Thursday 21st June: ‘Red Tide’ Even though it was the first day of the main event, I felt in an odd reflective mood on the morning, even after sleeping like a log from the previous day’s adventure. So far we had blasted through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Northern Italy in three days and while I was stunned at the sights we’d seen already, I knew it wasn’t even a single grain of sand on the beach compared to the history and culture we had passed by.
I guess I was living my own dream and didn’t want to wake.
A pleasant but simple breakfast in the hotel pulled us all around and the wise decision of getting a taxi bus to main event at Misano world circuit was made after the expected temp for the day was noted at 36 degrees! Sunblock and hydration, for me were the key personal points of the day. Medical issues were first for poor Miles at the circuit however, he’d sliced a nasty gash in his thumb during a maintenance session on day two. The clinica mobile soon sorted him out, even if it wasn’t personal attention from Dr. Costa.
The event used the whole of the circuit entrance and the entire pit and parking complex. Divided into a series of arenas, there was something for every type of Ducati fan, the international tent was a useful meeting point and was a fun, active place with its own centre stage and regular events. The ‘tech’ around the circuit was stunning in itself, wi-fi for a start and wireless camera feeds from each televised event beamed to any display area (most) with a display monitor, often in real-time. The Ducati shop in the main block had some great stock items and reductions with suitable queue lengths to go with them. Some of the guys made use of the Ducati bike service that could be booked, Ohlins and Pirelli were also available for advice and parts. Just the number of Ducati events beggared belief, custom bikes, classics, race & historic bikes. Bikini bike wash, art work / painting ( both bikes and humans!), free bike photography, race garage viewing and then all the various trade stands and Ducati partners that were present. Even on the opening day Troy Bayliss, Carlos Checa and a host of riders could be seen in the race garages, add in the talks in the Ducati University and the various stunt shows and - OK, you get the idea, way too much to see!
Once I’d dragged Norrie away from trying to steal a £4000 race titanium exhaust system on display for his Panigale, we bumped into some of the club presidents at the circuit, it was a nice chance for me to personally thank Mary from the SDC for all her help in organising cards and WDW tickets. She was quite weighed down with Ducati ‘shopping’ at the time and admitted she might need help getting it all back home. I then spotted Antony from the DSC and a trend seemed to be set for talking to Americans for the rest of the day, there seemed to be quite a few who were all incorporating the event with a holiday of some sort, after such a long trip. The WDW pack we collected next gave details of the following days events, a WDW2012 Tee shirt, badge and petrol coupon to be used at the circuit all presented in a nice Ducati bag. In one of my only smart moves of the whole tour, I decided to bring a drink system with me in the form of a CamelBak, a cross-over from my distant mountain biking days. Along with some powered electrolyte, I could carry a full 2L of water on my back and have instant access to a sip of drink, yes, I made a few more toilet runs than most but it kept me good, in the rising heat, supposedly hitting 40degrees during our stay in Italy. Where else but in Italy, would an over excited Scotsman be able to talk his way around the roped off security cordon of Rossi’s elite guard to stand next to his MotoGP bike, all in the name of getting a photo of it! Well that’s just what a certain Norrie decided to do and we pulled it off a treat I must say.
On the track, Ducati Riding Experience (DRE) events which included some 20 minute free track sessions and other paid sessions with a certain Mr. T. Bayliss were interspersed with real superbike race test sessions and apparently, Carlos Checa was also testing the new 1199 race bike. I was surprised at just how popular, even now, Troy Bayliss is with the Italians, while almost omnipresent, he was mobbed and adored wherever he went, seemingly to me, just as much as, if not more than, Rossi. After being fried in the sun on top of the main grandstand, we retired with a drink and a snack to the international tent once again to sit down and who was quietly sat on the next table to us but Paul Smart! He seemed happy in his own limelight to chat to anyone or give signatures without fuss. I did wonder at the many Paul Smart classic Ducati owners present who could have had their bike signed by the man that was an inspiration for their machine.
All too soon it was time to taxi back to the hotel to get ready for the evening festivities. I didn’t mind too much as it gave me some time to chat with the lady owner of the hotel Senior, Maura. I think it was Miles who said that Maura made the difference in an extra star rating for the hotel and he certainly got that right. Nothing was too much trouble to her, arranging taxis, translating in perfect English and organising anything that was required was all carried out with typical Italian flair. I did wonder if she ever slept at night, the design of TV, sunk into the floor of the hotel elevator, was just one of her many ideas. Maura was also a shrewd business woman and had secured an exclusive deal to sell a Cattolica perfume that was so good that myself and Norrie bought a bottle each for family at home.
Most of our group decided against a meal as the Ducati Beach party that evening at a nearby beach club, also came with food. We met up with a few other UK riders and all walked the mile or so along the very nice Cattolica beach front, hearing the sounds of tortured engines and thrashed tyres in the distance. Hundreds of riders had been organised to ride in from the nearby town of Riccione and the allotted parking area was already full of turbocharged testosterone and some oestrogen, it has to be said, as a haze of rubber smoke blanketed the area a few times in the evening. Considering the event was free for WDW multiday ticket holders, it was very well planned. Row upon row of tables at the sea’s edge served anchovies and bread, with a small glass of wine or water. I only had two possible reservations for the entire evening, one being that I didn’t fancy the strong fish and that all the dialog on the stage was in Italian with no translation of any type available. The food issue was easy to sort as some delicious ‘buritta’ was being sold on the same site that was tasty and a good price. A minimum of introductions on stage were followed by flame dancers and a very good rock n roll band made up from the factory workforce, kept the crowd entertained for most of the evening. I’m not sure if the fireworks in the distance towards Rimini were to celebrate the longest day but it seemed a good preamble to the Ducati illumination at the end of the show.
The heat of the day had taken its toll on me so I decided to leave a little early to indulge the petrol head in me and gaze at the some of the hundreds of bikes assembled nearby, on my way back to the hotel. I was going to be ‘good’ and go straight to bed but spied a lonely bottle of ‘The Macallen’ whisky and decided a tipple might be in order, the night manager must have taken pity on me as he poured ALL the remaining contents of the bottle into my glass! Who was I to argue? Sat on the armchairs at the hotel entrance next to the road packed with Ducati’s was good entertainment in itself. Before I’d downed half the glass, I’d seen, a desmosedici, various 1098’s, an 1199s tricolor, a fleet of 916’s and monsters, one in particular with a set of Audi car ring badges emblazoned on the framework, very up-to-date. I bade goodnight to the other weary guests who were also watching the display as a girl in just a bikini zipped past on a 749, must of been the anchovies!
Friday – 22nd June - ‘The Big Money’ After a light breakfast, the morning of WDW day two was much of a repeat of day one, but hotter again, even earlier. The number of bikes in the main area was larger than the previous day already and queues were staring to form at the more popular drink and food stands, where there was none the day before. The Ducati garage contest for custom bikes was a first port of call, all the bikes looked so good they could have been built in a factory and I couldn’t resist voting for the JHP built Pierobon race bike I’d seen as just a rolling chassis previously at Ducati Coventry..
The track action was continuous all day long and we made our way to the east grandstand as the seats would be in the shade to allow us to cool and enjoy some of the qualifying sessions for the 848 Challenge from the UK. Owner track sessions followed, which I thought had some fast riders in until Mr. Bayliss came out on the two-seater Ducati for some demonstration runs! I hope the pillion leathers had a removable lining. The ante was then upped again for more superbike test sessions, followed by some of the Audi supercars lapping the track at outrageous speeds. More drink and food needed, saw us decamping to the nearby display area where a Moto stunt team, including quad bikes were pulling impressive tricks on the varied ramps and courses. It was simply too hot to walk around for too long, even with the giant water mist blowing turbine in the main arena, so we ended up, in the area that turned out to be the surprise of WDW for me, the Ducati Art area just seemed to be artists displaying their work and temporary tattoos being sprayed on punters along with two glamorous models who didn’t mind being body sprayed topless at all. The reality was much more interesting (honestly), bikes and bike parts were actually being wheeled in and out to be custom sprayed by the very professional artists present. After only intending to stay under the shade for a quick drink we were still there over an hour later having seen numerous helmet creations, panels worked on and a lovely tricolour effect painted on the nose fairing of a red multistrada 1200. The action here was just as relentless as on the track but seeing the how well the artists worked with the owners gave me an idea for my own design but I was told to come back first thing next morning. I think it was around this time we bumped into Ducati-addict ‘Tony V’ and a tentative plan was hatched to come and watch Tony ride his own bike around the circuit on one of the very first track sessions the next morning….
The only real let down of the day came next, being left in the baking sun at the circuit entrance for 30 minutes by the taxi firm that said we would be picked up in 5, they lost our business for the rest of the stay. Spirits were soon lifted by drinking a few more alcoholic spirits back at the hotel and swapping tales with other Ducatisti. My cash reserves were running very low, so when Norrie announced he’d had enough of restaurant dining for a while, it fitted our evening plan nicely of going some where more modest. An Irish friend of Norries, Graham who had rode his Bayliss special Hypermotard all the way over popped up again as we were leaving the hotel and announced not only was there a 24 hour bank nearby but a short way again to a nearby plaza was a McDonalds! Graham had eaten already but didn’t turn down the offer of a bier bought from the same super-clean McDonalds, whatever next. Well, a mobile disco, with light and sound mixing, built onto the back of a stripped Goldwing, appeared to be next, entertaining families in the plaza. A scaffold structure unfolded on the back of the bike, complete with generator and guitar hookup which the owner played with great skill, he even brought his own poodle dog with him, which seem very content to sit in the tank bag on the bike throughout the performance.
The evening was degenerating nicely when I finally bumped into a Facebook buddy, Stan, that I’d only met via the social network, I’d seen his beautiful 888 custom paintwork bike already in a hotel sidestreet nearby. Stan’s two cohorts seemed in grand spirits already so the logical course of action was to find a nearby pub and get acquainted. After a few drinks, I zipped out to try and get some cash, only wanting to make a single transaction, I choose to try and withdraw the same amount I had brought with me, 300 Euro’s. Turns out that the maximum I was legally allowed to withdraw was 250EUR, (I was told later) so in my semi-drunk state, I didn’t think to try and withdraw a smaller amount and wasted another two attempts drawing the same amount. At least I had a legit reason for throwing my remaining cash in ‘the pot’ and only having a few more drinks until our return to the hotel (where we were running a drinks tab on our room anyway!!!). Once again there was a constant stream of Ducati’s of every type, rolling right past our drunken den and I remember seeing 1am when I realised we were getting up ‘early’ to try and make it to the circuit. Norrie was having way too much fun matching his Irish friend drink for drink, so I made my weary excuses and headed to bed…
Saturday 23rd June: ‘To sleep perchance to dream’ Well, there was plenty of both in reality, even after the roar of L-twins died down in the early hours. Sadly, a little too much dreaming as I slept right though my alarm and we both missed Tony’s dream ride at Misano circuit. Norrie joined me for breakfast but was very much worse for wear and decided not to join me as I’d hatched a plan to ride to circuit and save some time. First, a small detour was needed. The madam of the hotel, informed me of the nearest good cycling shop and after gassing up the QE4s, I was soon buying a very good and surprisingly cheap pair of gel cycling shorts to wear under my Halvarsson trousers. The recent Sargent seat I bought, while being stunning quality was really a pain in the butt, literally, mostly due to insufficient saddle time but I thought wearing padded cycle short might help and later on, it certainly did.
More rules broken and a slow ride to the circuit in shirt and shorts, simply as even at that time of morning I would not of been able to function in bike clothing in that heat. I did wear my boots, which were changed for trainers at the circuit. Misano by that time was simply an ocean of motorbikes, the main area and the next two parks were full to capacity, thankfully I knew a shortcut and slipped through to near the pit area for the 848 challenge bikes. Nearby to my first stop of the day, the Arai service stand. I was worried my aged Arai might be unusable after its fall at Bologna but the technician assured me it was still in good condition for its age, (better than me then). It was my first visit to an Arai service and I was so impressed, the visor mechanism was tested and adjusted and the chin strip that I’d had to tape into place, removed and replaced properly so it looked as good as it possibly could – all for free. Thank you Arai. Next was a spring clean inside the helmet, courtesy of the nice Wurth ladies in the main pit complex who did a helmet refresh and a very professional job too.
After this was my main mission of the morning at the Ducati Art stand and I had a plan to have some sort of winged design painted on the back of my helmet. The artist looking after me that day just happened to of been born in the UK, so communication was easy. PC tablets were brought into play but I wasn’t sure I liked the stock designs I was shown, then, while looking through the artists own sketch another idea came to me that seemed perfect to me as a ‘north-east’ lad, for so many reasons. The Angel of The North is one conversion point that bought myself and my fiancée together and it seemed fitting that we while we were the furthest apart in distance we had ever been that an image could be the very symbol of our unity. The artist had not actually painted ‘The Angel’ before but together we came up with a pretty good variation of Gormley’s Gateshead giant. The cost for having this done was very reasonable but the downside was that it would be a few hours before my helmet would be ready. It wasn’t as though there was nothing to do, shortly after, Rossi and Hayden were both on track drawing huge crowds, a stunt team had fun trying to see how many tyres they could destroy on the start/finish straight and while taking some bike photo’s, who should pull up on his scooter but birthday boy Mr. Giancarlo Falappa!
Maybe it was the sun, but I actually felt quite emotional to shake the hand of a man who is still, such a hero to so many. A rest stop was now well and truly needed so after buying a huge steak sandwich, I sought the welcome shade of the east grandstand once more, arriving just to see the end of another 848 race session. There in the block next to me, I spied a familiar figure and thought I’d try my feeble Italian language on him, which failed but got a laugh anyway. I’d be surprised if Gordon P isn’t known to every Ducati owner in southern England as he seems to take part in any and every motoring event going, he, with his brother were great fun to chat with and pass the time of day but I realised how gutted I was to explain that today was our last day in Italy and that tomorrow, we would be missing the premium days racing and events to start the return back to England
I could almost hear the clock ticking away my remaining minutes at Misano World Circuit. Having said my farewells, a walk around the trade stands and displays I’d not had chance to visit before, left my feet aching but my head elated at having been a part of such an amazing spectacle. Thankfully my helmet was finished and ready to be collected by the time I’d managed to get back to my bike and ride over to the artwork tent. While its just a rendition of the Angel, I was still really pleased to have been involved in a piece of artwork that I can look at, and even wear, whenever I choose to. The spectacles were not over for the afternoon either, as I spotted ‘Wild-Duc’ Neil sporting his Kilt, with yet more ladies apparently wanting not only a photo but to ask the eternal question … ‘What have you got worth hiding away’! Everyone had returned to the circuit for the final day, the newest member of our group, who was joining us for the ride home, ‘David B’ even had a leaking Ohlins fork overhauled by the technicians after borrowing tools at the 848 pits. A final highlight of the day was riding to the photo tent to have a proud image captured of me, my bike and helmet creation, all under the Italian sun, prefect!
[Another present from Ducati - Photo Emailed via WDW Website]
As I rode away from the circuit along the Daijiro Kato road, the thought came unbidden that I might never get to return here and that every remaining moment should be savoured, so it seemed appropriate to slip my big old Duc’s clutch and indulge in some very unladylike acceleration that my QE4s is well capable of. A group of Ducati fan’s applauded my efforts and gave thumbs up, maybe expecting more but that was enough to inspire me to think that while I might well not return to Misano, I was determined that I would, one day, return to Italy. Back at the hotel, our host seemed concerned we had not eaten at her establishment at all, which we decided to put right on our last evening, the buffet was simple, delicious and so inexpensive that I wished we had eaten there earlier. With no time for delay, it was announced that a public transport bus stopped right opposite our hotel going to the all star stage event at the beach front of Riccione. The novelty of bus travel didn’t last long as the number of bodies crammed into it rose ever higher. It was dark by the time we reached the impressive Piazzale Roma, already packed to capacity with expectant Ducatisti while some of the Glitteristi had been introduced already by the time our little group arrived. The road in front of the star’s hotel had even been roped off to allow the creation of a runway, direct from the hotel lobby, through the crowds to the main stage. Some winners of public competitions were presented with their prizes, including the keys to a brand new carbon Diavel, just for buying a WDW ticket.
Once again almost all announcements were in Italian language but the crowd seem to appreciate the sentiments expressed by cheers at appropriate points. We inadvertently choose a good location next to the VIP guest restaurant running parallel to the walkway, drinks and toilets were nearby and when the all-star band started playing our ears were not too badly damaged. The music was really good as I’m sure YouTube will let you dear readers appreciate, I’m not so sure the hotel guests opposite will have appreciated the enthusiastic swearing of the lead vocalist at various times, in a call-to-arms to join in with the singing but, it was funny. All too soon the event was winding down and large numbers of the crowd started drifting away, we ended up running to catch a capacity bus, fearing another might not be along for some time and then laughing at the decision as the bus actually got stopped by local police to allow two bikes to perform full blown ‘doughnuts’ in the middle of the road! A short while later and back at the hotel, the realisation dawned of our last night in Italy and a few more drinks were downed in appreciation of being able to enjoy such an occasion.