By Dean Adams
When Grand Prix went to 15 races for the 1986 season there was much trepidation from those who work within the series that such a number was not feasible. It was thought that the added logistics of an additional three races would throw havoc into the process of moving equipment from racetrack to racetrack.
MotoGP will do 19 rounds in 2018 and the murmurings from the people who work in the series are again shaded in worry. But now their concerns aren’t whether or not the shipping crates will arrive in time but how an additional round–and it being an additional fly-away race–will grind on them, as human beings. The days of an entire team flying first class to all rounds are gone. 19 rounds in coach is a daunting prospect.
MotoGP goes to Thailand for the first time in 2018. And, while even Rossi has been critical of the Thai track calling it “boring”, it isn’t the track which is the subject of much worker-bitching. That award still goes to the second round of the championship in Argentina. Seemingly every team has a based-in-fact-tale of 48 hours travel time (or longer) just to get to the track, and then equal time getting out of Argentina. Add in the usual South America near plane crash incident.
It takes a very special person to do the racing life in a world championship series.
