MotoGP

The MotoGP™ paddock comes back to life

Key Takeaways

  • MotoGP™ starts European leg of 2018 campaign
  • Teams arrive in the paddock with trucks and entertainment
  • DHL's logistics command center ready to go

MotoGP™ is back in Europe, bringing a paddock chock-full of entertainment, team trucks and scores of fans with it.

The first three overseas meetings of the 2018 MotoGP season are now history. From their European headquarters, teams travelled first to the Qatari capital of Doha and from there headed directly to the provincial town of Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina. Then it was north for the third round in Austin, Texas, before the paddock returned across the Atlantic to its home in Europe's heartland. All told, MotoGP has covered more than 35,000 kilometers so far - and we're not even half way through the season.

From tiny electronic TV components to a complete BMW X5M safety car, MotoGP's journey involves transporting a wide range of delicate parts and equipment. Some 800 crates and boxes fill up 40 trucks for the trip from the racetrack to the airport, where everything is loaded into four Boeing 747 jumbo jets. As the Official Logistics Partner to the World Championship, DHL makes sure all the equipment used by the three classes, MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3, is packed up properly and shipped safely to the next race, whether that's overland across one border or overseas across the globe.

Now that MotoGP is back in Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on May 6, the paddock is really coming back to life. The sea of crates and boxes is being replaced by team trucks and hospitality facilities. Soon a wave of fans will wash over the Circuito de Jerez as everyone gears up for one of the true greats on the MotoGP calendar. As many as 200,000 spectators are expected, and thousands will treat themselves to paddock walk to catch a glimpse of their idols, get an autograph and take a selfie - or perhaps just to soak up the amazing atmosphere.

DHL's command center is back

But the teams aren't the only organizations with impressive paddock setups. What looks on the outside like just another red-yellow truck is really DHL's command center and where a dedicated team is on hand to monitor and manage the entire logistics operation on race weekend. That involves building up and dismantling various facilities in the paddock, plus handling any special orders from teams and manufacturers. In this high-stakes motorsport, when teams urgently need a spare part from the factory overnight, they don't have to go far to find the world's leading logistics company to get the job done.

While the European leg of the MotoGP World Championship may mean shorter travel for teams, riders and the MotoGP logistics crew, it certainly doesn't mean they can breathe any easier. The first six races on the 'old continent' - the classics in Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello, Barcelona, ​​Assen and the Sachsenring - will be done and dusted in a little over two months. That makes the transport and logistics a real race behind the race, one that needs to be piloted as precisely as the final "Jorge Lorenzo" corner at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España this weekend.

Powered by DHL, the paddock is back in Europe and now ready to open up the throttle for a sizzling (European) summer of MotoGP speed.

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