While the UK planned pageantry in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee, the extended Bank Holiday offered the opportunity for some ‘free’ annual leave. With that in mind I scoured Western Europe for sun and motorsport. The Catalan round of MotoGP at the Circuit de Catalunya, just outside Barcelona, offered the perfect retreat.
Spain being a nation apparently motivated by two-wheeled transport – and blessed with two of the world’s leading riders – this seemed the perfect opportunity to enjoy top class motor racing and a pleasing vacation to boot.
Speaking predominantly as a car enthusiast I’d never thought of the Circuit de Catalunya as a classic in the Spa/Suzuka mould. Its reputation primarily as a challenging test venue does a disservice to a wonderful facility. Sitting on a plateau over the plains north of Barcelona; every inch the modern autodrome. Yet, unlike the modern ‘Tilkedromes’ in the East 79,000 rabid Spanish motorcycle fans descended on Montmelo on race day to fill the grandstands and grass banks to cheer on their heroes.
Being somewhat inexperienced in the world of motorcycling, I was intrigued to learn what I could of a new motor sport. As it transpired, I had much to learn – race entries full of unknown shapes of barely recognisable machinery presented a new challenge, as did trying to understand an entirely different vehicular dynamic.
Over the previous 10 years there have been big changes in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The prevailing top class is no longer for the historic 500cc formula, but now runs to a 1000cc engine formula; the class known as MotoGP. Below it, the previous 250cc and 125cc classes have become Moto2 and Moto3 – now running 600cc and 250cc four strokes respectively. This class structure is vaguely reflective of happenings in four-wheeled racing, where F1, GP2 and GP3 race on the same bill, notionally creating an easy-to-understand ladder of talent on the world stage.
Moto3 features a colourful, international grid of buzzy, skinny-tyred racers. The darling of the partisan crowd was never up for dispute in Spain. Blessed with potentially the best name in motor racing, 17 year old Maverick Viňale boasts his own fan club, complete with t-shirts, flags and giant foam hands. It’s hard to imagine drivers in GP3 ever attracting quite the same reverential following.
Maverick repaid their devotion with a fine win from pole position. The Moto3 bikes seem relatively underpowered, with a surfeit of grip over power. They tackled the penultimate and final corners with just a gentle lift to settle themselves on corner entry.
Despite starting from the front, Maverick found himself third at the completion of the first lap, with Frenchman Louis Rossi living up to an illustrious surname by heading the field. It didn’t take long for the young Spaniard to assume the lead but initially he seemed to struggle to break away. Behind him, though, soon all hell was breaking loose. The battle for second involved a minimum of 6 riders – and at times up to nine. As the pack entered combat, so Maverick made good his escape, building a lead which eventually reached ten seconds.
The squabbling pack was impossible to follow with every position changing almost by the corner. The sight of the fight swarming the pit straight was mesmeric – tiny motorcycles occupying every inch of the track; millimetres apart and yet apparently perfect choreographed, the result in dispute until the final turn. While perhaps lacking the blood and thunder of the bigger motorcycles, the sheer racing spectacle of Moto3 must be virtually without rival in the motorsporting world.
By comparison, the Moto2 Grand Prix was less frenetic, but the motorcycles more exciting in isolation. With greater power, but also significantly more rubber on the road, the 600cc challengers looked for difficult under power. Watching practice from the end of the pit straight allowed an opportunity to see the riders reach 175mph, changing up into top just after the pit exit before hauling on the anchors before the sweeping turn 1.
As with the Moto3 encounter which preceded it on Sunday, the Moto2 event was a thriller. At the front, the crowds had their hopes pinned on the talent of Marc Marquez. Already a big name, with a carefully-managed image and bulging merchandise stands, Marc rides on evocative Repsol colours. He formed part of an intense three-way lead battle with Italian Andrea Iannone and Swiss Thomas Luthi. Luthi appeared to have brought his own group of loyal followers as his #12 featured on a number of shirting congregating around the grandstands come race day.
As the leading trio squabbled among themselves, championship leader Pol Esparogaro kept a close watching brief, moving forwards to create a four-way showdown as the race neared its climax. Into the Turn 10 hairpin and Marquez ran wide, with Espargaro seizing his chance to dive up the inside. Te pair collided with Espargaro hitting the macadam in a shower of sparks; his podium chance evaporating along with his championship lead. Though he was recovered to the trackside by stretcher, it was comforting to see the Spaniard soon back on his way to the paddock by scooter.
Following the contact, Marquez dropped back, with Luthi and Iannone eventually settling the disputed lead at the same Turn 10, wit Iannone asserting himself to win by a small margin. Marquez played it safe for a comfortable third following his earlier physical dispute.
The crowd’s general demeanour and enthusiasm was a genuine pleasure to be part of. Far from the anarchic rabble one might envisage, the atmosphere was warm with cheers going out to all riders and any recovering fallers being treated to rousing applause to reward their persistence. This spirit was wholly in evidence as a sequence of Mexican waves swept through the grandstands in the build-up to the big race.
The top MotoGP class proved eye-opening in any number of ways, not least of which was the level of devotion in its supporters. While Formula One might witness total deification of Ferrari, the last superstar driver to truly capture the fans’ hearts was probably Ayrton Senna. In MotoGP it seems every rider has his fair share of fanatical supporters, with each delivering several of his own merchandise stands bristling with brands goods. In the world of rider worship though, one character stands head and shoulders above all others.
While Valentino Rossi’s travails on the Ducati serve to prevent his regular appearance on the podium, there cannot be any doubt over who the crowd is really there to see. Everywhere a sea of yellow, the Doctor’s fan club occupied three full grandstands in the ampitheatre of Turns 10-13. Despite the locals having talents of the scale of Pedrosa and Lorenzo to support, Rossi – with his cheeky grin, oozing charisma and towering talent – has carved an unmatched following among the fans.
Despite a podium at the previous round at Le Mans, as the riders hit the track on Saturday the Ducatis looked no match for the Hondas and Yamahas. With their awesome, coarse exahust notes, the Honda duo of Pedrosa and Stoner immediately looked comfortable. Stoner’s reputation for formidable bike control proved valid as he described a gentle arc with the rear wheel, holding his machine in elegant drifts under power through the fast Turn 12. His unique style will be missed when he retires at the end of the season.
The big 1000cc MotoGP bikes are a completely different breed to the less-powerful machines in the lower classes. Topping 210mph down the pit straight, they clearly represent a wild ride. The acceleration is phenomenal – the way they accrue speed is quite unlike any circuit racer I’ve seen before. The noise of them hammering down the pit straight in the distance was more akin to low-flying jet than motorcycle.
A gripping qualifying session had seen Stoner snatch pole, but the times were tight at the work with the works and Tech 3 Yamahas looking close, with Stoner’s Honda team mate Pedrosa well in the mix as well. With rain forecast for race day, every Valentino Rossi fan in the land was hoping that local precipitation might allow him to work his way up from a distant ninth in qualifying. The omens were good as the Sunday morning warm-up took place on a damp track with rain still falling. Pedrosa took a tumble bringing out the red flags, but otherwise everyone was well behaved.
Sadly for the hoards of Rossi fans packing the circuit the race took place under clear skies on a dry track, It was Pedrosa who got a flier off the line to lead the pack, with Stoner dropping back to sixth, including suffering a moment at Turn 10, running wide on the opening lap. Works Yamaha driver Ben Spies upset the form book to snatch second, right in Pedrosa’s wheel tracks. All his good work was undone when he dropped the bike on lap 2. He recovered with a strong fight back through the tail-enders but a promising start proved wasted.
At the front it was all about the two Spaniards as Pedrosa and Lorenzo took turns in the lead, with Dovizioso behind waiting to pounce in the event of a mistake from either of the locals’ favourites. In the end Lorenzo played it smart and held it at the end. Dovizioso took a strong third, while Stoner, who looked so imperious in qualifying was a slightly anonymous fourth, spending a good part of the race fending off the attentions of Cal Crutchlow.
Behind them, the Ducatis once again couldn’t match the leaders. Rossi had the upper hand convincingly on race day. He kept the leaders in sight throughout; clearly the Desmosedici is almost there but it’s close at the top of MotoGP in 2012. Rossi remained the fans’ choice – bedecked as they were head-to-toe in his colourful merchandise. Valentine retains a beautifully economical riding style, remarkably free from errors and seemingly able to tuck the nose of the bike into the corners with total incision. Let’s hope he’s back at the front again before too long.
25 rapid laps and it was all over. MotoGP is a spectacle quite unlike any other I’ve enjoyed in the sport, especially at the stunning Circuit de Catalunya. The facility is clean with good food and a friendly atmosphere. That it is only half an hour from Barcelona is a highlight. The spectacle of Grand Prix motorcycle racing is itself very special. The bikes are fearsome machines which offer a very real opportunity to see their brave pilots really earn their stripes. I can’t help but wonder what it’d be like to see those same riders attack Mugello, with Rossi’s home crowd in attendance. Tuscany in summer 2013 sure sounds appealing.
