MotoGP 5-7 October

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Thailand braces for it's inaugural MotoGP racing event.
The Buriram Chang Int'l Circuit will host the 15th race on this 2018 professional two-wheel motorsports tour.
Obviously there'll be traffic in Buriram.
(What a farked up country, heh.)
 
Thailand braces for it's inaugural MotoGP racing event.
The Buriram Chang Int'l Circuit will host the 15th race on this 2018 professional two-wheel motorsports tour.
Obviously there'll be traffic in Buriram.
(What a farked up country, heh.)

I live 44kms from the circuit. Nevin and his honchos have been touring my village and all neighbouring villages seeking accommodation. Even the several short-time places locally have been booked for the long weekend. The Thais will have to find alternative locations for their trysts (perhaps the back seat of their cars, as many of us no doubt did in far off days);)

Buriram is a place to avoid from 7th-9th October, unless you are planning to attend the event.
 
I live 44kms from the circuit. Nevin and his honchos have been touring my village and all neighbouring villages seeking accommodation. Even the several short-time places locally have been booked for the long weekend. The Thais will have to find alternative locations for their trysts (perhaps the back seat of their cars, as many of us no doubt did in far off days);)

Buriram is a place to avoid from 7th-9th October, unless you are planning to attend the event.

I had contemplated attending the races on the Sunday but then I thought about the logistics of it all. There will be long queues to get into the car parks, long walks to get to the stands, long waits to buy refreshments and a long day in the sun. Then after all the fun there would be long walks to get back to the car, long waits to leave the car park and long queues to get back to Surin. Sod it. I'll watch from the comfort of my armchair and leave the physical endurance test to the younger members of the biking fraternity.
 
When I used to regularly visit Silverstone and Brand's Hatch, I would arrange for Friday or Friday afternoon off work, hitch up the caravan and travel down in the afternoon thereby avoiding most of the Friday traffic. We never even considered leaving the circuit before Monday morning.
 
Even the local knock shop are full up.

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And this is the man to beat .............

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Nomad, another reason apart from the obvious ones, not to attend was the fact that the commentators from the last race said that Ducati will most likely dominate Buriram due to the track layout. As a Marquez fan I hope he proves them wrong and makes it an entertaining race.
 
When I used to regularly visit Silverstone and Brand's Hatch, I would arrange for Friday or Friday afternoon off work, hitch up the caravan and travel down in the afternoon thereby avoiding most of the Friday traffic. We never even considered leaving the circuit before Monday morning.

I got my one and only speeding ticket upon returning from Brands Hatch. Early 60's. Tried to lose a speeding sports car, only to realise when it overtook me it was a Daimler Dart complete with police and bell! Seem to recall it cost me a massive £70!
 
Nomad, another reason apart from the obvious ones, not to attend was the fact that the commentators from the last race said that Ducati will most likely dominate Buriram due to the track layout. As a Marquez fan I hope he proves them wrong and makes it an entertaining race.
He last time out in Spain. Me, I am a Valentino fan from way back. No idea who I will support when he eventually retires.
 
I got my one and only speeding ticket upon returning from Brands Hatch. Early 60's. Tried to lose a speeding sports car, only to realise when it overtook me it was a Daimler Dart complete with police and bell! Seem to recall it cost me a massive £70!

It was 2.00 am on a weeknight, and I was returning home in a hurry from a clandestine appointment. As I crossed the M6 travelling on the M56, I saw a car with dodgy headlights approaching the end of the on-slip. It's always been a bad place for the BIB to wait for their next victims, so I kept a way eye on my rear-view mirror to see if that car was falling back or holding station with me at 110/120 mph… I did say that I was in a hurry! Though there were lots of other vehicles travelling in the same direction, he was easy to spot as one headlight was pointing skywards while the other was ok. He was too far behind me for me to say if he had a police sign on top of his Granada or not.

After a few miles, I left the motorway on a long curving slip road, at the end of which was a roundabout. I stopped for a wagon that had right of way before moving on, but there was no sign of anyone behind me.

The next traffic light turned red as I was approaching, so I stopped again. After a minute or so, I saw the cock-eyed lights approaching in the mirrors, but it was too dark to see if it had a police gantry or not. He drew up behind me, and then flashed a blue light. I saw him open his door...

"Do you know why I've stopped you Sir?"
"Might it have anything to do with the M56 speed limit?"
"Yes," he said, "but never mind about that. What is this car?"
"It's a Honda Prelude 2.2" I replied.
"I've never seen one before" he said. "Quick, isn't it! Do you mind if I sit inside it for a moment?"

After a minute or two of questions from him about the car, he complimented me for moving from lane 2 back to lane 1 each time I'd overtaken anything on the motorway, saying that because of that, he didn't have an unbroken view of me for long enough to book me. He thanked me for letting him see the car and wished me a good night. Another good reason for not hogging the middle lane!
 
It was 2.00 am on a weeknight, and I was returning home in a hurry from a clandestine appointment. As I crossed the M6 travelling on the M56, I saw a car with dodgy headlights approaching the end of the on-slip. It's always been a bad place for the BIB to wait for their next victims, so I kept a way eye on my rear-view mirror to see if that car was falling back or holding station with me at 110/120 mph… I did say that I was in a hurry! Though there were lots of other vehicles travelling in the same direction, he was easy to spot as one headlight was pointing skywards while the other was ok. He was too far behind me for me to say if he had a police sign on top of his Granada or not.

After a few miles, I left the motorway on a long curving slip road, at the end of which was a roundabout. I stopped for a wagon that had right of way before moving on, but there was no sign of anyone behind me.

The next traffic light turned red as I was approaching, so I stopped again. After a minute or so, I saw the cock-eyed lights approaching in the mirrors, but it was too dark to see if it had a police gantry or not. He drew up behind me, and then flashed a blue light. I saw him open his door...

"Do you know why I've stopped you Sir?"
"Might it have anything to do with the M56 speed limit?"
"Yes," he said, "but never mind about that. What is this car?"
"It's a Honda Prelude 2.2" I replied.
"I've never seen one before" he said. "Quick, isn't it! Do you mind if I sit inside it for a moment?"

After a minute or two of questions from him about the car, he complimented me for moving from lane 2 back to lane 1 each time I'd overtaken anything on the motorway, saying that because of that, he didn't have an unbroken view of me for long enough to book me. He thanked me for letting him see the car and wished me a good night. Another good reason for not hogging the middle lane!

Fortunately perhaps a clandestine appointment not involving alcohol;)
 
Another good reason for not hogging the middle lane!

I have never been an outside or middle lane hogger. However, I was fined ฿300.00 for hogging the outside lane on the Surin - Prasat road a few years ago. The comment from the BiB was that I should be on the inside lane if not overtaking. Admittedly there were no other cars in the vicinity but I explained that I was actually overtaking the massive potholes that had materialised on the nearside lane.

"They are not my problem" he said.
 
I have never been an outside or middle lane hogger. However, I was fined ฿300.00 for hogging the outside lane on the Surin - Prasat road a few years ago. The comment from the BiB was that I should be on the inside lane if not overtaking. Admittedly there were no other cars in the vicinity but I explained that I was actually overtaking the massive potholes that had materialised on the nearside lane.

"They are not my problem" he said.

No doubt got the receipt to prove it.!
 
When I was living at Phillip Island I was helping my then girlfriend run a large Motel, the Suzuki team would always stay there. Come raceday they all departed for the track but not before one of the guys ran into reception and dropped off an envelope that contained 2 VIP passes to every section of the track including the pits. He told us a guy, whom I knew of in racing circles but can't recall now would be in to pick them up. Well we waited and waited, eventually it got to about an hour before race start and the tickets were still sitting there. I was really tempted to grab them and hop on my pushbike and head out to the track about 30 minutes away.

Turns out that I should have as the tickets were still sitting in the reception well after the race had finished.

Another story from the Island, I was also Policing the place during the 2004 to 2010 races and one year one of the owners of the track called into the station when myself and a good mate were working dayshift a few days before the Race. He had an envelope in hand and gave them to us, telling us they were main straight grandstand tickets and they were for our Sergeant who was the OIC of the station. We hated our boss as he was only a temp sent over from another station so we kept the tickets, we waited right up to the race to see if he asked where his tickets were but he didn't so, come race day I went but my mate chickened out. Had 2 seats to my self and Sarge didn't twig that we took his tickets.
 
Don't know whether this is good or not but honda just phoned up to offer us 2 days full hospitality on the 6th and 7th including bus from the dealer and tent to sleep in cos we bought the pcx in August. What do you reckon?
Off in to dealer tomorrow to get the details.

Edit. Nit took the phone call so I don't know what was really said.
 
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Don't know whether this is good or not but honda just phoned up to offer us 2 days full hospitality on the 6th and 7th including bus from the dealer and tent to sleep in cos we bought the pcx in August. What do you reckon?
Off in to dealer tomorrow to get the details.

Edit. Nit took the phone call so I don't know what was really said.

There are supposedly 100bt/night tents, and VIP tents. I wonder which one you will be given.
 
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