Catalunya Moto GP
The Catalunya MotoGP takes place at Montmeló some 20km north of Barcelona at
the Circuit de Catalunya. The first international event to be held there was the
1991 Spanish Formula One Grand Prix which remains the home of this event.
In 1992 the European Motorcycle Grand Prix took place at the same venue and
from 1995 this annual event became known as the Catalunya MotoGP. The circuit is
one of motor sport's most popular testing grounds allowing teams to become very
familiar with its long straights and its range of corners.
Circuit de Catalunya
The track of the Circuit de Catalunya is 4.727km long consisting of 5 left
and 8 right corners as well as a long straight of 1047m on which the MotoGP
riders reach higher speeds than their Formula 1 counterparts. It is a
challenging venue which was designed with both formula one and motorcycling
races in mind.
More than 100,000 fans attend this event and are well catered for at what is
Europe's most modern track. There are 17 well positioned grandstands to choose
from as well as 23 giant screens located throughout the public areas so there's
no need to miss any of the action. There's a fine selection of bars and eateries
set up around the circuit and facilities in general are first class.
Getting There & Accommodation
There are limited hotel rooms available at Montmeló and nearby as well as a
campsite but the vast majority of visitors choose to
stay in Barcelona and head out to the
track on raceday.
The best way of getting there by public transport from Barcelona is to take a
local train (cercanias) from any of the following three stations: Sants, Passeig
de Grŕcia or El Clot. The train will be going to Macanet-Massanes but you must
get off at Montmeló. Montmeló is on the green number 2 line, 5 stops after El
Clot.
There are trains every 30 minutes and the journey takes about 40 minutes.
Transfers are available from the Montmeló train station to the Circuit de
Catalunya as the walk is about 30 minutes.
Some bus companies arrange shuttle transfers from Barcelona to the Circuit de
Catalunya but their websites don't seem to appear in English. Try the
Sagales office at Passeig
de Sant Joan, 52.
Rather than stay in Barcelona some visitors decide to stay in and around
Girona or on the Costa Brava. In this case
you should get the train from Girona (line 2 for Barcelona) and get off at
Montmeló. The journey takes about one hour.
Catalunya Moto GP Tickets
You can
buy Catalunya MotoGP tickets online from numerous websites. If you prefer to
wait until you get there you might find some general admission tickets on sale
at the circuit though all grandstand seats will be sold out. A few touts may be
offering tickets outside the circuit but save yourself a lot of stress and don't
leave it that late
Recent Winners
2007 Casey Stoner - Ducati
2006 Valentino Rossi - Yamaha
2005 Valentino Rossi - Yamaha
2004 Valentino Rossi - Yamaha
2003 Loris Capirossi - Ducati
2002 Valentino Rossi - Honda
2001 Valentino Rossi - Honda
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