re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

Hehehe. Congrats and awesome

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

Hey Makky are you at the Czech Grand Prix? Sounds amazing.
Get loads do pics for us. Up close with the riders and their rides. 😉
Have fun and see if you can do something to make Rossi win😜

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

Wanted you to approve my thread. Wouldn't have been any better!

Yes, I am attending the Czech GP. I have to admit that I'm no shutterbug but, I 'll try my best to do some justice.

It feels great to share something with my "MotoGP mates" on xBhp and this has no substitutes.

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

[MENTION=28698]Makky[/MENTION]: Got any pics to share yet? 😛

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

@R-series: I reached my place at midnight. I will update this space later tonight.

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

GP500 and the Kindergarten KidPitlane and Paddocks

After a bus journey of 3 hours from Prague followed by nearly an hour on the public transport, I was at Automotodrom Brno. I was at the gates of heaven, minutes away from insanity! The mayhem begins!



Finally, 22 years later and 7000 kilometers away after it tickled me, I am going to get my first taste of Grand Prix.








Max, Rossi's crewman



Dani Pedrosa waves at us.



Lorenzo's crew chief Ramon Forcada discussing with team director Massimo Maregalli. Massimo Maregalli was in SBK '09 with Ben Spies - Ben Spies 09 SBK Champ.wmv - YouTube.



Then, I get an opportunity to speak to Alex Briggs, Rossi's mechanic. We chat about how his career, issues at Ducati and the Ashes.

Further, I moved to the motorhomes' section.



The Doctor is out!



AB Cardion motoracing's pit



The local lad, Karel Abraham's Aprilia



Lorenzo's M1(s)



Rossi's M1; data technician Matteo Flamigni is seen talking to Rossi.



Stefan Bradl's RC213V; it's a masterpiece.



Innone's gorgeous Ducati Desmosedici GP13



You 're never alone at any motorsport event. You always get friends. Boys from Turkey and Germany.



He always makes an effort to make his people happy.



with a bloke named Rossi.



Karel Abraham is being interviewed by MotoGP media. He confirms Honda production racer for 2014.



Marq Marquez runs away.



Nicky Hayden after the pre-race press conference.



Lorenzo after the pre-race press conference.



These trucks transport machinery worth millions of Euros.



Cal giving the media something juicy to write about.



Factory Yamaha Team's photoshoot




Brno circuit. I love Czech Republic!

What a day it was! Undoubtedly, one of the best in my life. I couldn't have asked for more.

I spent around 4 hours at the premises that evening. I left Brno and made it back to my place in Prague at midnight.

LONG POST!

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

[MENTION=28698]Makky[/MENTION]: That was still a short one. Would love to see more photographs. And if you could share anything more about the experience I would personally be excited to go through it.

I went the the 2011 Sepang GP when Marco had the unfortunate accident. So it wasn't a 100% positive experience, thus wasn't in a mood to share here.

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

Lucky you.. Getting to meet some legends of our time..
And nice pics..

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

More photos:



Spick and span; Bautista's riding boots get ready.



Crutches on Thursday but, a win on Sunday! (Luis Salom was spectacular. Moto3 race was at its best.)



The name sounds quite familiar!



I was at the riders' motorhomes and found 4 men having a chat. None from the crowd seemed to care. Soon, I 'd identify Michael Laverty in the middle. He was happy to pose for a photograph.



Cal seems to be lost in thoughts about the new fuel tank and a factory support!

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

Makky,

That's cool!

BTW, did you have like a special pass or something? Can anyone from the public get this close to the riders and especially the machines?

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

Now, a bit of story......

Myself and the lad from Turkey, unknown to me then got down at Automotodrom Brno from the same bus in the morning. I took no time in exchanging a few words with him. We had reached the venue quite early and had 2 hours to kill. The gates to the circuit would open only at 1430hrs. The crowd was slowly pouring in, majority of them clad in Yellow. A few minutes later, we overhear a conversation between the receptionist and a couple. Apparently, the couple had driven all the way from Sweden to Czech Republic for the MotoGP. Crazy! The Czech Republic MotoGP draws a lot of crowd from the neighbouring countries of Slovakia, Germany and Austria too.

At 1430 hrs, the the bar codes on the ticket were read and the people were let in. But, the gates for the pitlane and the paddocks remained closed. However, we could move around and do a bit of snooping and peeping.



And that's where I spot Randy Mamola - black t-shirt with his left hand raised.

A person standing next to me acknowledges my identification. Then, he becomes my friend number 2, from Germany.

Minutes later, someone walks in with a strolley. The next moment I know, I yell, "Dani!".

At 1500hrs, the gates for the pitlane and the paddocks opened. Again, the bar codes were checked and this time, we get a stamp on the hand.

I am in!

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

"Shut your mouth!". Sorry, I can't hide my emotions here!



Thumbs down if, you were looking at the girl in the background. Buggers!

One could see truck after truck lined beautifully at the paddocks and a big part of the MotoGP family was moving in and around. Everything was casual here. The Czech Republic is a very relaxed and laid back country. And the circuit was no different. There were hardly any rules and regulations to be followed. The kind of walk/tour which you get in a museum or at any monument was totally absent. We were free to roam around and feel and experience everything around. Don't mistake Czech Republic for something not good. Over the years, this place has made its mark as an industrious nation.

At the paddocks, one could see crew chiefs, managers, mechanics and other crewmen working and discussing, paying little attention to the people who were looking at and photographing them. There were no security men chasing people and asking them to go in a line or asking them to move to the next section. And this also means that people themselves are more responsible.

I love Czech Republic!


@R-series: Man, you woke up the wrong lion! I thought that I can do away with the photos and a bit of words here and there. I hope that this 'll not be a Leh-Ladakh trip log!

@incipient: Mine was a Pit Walk/Paddock pass for Thursday, not a VIP MotoGP Village Pass. Like I said, Cz is great!

re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

Oh I don't mind...you can say I'm of the same breed...Keep it coming. I'm enjoying every bit of it.

Loved the facts about the country. Easy access to pit lane and paddocks. Sounds to be a great place...

Re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience

Nice man. Thanks for sharing.

Waiting for my chance to attend a Grand Prix

Re: 22 years later and 7000kms away..... My first Grand Prix experience


Lucky you!!! I am so excited man. Did you kiss him? Kidding bro...