Blog: MotoGP on the Cheap, Part 2

By Patricio Avila

Avila is an avid young race fan from Orlando who attended the 2005 and 2006 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix on an extremely tight budget. His blog on the 2005 edition can be found here. Following is his blog on the 2006 race.

Once again, I flew in on Thursday, but this time it was around 2 p.m. to San Jose Airport. I came equipped with a cardboard sign that said MotoGP/Laguna Seca on it, to try to make the hitchhiking easier, but it didn’t work. I hopped on a bus to get me out of the airport so that I could take the public-transportation bus. I took that bus to the terminal, where I got on another bus that took me close to the Greyhound station. I got on the Greyhound bus to Salinas and got myself a hotel room for the night.

I woke up extra-early to catch a shuttle bus to the racetrack, which was only about a mile from the hotel. I got to the racetrack bright and early, and from the get-go, it was time to go around, seeing all the bikes and vendors. I got a bunch more free swag and watched the first day of practice.

I camped out at the same spot again, and once again, I didn’t really bother bringing anything to sleep on, since it would just weigh me down even more. I did, however, bring a hoody, which wasn’t needed since it got to 103 degrees at the track! I spent $40 on water that day alone, and by the end of the day, water was being given away for free since too many people were going through heat exhaustion.

I, too, found it hard to do all the walking and sightseeing that I had the first year, so I went into the Honda tent, where they had a few big fans blowing. I plopped down in front of one for at least a few hours. Afterward, I went to the Yamaha tent, and they were having a Yamaha Weekend of Champions event where guys like Rainey, Russell, and Lawson signed autographs and took pictures with the fans. Luckily, I got a poster signed by everyone except Randy Mamola, who was working with Ducati, giving out rides on the two-seater, which would be a dream-come-true to have the opportunity to be part of.

Before the MotoGP guys went out on the track, I tried to get myself into the pits (despite not having any passes whatsoever). The guy watching the pits was pretty cool, and he told me that if I bought him a drink, he’d let me in. He got his drink in mere seconds. I walked around the pits for a while and saw Aaron Yates before he went into the truck, and I shook his hand and wished him luck on qualifying and the race.

After a while, I saw that the MotoGP pits were blocked off and that you needed yet another pass to get in. I talked to the guy guarding the gate and asked him how much it would be for a pass, and he told me at least $150 if I could find one. I begged and begged the guy to let me in, and I was fortunate that he was very thirsty as well. Another drink served right up, and another head turned away while I walked into the paddock. I got to see Rossi walk from his room to the pits, and people were going crazy as The Doctor signed a few autographs. Unfortunately, I didn’t get one.

As I walked down the paddock a little more, I got to see Loris Capirossi and also wished him luck on the race. It was pretty funny that I look up to these guys so much, yet in person I have to look down at them (Loris is pretty short compared to my 6’1”).

The next pit I came up to was Hayden’s, just as he was walking out. A bunch of us started cheering, and Nicky stayed around a little longer than the other riders to sign autographs and take pictures. He was walking away when I just yelled out, “NICKY, PLEASE!!!!” He turned around, smiled, and walked back to sign an autograph for me. It was soooo cool and he’s a really great guy. Even though he was supposed to be getting ready to ride, he made sure that most of the people there got an autograph, which put him right up there with my favorite riders, since he really gives back to the fans. I wished him luck, and he went to ride.

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