Losail International Circuit

There are a few perks to living in Qatar...this is one of them.  

I can see the Losail International Circuit Moto GP track from our place and I can hear the super bikes storming around the track.  I have been itching to get out there and I finally pulled the trigger today.  I took Aislyn and Nate to watch the local riders practice.  They had never watched motorcycles race like this before, so I was very excited for them.  The racers were going 300kph on the straight past the grandstand and they were "just practicing".  

The cool thing is that we ran into a lady on the way in.  I played the dumb card and asked where we should go.  She said, go to paddock #7 and let them know that I sent you.  So, Aislyn, Nate and I poked our heads into paddock #7 and made our acquaintances.  Too funny!  Before we knew, we were trackside and meeting the riders.  We ended up looking around the track and snuck into the VIP area and had a seat in the grandstands to scout out seats for the Moto GP event in April.  

The Moto GP event is a night event because of the heat and the only night event on the Moto GP schedule.  Just in case you were wondering, Moto GP bikes are essentially prototypes worth millions of dollars.  They produce 220 - 240 HP and only weight 300 lbs.  They are faster than Formula One cars and the riders are absolutely skilled and/or nuts.  Valentine Rossi is the King of the sport.  A great documentary that highlights his career is "Fastest" narrated by Ewan MacGregor.

Background:

The fabulous Losail International Circuit lies on the outskirts of Doha, the capital city of Qatar. Built in little over a year, the track cost $58 million USD and required round-the-clock dedication from almost 1,000 workers in order to get it ready for the inaugural event - the Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar on the 2nd October 2004.

The track itself is a flowing layout of 5.4 kilometres, surrounded by artificial grass designed to prevent sand from the neighbouring desert from blowing onto the circuit. The main straight is over a kilometre in length and there is a good mix of medium and high-speed corners, including a couple of quick left-handers which has proved particularly popular with the riders.

In 2008 Qatar celebrated the first night time Grand Prix in history, following the construction of permanent outdoor lighting. The switch to night time racing was a success and has continued to be so, with the Qatar event now established as one of the most spectacular on the MotoGP calendar.