SBK Magny-Cours | Page 25

OFFICIAL PROGRAMME

THE ETERNALLY MOVING CITY

EXCITING CONTENT
The size and scale of the entire WorldSBK paddock at each and every round in the main European calendar is really something to get your head around when you start totting things up . It takes thousands and thousands of man hours to get everything in place for each and ever WorldSBK weekend . It is an especially mind-boggling feat when you consider that almost everything you see on TV ( or if you are lucky enough to get into the paddock , take in with your own eyes ) is only there for a few days at a time . It grows , it lives , it is dismantled and then gone , all in the blink of an eye . A week and more of hard graft from hundreds of people and other than memories , glory and some archive TV footage , nothing is left to show it was even there . The paddock as we see it during the heat of friendly WorldSBK battle does not just pop up at random each weekend . The placement and positioning of almost everything , however trivial it seems , is actually carefully planned and controlled by Dorna ’ s WorldSBK Organisation Department . Each weekend ’ s overall paddock ‘ design ’ and build-up schedule is the result of years of experience running what is effectively a giant moveable Motorsport circus . Whatever and wherever any particular weekend ’ s challenge takes place the living paddock requires all the same components each time , all of which have to fit it all into race facilities with different paddock sizes , shapes and levels . In general the more modern the circuit , the greater the expanse of purpose built level asphalt , team , garages and other buildings that can be brought into play to create the most efficient working environment . Sometimes without having to build or hire in some units . As a general rule the old school racetracks have weirder shaped paddocks , smaller footprints and even a complete lack of some facilities that all modern tracks share , facilities that have to be brought in just for the weekend . WorldSBK can feel like a walk-in showroom for commercial and industrial electricity generators at some races , for example . And yet no matter what shape the paddock or pitlane garages the teams , TV people , Paddock Show operators and all the other essential staff all have to
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