Australia - Philip Island - MotoGP

As fortune would have it, the Australian MotoGP took place the same weekend I happened to be in Melbourne.  Although I do occasionally watch MotoGP on TV, I have never been to a race before, so I decided to inquire about tickets.  It turns out that for just $20 USD a night, motorcycle riders (only) can camp track side at the facility, where they have full access to the circuit, and are allowed to stay over the night of race day so as not to have to deal with post race traffic, which I understand can be a nightmare.  To put these costs in perspective, most campgrounds in Australia cost about $20 a night, a dorm bed in a hostel costs a bit more, and two mixed drinks in a bar will run about $24 USD, so the ticket price for the MotoGP is incredibly inexpensive, which is a statement that I honestly thought I would never say about anything in Australia.  Even better, you can pack in your own food, and set up camp fires to cook and keep warm.  So off I went to the races.  

I arrived early Saturday morning to check out the qualifying sessions.  Due to very windy and rainy weather, the ride over was a bit challenging.  The wind was so bad, that in open areas I had to employ a hefty lean angle (with occasional massive corrections) on the bike just to maintain my lane. Upon arrival, I rolled into the rather crowded campground, took upon the not so envious task of setting up my tent during a windstorm and subsequent rain showers, and set over to the circuit to watch qualifying.  Apparently, I was not the only one having trouble with the wind, some of the MotoGP riders had it worse, with one rider being blown off the track in excess of 200 mph.  Needless to say, the qualification runs were then cancelled as not to hurt anymore riders. 

Post Squall

Fans Using Remnants of Their Tents to Stay Warm and Dry

My tent, the riders, and the fans all bounced back later that day, and qualifications were held Sunday morning, with the race that afternoon.   The race was under threat of rain the entire time, which did hold off until the victory lap.  Marc Marquez won ... of course.  I must say, even with the challenging weather conditions, I had a good time and would do it all over again.  The track side camping was great as it was just motorcycle riders, about half of them were there as solos, so we all just banded together and had a great time. 

Marquez on a Qualifying Run

I learned a few things that day, first that MotoGP fans are obsessive; second, the riders look so much faster in person than on TV; and, lastly, and most importantly, my tent is unable to withstand squalls, as the next squall flattened my tent and deposited a small swimming pool inside. Next stop....Sydney.