‘I got up close and personal with MotoGP – the speed scared the life out of me’
No picture or video will ever do the sheer speed and power of MotoGP bikes justice.
If everyone in the world could witness what I got to experience in Barcelona, MotoGP would be by far the most popular motorsport in the world.
Perhaps it is missing a Netflix documentary and the fabricated storylines that comes with it. As a result, perhaps MotoGP will never truly be able to grow to the international behemoth that F1 currently is.
But the simple fact of the matter is that these bikes are the absolute pinnacle of racing entertainment. There is a bigger buzz when they come flying past you. The mentality monsters riding them have mindsets on a different level.
READ MORE: 'I went 170mph on back of a bike with an ex-MotoGP star and it was absolutely terrifying'
It's Saturday morning in Barcelona. The MotoGP teams are heading out onto track at the Circuit de Catalunya for their final practice before one of the biggest events on their calendar.
I meet Randy Mamola, the 13-time Grand Prix winner and now Monster Energy ambassador inside the Yamaha team's hospitality. Randy is going to be taking me out on a moped around the service roads of the track while the teams put in their final flying laps before the business end of the weekend.
To get so close to the action is off limits to the general public. Only daring photographers and stewards would normally be allowed access right next to the very side of the active race track.
We first arrive at turn one; arguably the best spot on the track to see just how impressive the bikes are. The home straight at Barcelona is long and downhill. It's undoubtedly the fastest part of the race track.
Fabio Quartararo, the poster boy of modern MotoGP, is the first to scream past us. The noise is incredible, though it is no surprise so many people choose to wear ear plugs.
The reason why turn one is such a good spot to watch them race is that you can firstly see the sheer speed – over 200mph at their peak – but also the insane breaking capabilities of the bike.
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Randy points out out the point where the bikes hit the breaks to be able to make the corner. It is just 70 metres from the right-handed bend.
To showcase just how impressive the breaks are, an F1 car would have to break approximately 200 metres back to be able to make the corner. These riders, sat on an open bike, are risking everything as they try and keep control at the highest possible speeds.
The following day in the feature race, turn one would be where five riders all crashed out on the very first lap. Seconds later, world champion Pecco Bagnaia high-side his bike and would have his leg ran over by a rival rider. It was particularly scary for everyone watching and clearly showed the true extent of the risks taken by motorcycle racers.
Incredibly, Bagnaia escaped without a broken bone; a huge compliment to AlpineStars who make the protective gear that all riders wear.
We continue round the track, continually stopping in awe to watch the bikes roar past us.
Turn five was possibly my favourite part of the track. A big swooping downhill bend, which also provides the spot of the most jeopardy for the riders on the track. I would return here later in the day to watch the sprint race.
To see how closely the riders were pushing the boundaries, how close to the ground they were getting, all while being as aggressive as possible to knock a split second off their lap time, was as much elegant as it is mind-blowing.
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