Motorbikes returned to Silverstone for the first time in nearly 25 years, but when they agreed to host the race, did the league of extraordinary gentlemen that make up the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) know exactly what they were letting themselves in for? Our man on the inside, Toby Moody takes a look at the more unusual news breaking around the paddock at the 2010 British MotoGP.
Stair master.
12 times World Trials champion Dougie Lampkin put on something 'slightly different' for the BRDC on Saturday. I warned someone that he'd better not go out because he was about to see something pretty amazing. "I've seen everything in here before." He retorted. "You haven't seen this before." I said. At which point, Dougie came up the stairs, nearly clashing with World Land Speed Record holder Andy Green (763.063 mph) coming the other way. Going up the stairs was easy, but getting down the spiral staircase was another matter. But nothing is a problem for Lampkin as he bounced and turned and jostled it through the railings.
Toby Moody
Marc of a champion
The last lap of the day certainly proved to be the most spectacular. With TV schedules defining the start time of the MotoGP race to be at 13:00hrs local time, the 125cc race was staged last. Pol Espargaro and Marc Marquez stormed over the last 3.6 miles clashing three times before Espargaro lunged to the inside with three corners to go. It didn't work as he fell off... but somehow got back on the bike while on the grass, but it was wise riding from Marquez who won his second race on the bounce having only broken his race winning duck two weeks earlier at Mugello. He is now the second youngest back-to-back race winner in the sport after Marco Melandri won in 1997. No pressure then for MM the second...
Showing their age
72,123 people came to Silverstone's first Grand Prix bike race since 1986. That meant that there was only one rider in the 125cc race who was even walking and talking at that time – Tomoyoshi Koyama.
Unlucky Aoyama
Hiroshi Aoyama inherited Valentino Rossi’s Mr Unlucky tag as the Japanese rider slipped off at Vale on a cold tyre only to land right on his backside. Following a scan on Monday has been confirmed as having a fractured vertebrae, which means the reigning 250cc world champion won't be on the plane to Holland this weekend.
Honda work around the clock
At the same corner 24 hours earlier, Andrea Dovizioso had an off, although at a much quicker speed and fortunately without injury. However, his bike was more than second hand... in fact it was scrapped as the chassis was tweaked out of true as it bounced over the kerbs. It was all hands on deck too on the other side of the Repsol Honda garage as fellow Red Bull rider Dani Pedrosa did exactly the same thing at Vale on Sunday morning leaving just over two hours for the boys to get the bike ready for the grid. Good work fellas!
Stone free
Bridgestone acclimatised themselves well with the Silverstone circuit, but they have had heads up of the place for all the time they've been involved in Formula One. However, with the newer tarmac that made up the 'arrowhead' part of the track was analysed by Bridgestone after they took moulds of the new tarmac to judge the type of stones that actually make up the surface. Insert your own Getting Stoned joke here…
Stars in their eyes
Silverstone was heaving with F1 stars past and present throughout the weekend. Red Bull Racing’s resident bike nut Mark Webber jetted in on Sunday fresh from watching speedway in Poland. "The noise there was unbelievable..." he said 24 hours later. Le Mans winners and former F1 drivers Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert also were enjoying the summer sunshine, Brundle even getting a ride on the back of the Ducati two-seater on Saturday. While Brundle’s fellow BBC pundit, Le Mans driver Anthony Davidson had a look around on Saturday. Red Bull alumnus Karun Chandhok of Hispania tasted his first MotoGP fever on Sunday, and joined us in the British Eurosport commentary box for the mad Moto2 clash. There was also Lord March, the architect of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a star of a different kind of track, Dame Kelly Holmes and Friends star Matt Le Blanc were also seen around the circuit.
Elias on the edge
Someone who never got into the Silverstone groove was Moto2 championship leader Toni Elias. "Finally the weekend is over, we just haven´t found the right way forward at all. We are clearly struggling and we need to work out why."
LordSchrammi/HelenaN
Randy rabbits
For many of the older spectators, they remember a hare running across the track at some point during race weekends. The old jokes were just too easy to make about the Playboy bunny that was in Randy de Puniet's garage. Bunnies, rabbits and hares.... Rumour has it through a few people on Twitter that the hare was seen at Maggots, running for its life from the inside of the circuit towards the outer edge... and freedom!
Star pupil
De Puniet himself got people thinking all the way throughout practice and qualifying with his electrifying pace. It was down to him doing two track days at Silverstone during the build up to the GP itself. He had booked a place on one of Ron Haslam's Honda schools and thrashed around on a Fireblade while dodging the fast people in the fast group. You can just imagine the other pupils’ expressions in pitlane when de Puniet pulled up and took his helmet off... their jaws must have hit the floor in disbelief!
We’ll be broadcasting live from the Red Bull MotoGP at Assen this weekend, and for more action from Silverstone, click on this bit.
GEPA/Gold and Goose/Red Bull Photofiles
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