Has anyone ever been to Mugello for a MotoGP event?

Has anyone ever been to Mugello for the MotoGP or any other large motorsports event at the track? I'm planning to attend the event as the last leg of my 2009 Italy tour and I would to have some feedback from the people who have been there.

TIA

 

This Is Africa?

 

I'm jealous! My buddies and I were planning on going last year. We started racing instead, so the trip got cancelled. Racing has caused alot of cancellations come to think of it. Oh well!

 

At least I didn't do it in a horrible accent like Leo did. Besides quit whoring up my thread, you're going to need this info as well .

 

Nope

 

http://www.powerslide.net/forum/General-MotoGP-Chat-f3.html

 

One of the Docs I worked with went lasy year. Let me know if you have any questions and i'll let him know to check the board.

 

i went there for the Moto GP a few years back as part of a ducati event. I sat in the Ducati grandstand which was incredible. I was amazed at how close to the track you were. Everything was incredible, except the traffic leaving. I think it took us over 3 hours to get out and we were on motorcycles, you might be better of haning out after the event and relaxing and laving when the crowds die down a bit.cheers

 

Where did you stay during the event? A hotel in Florence or somewhere closer to the track?

 

Been there for the 2007 race. The place is awesome. Had been to Catalunya before and Mugello is even crazier. The track is huge, the access road around it is packed with campers, drunk people and crazy italians wheelying their scooters through the crowd and making enough noise to even drown out the GP bikes...

The track is situated in the middle of nowhere (but the most inspiringly beautiful nowhere you'll likely ever be able to see in this lifetime), is hard to get to with the traffic, but it's all well worth it. We had grandstand seats in the "Poggio Secco" grandstand, which pretty much allowed us to see almost the whole track except the part of the straight that was hidden by barrackments and turn 1.

The track layout, the atmosphere, everything about this place and that particular event is special and larger-than-life.

On the plus side, this is all relatively near many Italian marvles (middle of Tuscany...), so you can visit Florence, Siena, Bologna, Pisa, hike in the Cinque Terre, enjoy the fantastic food, wine, coffee and warm Italian hospitality.

Makes for a fantastic trip!

(I realize I should probably go back...)

 

I was there in 1994...stayed in Florence and drove up. The road going up to the track was really narrow and it was packed with bikes and riders in full race leathers, many of them two up, all riding on the dividing line between the traffic running 10-20 mph faster than the cars. Skilled riders for sure. It was insane. Got to see Schwantz in his last season and the Italians were nuts for him. The enthusiasm of the fans, who came from all over Europe, is at a much higher level.

Make sure you take time to walk all the way around the track. It will take 1.5-2 hours, but you will see amazing camp sites - people cooking what look like gourmet meals over fires, cool bikes, beautiful women...really fun.

Food in Florence is incredible, the people are really nice and try really hard to speak English.

I want to go back. Have fun.

 

I went also in 2007, stayed for a while, toured a few towns. What all do you want to know? Is it worth going? Yes!

 

My wife and I are planning our 2009 vacation around this too, doing the Italy tour with Perillo Tours. What tour company are you going with?

 

Tour company? How about the "Hostels and Free Couches of Italy Tour Company"? Being young and single does afford more vacation options .

 

Oh just as an FYI for anyone planning on going. Flights that are before May 14th are about 1/2 off compared to flights on the week of the race.

 

We stayed in a little village which was about 45 mins from Florence. TBH the ride to the track was a lot of fun, all the motorcycles lane split and the cars actually move out of the way for you, i had my ex on the back, not sure if she enjoyed it quite as much as i did.....
My wife and i returned to florence this year about the time of the moto GP and a lot of the big wigs were staying at our hotel, The Westin Excelsior, fantsatic hotel, there was also a car rally going on, bunch of exotic cars and a truimph daytonna bike.
We actually pulled of the highway at the mugello turnoff (there is a big shopping place my wife wanted to visit) and we say haydens trailer pulled over by the police...went to a little store and they had Rossis bike there.
You will love italy, i could easily live there, fantasticplace, people and food, cheers

 

Thanks for your input, I guess staying outside of Scarperia or Borgo San Lorenzo isn't too bad then? I would imagine there are probably plenty of shenanigans to be had while in Florence during the race.

 

I would say either of those locations will be fine, how will you be getting around, will you be on a bike or renting a car?
The race is such a huge deal, its in all the papers, on TV, everyone talks about it.
Are you going just for the race or will you have soem more time out there, my wife and i toured down starting in bologna, then florence and finished on capri, found soem great places, if you want any recoemndations let me know.

cheers

 

I would think that if I stay in Florence I'll either rent a bike, scooter or motorcycle and travel to Mugello. I also have the option of riding a train to Borgo San Lorenzo and finding a way from the train station to the track, by either walking the 2 miles or getting a taxi. If I can find a decent place in a local town then I'll probably just take a taxi from Florence to the hotel and just rent a bicycle to ride to the track.

So far I'm thinking that after I land in Florence I'll go to Pisa, north to Milan and Venice, back south to a coastal town like Rimini, across Italy to Rome and then back to Florence. All of that travel will be done via the rail system and I'll probably rent scooters or have a taxi take me to far locations outside of the major cities. Would you advise to rent a car for traveling around or would walking/taxi/bicycle be enough to cover my needs?

 

I attended last year (June 2008). Great place, great event. Rent the car. Better yet, rent a moto from Ducati in Bologna. Do NOT rent from Milan. I can fill you in on details. Stay as close to the track as possible. Most places are probably already gone. I stayed in a place I know 60 KM away, and access to/from was not bad, but you'll make it a full day trip to be sure. Traffic in/out with a car is horrible. Even on a bike, leaving after the GP was a 1-1/2 hour affair.