start, fans began returning to their viewing plots, and by this time the rain was cold, fast and steady. I set up camp at the Fogarty S-curves, one of the extremely few places where viewing the track didn’t entail looking through fences.

The smell of wet, chaffing leathers was everywhere, as some of the poor souls who had ridden motorcycles to Donington had their wet riding suits and helmets on in a vain effort to keep dry and warm. Others faced the rain head-on and in defiance, knowing full well the ride home was to be miserable. Almost all spectators had to shuffle to see the track from behind and around numerous umbrellas.

The riders took their practice lap in the rain, and you could feel their pain as water seeped down their backs and into their leathers. The crowd went wild when local favorite Shane “Shakey” Byrne rode by on his Team Roberts Proton KR bike, but they went absolutely mad when adopted son Valentino Rossi rode past on his Gauloises Yamaha.

At the start, Rossi spun the rear tire and began the race in seventh position. Sete Gibernau was leading and the rain was getting worse. Within the first three laps, a burst of crashes altered the field significantly, with Gibernau going down while leading, and Laguna Seca winner Nicky Hayden also hitting the asphalt. Riders intentionally pulled in front of their rivals to fling water from their rear tires onto the face shields of their competitors.

By the halfway point, the lead pack was Alex Barros, Valentino Rossi, Kenny Roberts Jr., and Colin Edwards. Rossi had a “moment” at the Fogarty S-curves and quickly dropped from second to fourth. My eyes were almost sucked from my head by the collective gasp of fans who witnessed the rare slip-up by the champ.

But the mistake only inspired Rossi, who proceeded to put on a wet-weather clinic. He lowered his head, twisted the throttle, and stepped it up a notch. Rossi came upon Edwards and quickly dispatched the Texan. Next was Kenny Roberts Jr. Not a problem for the Doctor.

Rossi was now on the rear wheel of Barros. The crowd held its collective breath and then let out an earth-shattering cheer as Rossi set up and passed Barros near my viewing spot, heading into the Melbourne Hairpin. Rossi was now leading, with Barros, Roberts, and Edwards following.

Although water was flowing off the track like melting snow coming down the Rocky Mountains in the spring, Rossi didn’t let up one bit. From the pass for the lead to the finish line, Rossi put a huge gap between himself and second place—in the rain! Not only had Valentino won the race, but he had mentally beaten his rivals again.

Kenny Roberts Jr. was able to pass Barros for second, leaving third to the Brazilian. Multiple mistakes resulted in Edwards dropping off the lead pace, but he still finished fourth.

At completion of the race, officials opened the track so the spectators could celebrate Rossi’s victory. Even though they were cold and dripping wet, fans ran from every corner of the track to the podium to cheer and congratulate their hero.

By the end of the race, nearly half the field had dropped out due to crashes or mechanical problems. Beyond the top four, this had been a battle for survival.

This was my first MotoGP, and I discovered that the shear wall of noise created by GP bikes smacks you in the face and causes your heart to miss a beat, but the 125 and 250cc two-strokes are also quite fun to watch. Even the BMW Motorrad Power Cup is a very intense series and a grand way to start the racing day. Vendors sold bangers and mash instead of waffle cones, and a World War II British Spitfire fighter watched over the Donington race while on static display.

Although I was shivering cold, wet from head to toe, sloshing through rivers of water and mud and not looking forward to the parking lot gridlock, I was in heaven. Anyone who loves motorcycles needs to make the pilgrimage to a GP. There’s nothing like it.

And don’t forget the ear plugs.