Mugello MotoGP

Travel & Arrival - Wednesday, May 31st

We had a "spare" day between Cinque Terre and the Moto GP races. We could have spent it in either place or in between (which would probably have been Lucca). We chose to go a day earlier than strictly necessary to Scarperia where the race will be this weekend. 

Our host from Manuel's Guesthouse helped carry our luggage down the 130 stairs and we caught a train from Monterosso to Pisa. Pisa was a very small station which was good because we had 15 minutes to transfer to our next train. From Pisa we went to Florence which is a MUCH bigger station. But we have more time for this transfer. We are heading into the hills north of Florence to the town of Scarperia which for some reason is the home of the Mugello race track. Scarperia itself doesn't even have a train station so it's a mystery to us why such a major event facility was built there. We will be picked up by our host from the Borgo San Lorenzo station 5km away. This was definitely a different train ride since it was mostly locals and school kids (not sure if they commute everyday or if it was a school trip to Florence). It was a combo of loud (the kids) and matter-of-fact (the locals). As was mentioned before, we're early compared to most people coming for the races so probably the makeup of people on this local train will change over the next couple of days. 

Our B&B, Villino Albachiara, in Scarperia is a large 2 1/2 story house on the outskirts of the central village. On the entry floor there is a kitchen as well as three guest rooms (2 doubles and 1 quad) plus two bathrooms. There are guest rooms on the upper floor as well but we are downstairs so that level of the house is a mystery. The back half of the house has a basement level with a garage and another room that the family uses (another kitchen?). Breakfast at this B&B consists of a basket in our room of pre-packed items (croissant, juice box, toast/crackers, nutella, jam, milk) and access to the kitchen where we can make our own coffee or tea. It is a full kitchen and we can cook and use all of it. There is a large backyard which drops off (Scarperia is named for being on an escarpment) and has a lovely view of the surrounding hills. 

After settling in our first venture was to explore the center of the village. We are seeking a market and someplace for dinner. We also followed the road out to one of the track entrances. It's warm here in the hills north of Florence but a bit cooler than elsewhere we've been since we're up at 1000' elevation.  

Thursday, June 1st 
Scarperia is an historical production area for cutlery/knives. This morning we went to the knife (and scissors) museum. Very little information about production. But a lot about knives and scissor in their social and cultural context - what different types were used for and by whom and at what time in history. Also showing them represented in art. Once we got inside the complex we discovered our ticket included access to the top of the tower. Overall it was totally worth 5 euros each. 

The track is open as of this afternoon so after lunch we sought out the best way to get there. The road we took last night is NOT the way; it's a narrow bi-directional busy street with NO sidewalks. There are some pedestrian paths from the vicinity of our B&B but they don't go directly over (that's unfortunate 'cause that would be a super short walk). After two hours of wandering around we have determined that we've got about a 45 minute walk from our front door to our grandstand seats. Half of that is a nice walk through the countryside and half is inside the venue getting from the gate to our seats. 

After recuperating from our walk we went back into the center of the village (about 3 minutes from our B&B). It is still quiet this evening and it's difficult to imagine the scene we experienced in Jerez happening here. For dinner tonight we enjoyed wine and snacks in the shade in the backyard of our B&B until sunset. Very relaxing and delightfully warm (returning to Santa Cruz weather is going to be a shock). 

Friday, June 2nd

After breakfast we wandered the local Friday morning street market briefly then went straight out to the track. We were perfectly on time to catch all of the first MotoGP practice session. We have GREAT seats. We are sitting above the front straightaway looking down on the start/finish line and across to the garages where the riders and their mechanics do their preparations. Jeff has gotten some great pictures. Ordinarily we like seating with a view of a lot of the track - here we can only see the bit right in front of us - but we've never had this view before and it's very interesting. We have a jumbotron for seeing the action everywhere else. And the seats are in a shaded grandstand so it's quite pleasant unlike the melting experience we had in Jerez. There are three classes of racing happening this weekend: MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3. Both Moto2 and Moto3 also had practice sessions today. 

We walked back to our B&B and then into the village for dinner and to see what the MotoGP is like in Scarperia. It is absolutely different from Jerez. The main street is a craft fair (this morning was more like a farmer's market) and the side streets are mini food courts. The stage in the square by the church alternates between live music and a DJ (quite loud either way). There are a lot of people drinking beer but there are plenty not drinking. It's not too crowded to walk and people are down there with their kids. Also plenty of local older people. Occasionally a motorcycle cruises through part but mostly it's foot traffic. We suspect the crazy party stuff is out at the track. There are A LOT of people camped out there and they all look totally prepared for a seriously good time; we saw lots of beer, food, and loud music. 

Side note about camping at this MotoGP. It doesn't seem so much that there is a designated camping area. Rather, find a place and claim it - even if it's in the middle of a parking lot. Inside the event gates there are little tent cities all over the place and the RVs are parked EVERYWHERE and lots of people have marked out very large boundaries for their camp space with caution tape. It is essentially one giant party campground.  

Saturday, June 3rd

We got a good start and out to the track before the start of the MotoGP practice. Today was a mix of practice and qualifying. It's pretty interesting to watch qualifying if you've been paying attention to the lead up. Not as hot today but sitting in the sun for 15-20 minutes at lunch was plenty. 

We were quite warm after our walk back from the track and spent some time relaxing and snacking in the shade alongside the house before we went to the center. The craft fair was still going on though perhaps a couple fewer tents and certainly more people. It is still clear that this is much different than Jerez. There are sidewalk bars set up but they aren't busy at all. There are plenty of people enjoying the scene without a drink in their hand. And little kids are running around and riding their training bikes in the square with no real supervision. 

On our way from the house we briefly followed a drumming group (Bloco Bandito) making their way down the street. They were very good and a bit later they were the first group to go on stage. When they finished we headed home and watched videos of everything we saw live today. But Jeff's online video subscription has English-language commentary and different camera angles. 

Sunday, June 4th

Today we went out a little bit earlier because we knew it would take longer to get through the entry gates due to crowds. It is definitely more crowded today but we've got it easy compared to people who have to drive from Florence. The folks sitting next to us got here at 5:30 a.m. today so they could find a parking place. 

The schedule today essentially had no long breaks. Each class of riders had a practice session on the track separated by about 20 minutes then the races started. Moto3 first, followed by Moto2 and at 2pm the MotoGP race. Last week a well known and well liked American racer - Nicky Hayden - died due to injuries from a bicycle accident. There was a bit of ceremony and a moment of remembrance for him. 

In Italy there's basically only one rider to root for and you can see in the pictures that his color is bright yellow. However, Valentino Rossi did not win; he came in 4th. But there were two Italian riders in the top three. Also two of the top three riders were riding Ducati motorcycles and that's an Italian manufacturer. So it was a good day at the Mugello MotoGP. 

After the race ends they open various gates and allow fans onto the track. Thousands of people crammed into the front straight area so they could be close to the podium for the award ceremony. Many also jumped the wall into the pit area and were peeking into the rider's garages. We watched the mayhem for a bit then worked our way out along with cars, motorcycles, all the other pedestrians, and even motor homes already clogging the exit roads. We are so lucky to be staying in town and not part of the traffic nightmare. We were walking faster than the cars which was actually pretty easy considering they weren't moving at all. 

The craft fair is gone tonight but there is still a stage and music in the square plus a couple of food vendors (aside from all the regular dining options). As we were walking into the village, we passed the pizza by the slice place (where we ate our first night in town) and remembered that the woman there had said we could have the event poster hanging there if we came back on Sunday. She is a very nice lady and Jeff is a very lucky guy because she had been offered money for the poster but saved it for us. 

Tomorrow we go to Firenze (Florence) and on Friday we fly back to Spain. Our final MotoGP race is next weekend north of Barcelona.

 
View from the backyard of all the RVs lined up waiting to access the track.

Stage area of the main square in the village.

Saturday evening during Bloco Bandito's performance. I was very happy to catch both these locals of very different generations in the same frame. The lady with the red streak of hair was enjoying the music. We saw the little boy and his family in the square every night.

Bloco Bandito

It can't be super pleasant to camp on a hill but all the flat spots got snatched right away.

Compared to Jerez there is very little motorcycle engine revving going on here. However, we never saw one of these noise makers in Jerez. There were also people wandering around with a portable version.

Valentino Rossi's garage was directly across from us.

The path we took was only crowded on Sunday.

And Sunday is the only day we had to deal with a line? for the entry gates. 
Despite how this looks it was only 10 minutes.

An ocean of people on the hill. 

And that same hill awash in yellow smoke. 
This only happened Sunday 3-4 times to this extent.

We had smoke flares in the grandstand too but not so many all at once as up on the hill.

Our seating area. We are in front of the orange wall.

View of the starting grid as the teams are getting their riders set up and ready.

And then it's just the riders.

Fans flooding the track.

And climbing over the wall into pit lane so they can peek into the rider garages. 
This is Valentino Rossi's garage they are gathered around.

And they just keep coming.

A tribute to Nicky Hayden. That is one of the bikes he rode in his career in the center. All the current riders are in the front facing the camera. And behind them is EVERYONE else from the pit lane area. Many riders had special memorial artwork related to Nicky on their helmets this weekend.