Muguero in Italy
–
It’s a humid summer night on a summer hillside, near the small town of Scarpia and San Piero, in the heart of Italy’s Tuscany region. A bearded man in red fishnet tights, a vinyl mini dress matches a bearded man with one hand sways with a beer can and a smile on his face.
Behind him, another man in a tank top and shorts next to the rainbow paddling pool swings around what appears to be a chainsaw crossed with the trumpet.
Around them, disco lights spill from under the camper van, stabbing haze from flares and exhaust smoke. Some people lined up on foot, while others ride motorcycles of all shapes and sizes. Music plunges into the night air, mixed with the constant engine roar.
You might be forgiven for thinking about wandering around avant-garde music festivals or sequel sets to “Mad Max.” However, this is Muguero, home to the Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix, and is one of the biggest parties in motorsports.
Formula 1 has Monaco, and there is an air of exaggeration and exclusivity. Mguero, perhaps in Italy’s most idyllic region, offers something iconic, but overall it’s visceral and perhaps even more enjoyable.
“They say Al Mugello non-si drume, who is not sleeping in Mugello,” laughs David Tardozzi, Ducati’s Motogup manager. “That’s true… because there are crowds and fans who enjoy the night. It’s a long night.”
Justin Marks, owner of both the Trackhouse MotoGP and NASCAR teams, is relaxing at the Daytona 500. “When I went to the Daytona 500 and there were 200,000 people on the ground, it was this amazing American motorsport event and it’s really special. But when I went to the Italian Grand Prix on Muguero and Tuscany Hills, and it had the same special feeling.”
The appeal starts from the location. The road north of Florence runs through gentle hills and ancient villages, ramming through the sloping shade from past ribbed streams and oak trees. After 45 minutes, the racecourse appears with little warning. He’s caught up in the Tuscan countryside like a viper.
The Mugello Circuit, owned by Ferrari, serves as a test site for F1 cars from an Italian manufacturer. A bright red helmet-shaped booth decorated with the company’s famous Prancing Horse logo stands at the main entrance. The curves of the track are painted green, white and red of the Italian flag, the grandstand is embedded in the landscape, and the campsite spreads out in the distance.
“Mugero is pure passion,” says Fabio Di Giannantonio, one of the two Italian riders on the VR46 Ducati team. “It’s certainly a home race in Italy where family, friends and fans come to watch the race. We see all the fans come and transform this incredible place every day. It’s like a stadium, with all the hills around the track, and it’s an incredible place (experience).”
Crowds begin to gather before the race weekend as MotoGP’s multi-million dollar travel circus rolls into town.
Among the arrivals is Paolo Campinoti, the principal of the Prima Pramac team.
Passion, colour, energy
“It’s all special about Mugero,” Campinoti tells CNN. “I actually arrive here in Vespa from my home in Florence. It says it all. There’s a deep history behind the truck. It’s a true symbol of Italian.
Campinoti and his wife race over the weekend in the team’s two-storey motorhome parked in the paddock. “I love sleeping on the truck because I can really feel part of the MotoGP community and get in the atmosphere of this special weekend,” he says. “Most riders sleep on the track too, so after dinner it’s usually great to catch up and chat away from all the mess that happens during the day. It’s about waking up here, having breakfast with the team and being in the middle of the action from the start. That really makes sense.”
Dominica Grunova, a motorsport reporter who covers the Red Bull Rookie Cup, is a proven basis for the top riders of the future, but he’s just as enthralled with Muguero. “Ambient, Tuscan hills, these incredible colors, weather. This year can be really hot and unpredictable. I don’t mind a little shower or thunderstorm, but the Italian vibe is obviously incredible.
A sharp rider, Grnova takes his bike to the hills over the race weekend. However, there is a risk. On one pizza excursion, “Please note that there are wild boars in the mountains,” literally (my colleague) bumped into the boar five minutes after leaving the restaurant. Luckily he didn’t crash, but I saw the boar spinning and clean.
Di Giannantonio’s teammate Franco Morbidelli came to the track as a toddler first. “In fact, I don’t remember when I first came here. “But I definitely remember coming here as a kid with my dad and enjoying racing with Muguero. But I come here and stay on top of the hill and enjoying the hill environment, watching races.
Chainsaw and “rumors”
Press Play and listen to the chainsaw sound with Mugero.
Architect Alexis Koglu traveled from Miami with his friend Manny Azeri. They would have just been in Monaco for the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Azeri had made Mugero’s debut. “It endured all my expectations and so on,” he says excitedly to CNN. “Everyone knows, especially in the paddock. It’s like a big family and the fans are just crazy.”
Madness is an internal organ – a combination of pounding music, swirling smoke, crackling barbecues and spinning engines. “The noise you hear is not a motorcycle,” says Koglu. “They’re actually people who have chainsaws. They take off the chains, change the motors to basically mimic the bike, stay the whole weekend and create it like a party.”
It is the Italian Michele Fuso camping with friends who will wield one of these hellish machines. “You take a regular chainsaw and cut it here,” he says, pointing to a red box with a handle and a flare exhaust. “Then you weld something like this,” he adds, referring to trumpet-like attachment. Why is Fuso and his friend “Lemore!” It’s an Italian word for noise – around this is the end of itself.
Fuso launches it. Passersby pours beer into the funnel, blows back a golden liquid, and blows a puff of smoke like a joy
Considering the countryside of Mugello, accommodation can be difficult to find for non-campers. “We are 45 minutes from the heart of Florence,” says Kojour. “You usually stay in a house or in a small hotel. There’s nothing flashy about here, but that’s even more fun. There’s no civilization.
By Saturday night, the Hilltop Party will reach Crescendo.
In the pit lane, it replaces sophisticated chaos. Campinoti will host dinner outside the Prima Pramac Yamaha team garage. Around 50 VIPs, including actor Eric Bana, former Formula One driver Mark Weber, World Cup-winning soccer captain Fabio Cannavalo and Motogue legend Giacomo Agostini, are sitting at the whiteless table as Florence-based chef Ricardo Monco serves multi-course meals.
“We wanted to do something really special to celebrate our home race,” Campinoti tells CNN. “We wanted our guests to feel immersed in the spirit of racing. The pit lane felt like the perfect place. There are so many important moments on the weekend that when you turn it into a dinner setting, something unique and deeply meaningful.”
Midway through the meal, the mechanic drives out the KTM rider Pedroa Costa’s bike, owns a piano-driven band, and spins it violently. The drummer playfully taps the beat to the roar engine. Again, Rumore rules everything, and controls the entertainment of food.
“Rider, Bicycle and Two Wheels”
In the party, it’s easy to forget that Mugello is primarily about racing on the fastest tracks in MotoGP, breaking past 220 mph in an elbow-to-elbow fight with one of the biggest prizes in the race.
This year’s event attracted 166,000 spectators over three days, with Keanu Reeves at 84,625 people attending Sunday’s race. Ducati’s Mark Marquez has been a big win over the disappointment of Italian fans who are rooting for local hero Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia. However, few left unhappy.
Which is better, Formula 1 or MotoGP? “Oh, absolutely Motogp,” says Koglu. “MotoGP is basically about racing when you look at races. Obviously, the risk factor for MotoGP is at another level, which is a much more extreme sport than Formula 1.
“MotoGP is a rider, a bike, two wheels, and there’s a chance that it might fall or something could happen. It’s a much more action-packed race. At the end of the day, you’ll see a live show. Even the noise is big and it’s basically crawling your skin, so I recommend it.”
Sign up to unlock the world, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, as well as the latest aviation, food, drinks and where to stay.
