Silverstone, it's 4.30 pm local time and the British Grand Prix has just finished, but another race that few know about is just beginning: transporting the entire MotoGP circus from England to Misano to be ready in time for the following Sunday's race. Those lucky enough to have stepped inside the paddock can easily imagine just how complicated it is to transport everything in such a short space of time, especially considering the distance between the two racetracks.

The race finished one hour ago and while post-race activity is going on in the garage, the hospitality unit is already being dismantled. A short time later, the garage is also disassembled and all of the material is loaded into the two articulated trucks used by the Ducati Team. There is also a third truck, used as a meeting room and work space for the team's engineers, and on which extra material is stored in lockers. And the bikes? Once the race is over, the bikes undergo a series of quick checks before they are also loaded onto the lorries, meaning that all of the maintenance operations will have to wait until they arrive at the Misano racetrack.

It's getting dark and the three Ducati trucks containing the bikes, spares and structures depart from Silverstone. A little later, the team members also leave the track by car to head to the airport. With the traffic playing its part, gridlocked around Silverstone for several hours after the race, the team's cars catch the trucks shortly before reaching Heathrow airport, but while the team members check in to a hotel prior to their flight the next morning, the trucks continue on to Folkestone where they will cross the Channel via the Eurotunnel. In the meantime, the hospitality unit is also leaving Silverstone to begin the journey to Italy.

The team awakes in the hotel, eats breakfast and takes a short flight to Bologna, returning to the factory in time for lunch. Engineers and marketing and communication staff remain in the office, while the mechanics can now enjoy a well-deserved (albeit brief) rest. The trucks transporting the material from the race are crossing France and the three trucks comprising hospitality are also already on French soil.

It's Tuesday and some of the team members are at the factory preparing for the race, while the trucks are now close to home. The Frejus pass sees the trucks cross back into Italy but they won't be stopping at Borgo Panigale, instead continuing straight on to the Misano World Circuit to join the Test Team's truck, as Michele Pirro will also race at Misano.

The Misano racetrack opens its doors to the MotoGP which means the trucks can enter the paddock. In the meantime, the team's mechanics meet up and depart for Misano so that they can start to unload the trucks and set up the garage, assembling the panels, the timekeeping pit as well as all of the equipment needed for activity on track. Once this is done, it's time to take care of the Desmosedicis, which need maintenance after the British race that concluded less than 72 hours earlier. In the meantime, the hospitality team is already setting up the unit, positioning the trucks in the correct position and rebuilding everything that was only taken down on Sunday evening. The room where the team eats its meals is rebuilt and set-up, the panoramic balcony is fitted and all of the connections needed for its operation are checked. The kitchen truck is also set up with what it needs to be operational.

And on Thursday morning the race weekend officially gets underway. While the final details are taken care of within the paddock, outside of the racetrack it's time for the event that serves to open the San Marino and Rimini Riviera GP. All team personnel is now at the racetrack, ready for what is a home race for the Ducati Team. In the early afternoon, the media debriefs begin (rider meetings with the press) and the entire paddock is in perfect working order. The mechanics are finishing off their work on the bikes, as tomorrow they will be back on track. And all of this when, just 96 hours before, they were still at Silverstone!
Considering the very tight time frame in this case, some of the Superbike team staff has also come along to assist the GP team. Ducati is, after all, one big family and the two teams help each other out when necessary. With more staff available, loading operations (and hospitality disassembly) are completed more quickly but, particularly, more truck drivers means more driving shifts can be carried out.

sumber : http://www.ducati.com