MotoGP Barcelona 2023
An afternoon watching MotoGP led to a road trip to Spain and Andorra, as described in the previous blog post. But it all started with the planned visit to the MotoGP in Barcelona. After a few days exploring the city, we went to Circuit de Catalunya, near Montmelo, half an hour from Barcelona itself. Friday was mainly spent exploring the circuit for good photo spots. Unfortunately, as a visitor, you have fewer options than in Assen, for example. Unlike the TT Assen, you weren't allowed in all the grandstands on Friday and Saturday, or even next to or in front of them. It was more secluded, just like F1. Fortunately, I still found a few spots where I could get good shots of the motorcycles.
On Saturday, we arrived at the circuit a bit earlier to avoid the traffic jam we had on Friday. I then decided to use a wider lens during the morning practice session to capture some atmospheric and action shots with a bit more of the scenery.
Monster Energy was the main sponsor of this GP. Behind our grandstand was a fan zone with free cans of energy drinks, pit girls, and regular awesome stunt shows featuring freestyle motocross, trials, and even a snowmobile. To our surprise, the sprint race podium was right there in the fan zone on Saturday when we wanted to grab a drink after the race. Suddenly, you see the racing heroes right before your eyes.
On Saturday, Bagnaia finished second among the factory Aprilias on his Ducati. But on Sunday, in the main race, things went wrong in Turn 3. He was leading, but spun off his bike, slammed onto the asphalt, and was run over by Brad Binder on the KTM. Behind him, his teammate Bastianini also fell off, taking almost half the field with him. The race was stopped. Deathly silence in the stands, ambulances on the track. To our great frustration, there was no update over the speakers. We were in the Marc Marquez stand. Instead of commentary, there was only a (I can't put it any other way) complete idiot who shouted "Marc Marquez" at random moments during races he wasn't even racing in, started advertising sunscreen during the start of a race, and, through his own national anthem, urged the crowd to make noise. And then, at crucial race moments, said nothing. It frustrated us, and others in the stands too, so you realize things are going better elsewhere. Anyway, the Ducatis were out of action at the restart. Bagnaia ultimately suffered little damage. Bastiani did miss a few races due to broken hands and ankles. So, the feature race was ultimately won by Alex Espargaro on the Aprilia, followed by his teammate Vinales. A Spanish 1-2 and also the first for the Aprilia brand.
All in all, it was great to see MotoGP in person again. But the experience in the Márquez grandstand and the way things like track access, speakers, and traffic were handled made it less special for me than Assen in our own little frog country. Although, of course, the adventure surrounding the race was what made the trip truly special. Check out the rest of the album below.
