The press release released yesterday concerning the cancellation of the Sepang 2021 shakedown and tests creates a logistical challenge for the MotoGP teams, because in order to limit costs, equipment has already been sent to Malaysia by boat. Behind-the-scenes immersion into the logistics of these teams, which is an important aspect for the different teams.
The transport, organization and logistics of the team's equipment are invisible to the public eye but are an integral part of a successful weekend for a MotoGP team, with many factors to consider even before the MotoGP prototypes arrive. are started.
For overseas runs, several 40-foot (approximately 12 meters) containers are sent by sea. Inside, we find around 4,5 tonnes of material to build the hospitality (tables, chairs, kitchen equipment, etc.). The other half of the container is made up of other non-technical items used to construct the box: cables, panels, additional tools and other goods.
On some recent and excessively well-laid out circuits, such as at Sepang, the permanent structures of the circuit are directly decorated with the team panels, which limits the quantity of equipment transported. Thus, regarding the tests which were to take place next month, the containers containing the large equipment already left in December, taking by sea the teams' equipment as described previously, but also the tires and gasoline. They will arrive at their destination at the end of January.
What about motorcycles? No worries about that, they are warm in the various team workshops, since they had to travel by plane at the beginning of February.
Each MotoGP team has the right to airfreight 9.5 tonnes paid for by Dorna. If the weight limit is exceeded, the extra kilos are prohibitively expensive, which is why some containers travel by ship. Even if it takes longer, with flawless organization, this saves a third of the budget that would be spent if everything traveled by plane!
Find our complete file on the logistical challenge of the MotoGP teams here!
