exception of Giancarlo Falappa , a legend of our paddock . Other than actual riders competing in the 2201 championship he is the only one that has had the green light to park his motorhome in the Motorhome area .” The recent restrictions that limit the personnel in the paddock to essential staff has prevented that happening since the end of 2019 , but that is simply due to necessary regulations to counteract the pandemic . Giancarlo is a 16-times WorldSBK winner from the early era , but a serious accident ended his career too early . His spirit is still that of a restless racer - as you might expect from a rider nicknamed ‘ The Lion Of Jesi ’ ( his home town in Italy ). He and his distinctive motorhome are always welcome when they come to visit . The biggest single building in the paddock at most meetings in the Paddock Show , complete with a huge stage , PA systems and big screens . That also takes no small degree of build-up and it usually all arrives on Monday . As in all motorsports WorldSBK provides passes for all those working or competing in various colours , which give necessary levels of access but no more . Not just for safety but to make sure those who need to be in certain areas at certain times can have space to work and move . Wear your correct pass at all times , is an early lesson every paddock worker learns .
EXCITING CONTENT
And that is just the elements from the organisers ’ point of view that are vital to get the races able to run properly and be shown on TV .
The trackside itself , the asphalt and gravel run off areas are , for obvious reasons , the most controlled areas of all . Even the riders and their crews are limited to a pit walk or cycle on Thursday afternoons . At Most that was between 15.30 to 17 , with last person allowed out onto track at 16.30 . No scooters anymore … Strict huh ? That ’ s because many and various vehicles have to move around the track , inspecting , adding safety barriers , trackside advertising , issuing the warning flags … it is a hive of activity given the number of necessary chores and checks that have to be done before a single race bike wheel turns . Monday is also the day when the TV compound starts to spring into life . Around 25 people work there as Bosser also describes . “ Monday is when TV Compound starts being built up . The Outside Broadcast ( OB ) van and tender truck ( the one that brings all cabling and Tech Equipment for TV cameras ) arrive and get set-up . From Monday until Thursday , an average of 8km of optical fibre and cable is laid on both sides of the track to make the TV signal from each TV camera on track reach the TV compound , and from there to Race Control and Timekeeping .” And remember , it all gets ripped up and taken back home again on Sunday nights and Monday mornings . Another type of track action gets underway on Tuesdays , long before the racing kicks off . “ The Track Signage Team , of around 12 people , also starts working on Monday , by setting up banners on bridges , turns and along the start / finish line ,” said David . Busy place that racetrack , long before Rea , Razgatlioglu or Redding get going on Fridays . A final vital tech crew gets to work on Tuesdays , to ensure that the results and lap times are all accurate and comprehensive when practice starts . The eight or so people from the Timekeeping Team arrive to set up sensors and tiggers for top speed , at each timing sector , the pitlane speed sensors and even the now ubiquitous jump start cameras . And that is just the elements from the organisers ’ point of view that are vital to get the races able to run properly and be shown on TV . There are also many time-sensitive tasks for the teams , FIM , tech partners and suppliers to do long before we got the first green light . In these days of control tyres each tyre that is used in anger on track needs to have a sticker on the side before leaving pitlane , which then makes it a ‘ used ’ tyre from each rider ’ s individual allocation . Those stickers have a strict collection window of 15.00 to 17.00 on Thursdays . Same time of day at Most for the FIM technical checks - scrutineering to old timers - for the WorldSSP300 class , which took place inside the FIM garage . The teams were given specific ‘ lanes ’ to follow - there are so many of them - and ten minute windows in which to present their bikes . The bigger WorldSBK teams got their bikes checked in their pit garages on Thursday .
28