The Andalusian hills are green, the paddock is bustling, and new trucks and hospitality units are glittering in the Spanish sun. The MotoGP starts at Jerez, not just because we are at a track that everyone knows like the backs of their hands, but also because the teams can bring the full show to the circuit. Trucks line the back of the garages like a row of colorful blocks, creating a narrow lane between the row of team race trucks and the trucks and tents of tire and suspension suppliers.
It gives the paddock a very different feel from a race outside of Europe. At European races, everything bar the people involved travels by road. So when you arrive at a circuit, the trucks decorate every free space in the paddock. Outside of Europe, freight travels by air, and the charcoal gray flight cases transporting bikes and equipment from race to race are hidden away in a corner of the circuit. The paddock itself is an empty, open space.
