MotoGP Mugello

The Mugello Circuit is about 40 km north of Florence and is owned by Ferreri. It's a top knotch facility set in the country near the town of Barberino in the Tuscany region. The Italian fans are among the most passionalte in the world. They camp at the circuit and just party hard-out for three days. Some nutters take along old engines mounted on a packing crate with a megaphone exhaust, just to make noise. You could hear them reving the nuts off these things, valve bouncing, like brrrr pa pa pa pa pa pa... at several places around the track. Apparently sleep is just impossible as the noise never lets up all night.

We took the civilised option and stayed at Agriturismo Poggio di Sotto a sort of rural co-operative farm stay in Galliano about 5km from the circuit. Our friend Mike Webb who is Technical Director of MotoGP has been staying there for about 5 years.



We ate eight courses the first night. The head chef Pietro has no vegetarian friends.

Our nightly party - Vicki, Oscar, John, Jan, Antonio, Mike and Paul (MotoGP Race Director)

Did I say, the meat was VERY good.

We made some new friends - Antonio and Enzo from Sicily; also regulars at Poggio di Sotto

They were were very gracious and gave us gifts - an MV Agusta shirt for the MV girl

and a Moto Guzzi hat and bandana for John

Next day we made our way to the racetrack (somewhat worse for wear).

All roads lead to Mugello

Here are the team trucks at the back of the pits

parked with such precision.

Mike hard at it in his office

with his able assistant keeping CONTROL.

I wanna be a fireman when I grow up!

250 practice on the Saturday, out in the country.

There were some attractive young ladies there

Including Miss Italia 2007 plus her 2 friends

But I like this one the best

This guy fancied her too! I had to sort him out.

I even got to meet Randy Mamola - a living legend

On Saturday after practice, Mike arranged a treat for us, a lap of the circuit in the BMW Safety car. Click the play button below and join us for a lap of Mugello in a BMW M5 driven by Carlos, the man with the most enviable job in the world! This was one of the highlights of the trip.

Thanks Carlos, thanks Mike.

Oh, and we came back on Sunday and there were 3 Grands Prix

Here's the start of the 250 race.

And the big bikes raced at 2pm. Stoner leads Rossi, Pedrosa and Capirossi

Spaniard Tony Elias on a Ducati

Casey Stoner fought hard and had to settle for 2nd

Vale was cranked over and heading for victory, the crowd going nuts every time he went past.

The final lap and the chequered flag is almost in sight, and he's not backing off. Note the picture on the helmet.

Behind us was a sea of yellow, the 46 fan club - be afraid. Note there are two fences and already they have breached the first...

And as soon as the chequered flag was raised, these yobbos just cut the fence and stormed onto the circuit. I could not believe what I was witnessing, I stood well back and watched in awe and fear.

Imagine being a rider, cruising around on your victory lap and being confronted by this mob!

Vale tried to avoid them by cutting across the grass at my feet.

But they got him in the end, he's in there somewhere.


So if you can't beat 'em, join them. We made our way briskly to the podium. All the while there were people riding scooters and bikes in this mob. Even a couple on a stunt bike doing wheelstands and stoppies. Absolute unabated mayhem like you've never seen, and no men in white coats in sight!

The fans got exactly what they wanted, their boy on the top step. Stoner 2nd and Pedrosa 3rd.

And the Champagne flowed...

After the excitement had died down we bumped into Peter Clifford, well known to anybody who's followed MotoGP and now Public Relations Manager for Red Bull. He gave us invites to the Red Bull after-party in the paddock.

There were plenty of guys there from the race teams and the place was peppered with members of the local 'hospitality' industry.

And some Kiwi yobbos were there for the free booze.

After we left the circuit we joined the traffic jam from hell, we were 30 minutes stationery. The phone rang and it was Mike with instructions to go another way home with a fraction of the traffic.

Next stop the ancient city of Verona, a 2 hour drive to the north via Bolognia. As any Italian bike owner knows, the Ducati factory is in Bolognia which we were keen to visit but couldn't as Monday was a public Holiday! Click here for VERONA...