TRAVEL

Continued from last week …

When Dan picked up the phone, his mischievous voice told me everything I needed to know. Apparently he slept at the guy’s villa that he met last night at the VOGUE/Mercedes Benz event in Borschardt. Dan was already madly in love, dreaming of his days as the perfect hostess wife to his influential husband. If anyone would know, it would break out as a huge scandal in Europe, so I must keep the name a big secret!

When we arrived at the Sachsenring, we were greeted by a Bridgestone rep and given an Access All Areas pass. Apparently this pass was worth gold at the MotoGP, because it meant access to the team garages and pit areas. We were taken on a tour of the various teams, starting with Ducati, and ending with Yamaha. There I met the infamous Bradley Smith of the Tech3 team, and he gave us some insider gossip about his growing success. I couldn’t help notice the girls running around in the background, doing jumping jacks to get his attention. Managers were running from left to right, protecting their riders like fresh Kobe beef from flies.

I felt the buzzing energy all around me. Journalists, photographers and TV crews were scurrying around like mad chickens without their heads, trying to capture the exciting moments before the race. We were invited by the prestigious Bridgestone tire brand, and they made sure our VIP weekend was one to remember. They set us up in a 5-star boutique hotel in a picturesque town beside the racetrack. As I walked into my room, I saw a huge bright red beach towel and cap waiting for me on the bed. As I came closer to the cap, I noticed that it was signed by the one and only German race star Stefan Bradl! What an excellent and rare present.

The next day has dawned, and we were taken to the racetrack to see the teams. As I stepped out of the black shuttle, my breath was taken away! The roar of the engines violently penetrated my ears, making its aggressive way through my body, where I felt its vibrations deep in my stomach. It was a sound that I have never heard before – so wild, strong and unrelenting! The sound shook me to my core, and the rush woke my body up, and all of my senses. I loved it! A beautiful English girl escorted us to the garage of the NGM team, and delivered us to the “aquarium” where we could see the bikes being worked on. The team manager was sending me winks, signaling for me to come closer to the naked bike, but my first reaction was to hide from him. During the training we saw some fierce wipeouts, with the riders being brutally thrown off their bikes, and spinning in the air with a crash landing. But strangely like rubber dolls, they got right back up! After some exciting roaring action and shaky knees, we were taken back to the hotel for a succulent feast in the garden. The wine and bubbly were flowing, and the singer was arousing us with her deep scratchy voice. As usual I ate the most spare-ribs, which brought a round of appreciative comments from the men. All the guests were hyper in anticipation for the big day tomorrow – the race!

It was morning, and I put on my favorite Versace leather racing jacket and my new autographed cap for good luck. As we arrived at the VIP Village, a seductive lady with wild red hair greeted us. She showed us to our table, and brought us a cold glass of Cava directly in the morning! Somehow I already knew that this would be a wild day. The men were running around like little boys set free in a fire department. It was a very exciting atmosphere, where the sheer energy could charge an entire city with light for one night! We went to the pit area, along with the TV cameras. Each team had curvy half-naked ladies walking as human advertising for their brand.

While the men were ogling the girls, I was drooling over the bikes. What a collection of hardware! Each team had 4 bikes to die for. I got a chance to meet Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow of the Ducati team before the race, as well as the young and ridiculously handsome Aleix Espargaro of the NGM team. Valentino Rossi – who is like the Mick Jagger of motorcycle racing – was casually walking around. Men, women and children have gathered with the hope of a short glimpse of him. It was insanity – everyone was screaming as he passed, and yet so thrilling to watch from afar. Rossi could probably pick any girl at the racetrack and have her. I personally did not find him attractive at all, but his skills speak louder than his looks. Our fantastic Bridgestone rep Chris gathered us for the race countdown. Drinks and cakes were served, and the VIPs were standing on the terrace, screaming out to the teams below. Wild and untamed, every man let his animalistic side out. This was such a fresh new experience, and definitely more thrilling than fashion week for me! The bikes were lined up, the engines were revving up, and with a loud mechanical stampede, the riders were gone! I have never heard anything so loud in my life before! I found myself screaming alongside my Neanderthal neighbor, who was swinging his gold Rolex watch in the air. The adrenalin pumped freely throughout my thin body, and I had a euphoric rush in my head. All of a sudden, it was over like a dream! Marc Marquez won the race, and all of the Spanish fans were going insane! Marquez is so far Nr. 1 for the MotoGP world standing in 2014. I don’t want to know how many babies were made that night, but the race was simply phenomenal! We had to bid farewell, leaving the remaining cold bottles of Cava for the next country to enjoy. Bridgestone excelled in their hospitality, and made this a VIP event that I will never forget! I have always been a chopper girl, but this weekend opened my eyes to race bikes.