...Austin, Texas MotoGP and the Hand Built Show [mostly photographs]

[Daniel Kalal]

 
The Austin, Texas MotoGP races cover three days--Friday and Saturday are for  practice sessions and qualifying, and Sunday is when the final races are held  for each of the three classes.
 
The weather progressed from “pretty awful” on Friday to “pretty good” by  Sunday.  There was some fear that the final races would be done in the  rain, but the expected rain danced around the Austin area, but avoided the  track.
 
Texas
 
It's a beautiful facility.  The first year I was here (and the first  time for the event) the grassy hills were filled with general-admission ticket  holders.  This time, those same hills were mostly empty and the viewing  stands were more filled--and not all the stands that were there for that first  event were here for this one.
 
Considering the wet weather--and the worse forecast--there were quite a  few people here.  And, compared to the turnout for a typical AMA road  race event, this International event has an enormous turnout.
 

 
A note:  my camera is the perfect choice for standing in the middle  of Main Street and snapping a picture.  But, it's entirely the wrong  choice for taking action shots of the track while sitting in the stands.
 
As part of the numerous Austin events scheduled along with the races was  the Hand Built Motorcycle show.  I dropped by after Friday's practice  sessions.
 
 
 
The Wall of Death?  I wouldn't have thought this would have been  around since perhaps before the war.  But, it fits perfectly with the  theme of the show.
 
 
 

 
I've somehow missed an entire sub-culture of motorcycling.
 
The larger culture of the outlaw biker with its associated image has been  around for a long time--the standards (what to wear, what to ride, how to  behave) are well known.  If you can at least give off the vibe of Lee  Marvin in “The Wild Ones”, you'll be on the right track.  If you're not  on a Harley-Davidson, at least ride something that might be confused for a  Harley-Davidson.
 
But, this event isn't about that, at all.  It's vintage taken to a  modern level.  If somehow the 1930s could have progressed to 2015  without any disruptions, then you'd have it.  It's black and it's  leather, but without all the adornment of those other guys.  If I were  to pick the icon for the style of the event, it would be Bill Lomas.
 
 
 
What is interesting is that these two photographs were taken within two  years of each other.  I wonder if the two types of motorcycle  enthusiasts of 1955 had any more to do with each other than they do today?
 
One notable difference: The riders who follow the culture of the outlaw  bikers (the Lee Marvin look-a-likes) would not be expected to be at a MotoGP  racing event (and they were not), but this crew (the Bill Lomas  look-a-likes) are here.  I hesitate to use the word “Hipsters”, but  it's been done already...
 
Moto Guzzi was one of the show sponsors.  It's a good fit for the  direction Guzzi seems to be heading (or the crowd they'd like to attract).
 

 
 
 
There's but a single chopper in the photographs (below), and it did seem  out of place.  For the most part, a vintage bike should look its age  (rust is fine), and a modern custom should look as if it shares a heritage  going back to the 1930s even if some details are very modern (and don't try  to hide those details).
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
Back to the races...
 
As you'd expect, the crowds were much larger on Saturday, and even  larger, yet, on Sunday.
 

 
 
 
Manufacturer's row.  Most everybody was here (Kawasaki and Triumph  notable for not being here).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vendor's row.  I didn't see such great deals as I remember from my  first time here, but perhaps I didn't look hard enough.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Food.  You'll find plenty of food, but don't look for healthy eating  and don't expect not to spend much.  A cup of coffee will cost you five  dollars...
 
 
 
Ducati had the largest display of any manufacturer and they had the central  locations (you had to walk to get to the primary manufacturer's row).
 
 
 
Three classes (Moto2, Moto3, MotoGP) and all the races were good and  (best I could tell) they were all safe.
 

 
The skill level is jaw-dropping.  At some level, I think I  could drive a Nascar entry around an oval track at a decent speed; but,  this?  No way; and the top level of riders are at a level beyond even  the best of the rest.
 

 

 

[LaGrasta]

thanks so much for this first hand account. One of these years, I'll make it there. I've done Laguna Seca three times.

[balvenie]

            Liked those Customs. Gonna google The Flying Merkel.

[pebra]

Thanks for taking us along!
I was surprised to see that both Guzzi and Aprilia were represented as manufacturers!

[LowRyter]

duplicate

I thought I'd update with a few photos.

First, I'd like to thank Mike and Trish for their hospitality (spelled D-U-C-A-T-I)







now for some track photos.

COTA is the top road course facility in the Western Hemisphere



I got a few photos of the riders

autograph buddies (see above) (Dovi finished 2nd and the Maniac 5th)








Jorge (finished 4th)



The Doctor got 3rd





Marquez wins the whole deal including and incredible poll run

[fotoguzzi]

thx 4 the pix!

wow, what Marquez pulled off to qualify was brilliant. the race was great to on TV.. wish I had been there..

[mjptexas]

 
Ducati had the largest display of any manufacturer and they had the central  locations (you had to walk to get to the primary manufacturer's row).
 
 

That's a picture of Ducati Island.  You can buy a package that includes bike parking - as long as you are parking a Ducati.


The Mrs. will even tolerate a 40 mile ride on the back to avoid the long walk from the parking lot:


You will see some very interesting privately owned bikes on Ducati Island.  Last year there were several hundred.  This year the weather kept the turnout a little lower (My Monster is the black one 5th from the right):

[mjptexas]

I've somehow missed an entire sub-culture of motorcycling.
 
The larger culture of the outlaw biker with its associated image has been  around for a long time--the standards (what to wear, what to ride, how to  behave) are well known.  If you can at least give off the vibe of Lee  Marvin in “The Wild Ones”, you'll be on the right track.  If you're not  on a Harley-Davidson, at least ride something that might be confused for a  Harley-Davidson.
 
But, this event isn't about that, at all.  It's vintage taken to a  modern level.  If somehow the 1930s could have progressed to 2015  without any disruptions, then you'd have it.  It's black and it's  leather, but without all the adornment of those other guys... 

Austin has a very interesting motorcycle culture.  There is a very large group of non-Harley riders that flock to these events.  I missed this year's show, but last fall I attended Revival Cycles 6th anniversary open house (Revival is emerging as one of the top custom builders in the country).  There were literally hundreds of people there of all ages riding a bewildering collection of bikes.  This group tends to be on the youngish side (20s-30s) which is refreshing.  But they are very accepting of us old geezers.  For this crowd its all about the bikes and the ride.

[swmckinley54]

As a life long resident of Austin I still can't believe what a wonderful venue such as COTA has landed in my backyard. This year I was emailed an offer from COTA to buy a 5 race General Admission package that included F1, MotoGP, American Lemans, and two other races for $250.00. I was surprised at this years MotoGP vendor row how big the Yamaha tents were, second only to the Ducati tent. Also Victory had a very big expo and really pushing test rides. For those in the know the grandstand  at turn 11 (end of the long back straight) was letting GA holders in for seating all weekend long. It was really convenient  as the free motorcycle parking was right behind the grandstand at turn 11, the bike wasn't 100 yards away. The concert at the end with Cheap Trick was an enjoyable way to pass the time while everyone else left the venue and I avoided the traffic jam getting out. A lot of people left right after the MotoGP race and missed the best race of the weekend which was the MotoAmerica Superbike race. It will be televised on a 1 week delay on CBSSN. I think they miss timed the new "Fan Invasion" of the track until after the SuperBike race, by then almost 75% of the people had left.

[LaGrasta]

"As a life long resident of Austin I still can't believe what a wonderful venue such as COTA has landed in my backyard"

Boy, I'll say!

[Daniel Kalal]

...I think they miss timed the new "Fan Invasion" of the track until after the SuperBike race...

That seems to be about the only concession that the FIM made to the American classes (that is, to keep people off the track until they were done).  The Moto America guys had to fit into the schedule the best they could.  The MotoAmerica races were great; I only hope that more teams see this as something they want to be involved in--they need many more racers out there so the classes don't need to be combined.

[LowRyter]

I only wish that Moto America had more riders and teams.  Perhaps I was hoping Wayne Rainey was going to make it rain.  Still, there are no Hondas, no Kawasakis, and several great riders with no rides.  I was pretty happy local guy Dominic Dominguez did so well.  Too bad Danny Easlick has no ride.

I suppose it will be a slow process to rebuild the series to what it was before DMG trashed it.

I think the biggest surprise was the small performance gap between the Superbikes and Superstock bikes.  Perhaps we should just go with Superstock rules and save money on expensive parts for marginal gain?  And will the gap even get closer of slower tracks?

I see the CBS cable sports will telecast the race this weekend at the same time Moto GP is on.

[tiger_one]

Good info and pictures guys, really enjoy it.

[LowRyter]

That seems to be about the only concession that the FIM made to the American classes (that is, to keep people off the track until they were done).  The Moto America guys had to fit into the schedule the best they could.  The MotoAmerica races were great; I only hope that more teams see this as something they want to be involved in--they need many more racers out there so the classes don't need to be combined.

Moto America Season Preview is on CBS sports channel right now.

The replay is on tonight at 11 central. 

[toma nova]

Had a great weekend, it's always nice to catch up with my brother in Round Rock.

Crowds were definitely down from 2013 and 2014, but still a good turnout on Sunday.  Better manufacturer tents this year than last and five (5!) of them brought their demo trailers!  HD and Victory up in the vendor area and Suzuki, Honda, and Yamaha down behind turns 19-20.  Unfortunately, there was no advertising of demo rides - we plan to spend Friday next year on demo bikes.

Traffic was not any issue any day, even leaving after MotoGP Sunday afternoon.  The Stelvio was flawless Houston to Austin, including torrential rain on the way home - the OE Scorpion Syncs are great in standing water at 70mph!

I'm going to try to make a track day in September and we'll maybe sample F1 in the fall to see the big crowds.

Tom

[Arizona Wayne]

I only wish that Moto America had more riders and teams.  Perhaps I was hoping Wayne Rainey was going to make it rain.  Still, there are no Hondas, no Kawasakis, and several great riders with no rides.  I was pretty happy local guy Dominic Dominguez did so well.  Too bad Danny Easlick has no ride.

I suppose it will be a slow process to rebuild the series to what it was before DMG trashed it.

I think the biggest surprise was the small performance gap between the Superbikes and Superstock bikes.  Perhaps we should just go with Superstock rules and save money on expensive parts for marginal gain?  And will the gap even get closer of slower tracks?

I see the CBS cable sports will telecast the race this weekend at the same time Moto GP is on.

Next year there will be more race teams as all the major brands get involved.  This year it all happened too soon for them to commit the $.   But at the same time fan attendance this year will matter too.  The more fans show up the more the MC factories will spend their $ to make it more like it used to be. It takes fan attendance for a win-win. I'll be @ Laguna Seca for WSBK/MA races in July.  :BEER:

[tonUPRacer]

great photos' & commentary, thanks!