2023 Valencia GP - Season Finale

PRS717 said:

I was at COTA this year and I agree. When we got back to our room at the end of the day I watched the day's action on my wife's iPad so what's the point?

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PRS717 said:

#22: That was also a long time ago, and no matter the track now, you can't really get up close to the action without shelling out the dollars. I'm not going to pay for general admission to get a seat far away from the track to see dots zipping by when I can get much better coverage on my big TV at home.

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At the risk of pointing out the obvious, you gets what you pays for. The cost of VIP tickets was not that big a burden for me and totally worth it for this fan boy. Luckily, these days I live an hour's drive from several flat track venues, which are great, but even if you're right at the edge of the track, you can't see but so much of the track at any time. A lot of the fun is "the roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd".

My visit to Assen was only three years ago. I can't speak to the logistics at tracks I've not been to, but I expect there are variances in degrees of proximity to the action from location to location. A TV or laptop (for me) just doesn't give the visceral experience of seeing live passes, surrounded by crowds of race enthusiasts, while sound bounces off your body and the smell of burnt fuel pervades the air. For sure Laguna was/is exceptional re: being able to get up to the fences to watch the action relatively close up, from multiple spots along the track. No idea if it will ever return there. I doubt it. A shame really.

PRS717 said:

I was at COTA this year and I agree. When we got back to our room at the end of the day I watched the day's action on my wife's iPad so what's the point?

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The two times I visited the Sachsenring GP I sat in turn 1 and I didn't feel like I missed most of the action, in part thanks to the video wall. Seeing the best riders in the world compete live is always a great experience.
The problem is the ticket prices. €170 isn't too much to spend once a year but trying to convince one of my friends who aren't MotoGP fans to spend it is pretty much impossible.

Went a few GP races at Phillip island, last one a long time ago.
Booked for speeding whilst overtaking cars on one trip, down from Alice.
On another hit a kangaroo on the way back and exploded the fairing on my CBR900.
All to be miles from the action and deal with sh it PI weather. Never again and I no longer own a M/cycle.
To hell with ticket prices like that above. I'll watch in the comfort of my own home and enjoy a glass of red whilst doing so. No fighting crowds or missing any action. Too old now and cbfed

Look, for me it comes down simply to the politics of my favorite sport of the last 34+ years being taken over by the corporate world with their insane disregard for everything but profit for themselves. As Hollywood and others said last year, I’ll be here in the forum to catch up with what is going on but I feel no need to watch the action even on the Dorna feed. Simple: I don’t want to give them the money to watch a parade. If and when things change I’ll reconsider.

Bern1 said:

Look, for me it comes down simply to the politics of my favorite sport of the last 34+ years being taken over by the corporate world with their insane disregard for everything but profit for themselves. As Hollywood and others said last year, I’ll be here in the forum to catch up with what is going on but I feel no need to watch the action even on the Dorna feed. Simple: I don’t want to give them the money to watch a parade. If and when things change I’ll reconsider.

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Agree, i would much prefer the sport to be run by motorcycle guys rather than merchant bankers. Unfortunately I guess it was motorcycle guys who sold the sport to the merchant bankers.

michaelm said:

Unfortunately I guess it was motorcycle guys who sold the sport to the merchant bankers.

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My Canadian Government Pension Plan fund thanks them for that (The CPPIB is a major Dorna/MotoGP investor), now make lots of money so I continue to get my CPP cheque each month.