Roughly talking, the gap between Misano’s Marco Simoncelli circuit and the Mandalika circuit in Indonesia is about 12,000 km (or 7,316 miles to be extra exact). That’s not very spectacular in isolation.
However the notion modifications just a little if we keep in mind all of the gear that needs to be moved, together with the bikes of the groups of the three classes and that of world championship promoter Dorna, between the venues staging rounds 14 and 15 of the 2024 MotoGP season in a matter of days.
The cancellation of the Kazakhstan Grand Prix lower than two months in the past and pre-existing commitments made with tv firms compelled the championship officers to search for an occasion to exchange the inaugural go to to Almaty. After contemplating varied alternate options, a second spherical at Misano held a fortnight after the San Marino GP was the least traumatic choice.
Nevertheless, the necessity to hyperlink the Emilia Romagna GP with the following occasion, only a week later in Indonesia, has offered quite a few problems. Dorna’s finely-tuned logistics division has due to this fact deliberate a minute-by-minute itinerary to make sure the bikes will take to the monitor in Lombok on Friday.
Carles Jorba, Dorna’s Director of Operations, is an skilled in this sort of motion. He’s assured within the roadmap, which shall be set in movement simply because the MotoGP race at Misano finishes, some ten minutes earlier than 14:00 native time. Luckily, the weekend’s most important occasion shall be introduced ahead by one hour from its normal time, a call taken to keep away from coinciding with Components 1’s Singapore Grand Prix.
As soon as the rostrum celebrations conclude on Sunday, Dorna’s motion plan can start
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The clock will actually begin ticking at 14:30 native time, 45 minutes after the tip of the MotoGP race, at which level followers who’ve taken half within the conventional monitor invasion shall be evacuated.
“We did not need to compromise the general public’s enjoyment,” Jorba tells Motorsport.com, earlier than starting to element the totally different levels of the journey. This begins with the loading of the vans on the Misano circuit itself, following a selected choreography to optimise time.
“Loading a truck takes an hour, after which we could have one other six hours on the highway to Malpensa airport in Milan,” explains Jorba. “We’ve already been speaking for weeks with the authorities there, who’ve the sequence wherein they may obtain the packing containers. Every little thing needs to be inspected earlier than we get on the aircraft.”
Choose new options launched this yr ought to make life simpler for Jorba and his folks.
The final of the 5 planes will depart Malpensa at 17:00 on Tuesday and is predicted in Lombok at 15:00 on Wednesday
“In 2023, we set out measures for the manufacture of the gear transport packing containers, with particular shapes that match the contours of the plane we use,” reveals Jorba. “It now takes us about six hours to arrange an plane load; till final yr it was about twice as lengthy. This enables us to be rather more environment friendly. It is like a puzzle as soon as you understand how the packing containers are organized.
“We already know, for instance, that the Moto2 and Moto3 groups match on a aircraft,” the Dorna technician continues earlier than highlighting the second key side of this primary cease on the Asian tour, which is able to go by Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Thailand and Malaysia earlier than returning to Europe in early November for the ultimate cease on the calendar in Valencia on 16 November.
Modifications made to move packing containers ought to enable the planes to hold extra, whereas a change in aircraft sort it’s believed will cut back emissions
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“Till now we’ve got been utilizing 4 Boeing 747s, however due to the settlement we’ve got with Qatar Airways, we are going to now use 5 Boeing 777s. It will enable us to cut back polluting emissions by round 30%, as a result of we’re going from utilizing plane with 4 engines every to others with two, so we’re going from 16 engines to 10.”
Clearly, all the above relies upon to a point on circuit employees, loading and unloading operators and drivers doing their jobs. However then all of it resides within the fingers of exterior actors who can have a direct affect on whether or not the agenda is met, or not. Jorba is aware of this solely too nicely.
“In 2022 we had a technical downside with a aircraft, which forced us to cancel Friday in Argentina,” remembers the Catalan.
If every part goes in response to schedule, the primary B777 will take off from Milan – Malpensa on Monday at 13:00, will cease in Doha and from there’ll depart for Lombok, the place it ought to land on Tuesday at 11:15 within the morning. The final of the 5 planes will depart Malpensa at 17:00 on Tuesday and is predicted in Lombok at 15:00 on Wednesday.
“As soon as there, every part shall be unloaded after which it’s going to journey by highway, with small vans – the island’s roads aren’t like Milan’s – to Mandalika,” Jorba provides.
Will Dorna’s plans to maneuver the paddock half approach around the globe inside three days work as scheduled?
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photographs
