MotoGP at Mugello is one of those “classic” European rounds, so camping at the circuit will be a lot of fun for those not planning on getting much sleep. Expect loud music, drinking and, of course, novel applications of the unsilenced internal combustion engine.
Conventional wisdom says those wanting a comfortable bed should stay in Florence. Florence may be closer to the circuit and much prettier, but Bologna is a bigger city and easier to get to if you’re flying in from afar. Plus, of course, Ducatisti will want to make some sort of pilgrimage to Bologna before or after the race.
Bologna Fiera to Mugello takes about an hour on the main highway (E35). Navigating is easy enough but this is the 21st century so satnav and smartphones make this pretty much idiot-proof. The E35 is a toll road which costs about €6 each way.
Circuit entrances (“ingressi”) are generally well signposted but the flow of traffic invariably leads to the fields nearest to Ingresso Palagio. Those wishing to watch from San Donato to Arrabbiata 1 will probably want to use Ingresso Luco. However, the signposting for Luco seemed to disappear somewhere around the small town of Scarperia e San Piero. That said, this diversion does seem to provide a route avoiding some of the traffic and leading back towards Ingresso Palagio.
On race day 2017, there was a 10km tailback at 08:30. This may have been racegoers with fake passes trying to access Ingresso Paddock because once that turn had been cleared traffic seemed to start moving again. Nonetheless this last 10km took 2½ hours in a car.
Parking in a field near Ingresso Palagio will cost €10-20 and it’s a short walk to the circuit. The closer you park to Ingresso Palagio the shorter the walk, but the longer you wait after the race while the fields further away are cleared first. There will probably be a good two hour wait for the traffic to move, followed by diversions enforcing a circuitous route around the local landscape back to E35. Go on a bike if you can.
The circuit itself is easy, if long, to navigate. There is a well tarmacked perimeter road almost all the way round the circuit. The exception being the south side of the circuit: there is no way to get from from Ingresso Luco to Ingresso Arrabiatta without leaving the circuit.
This is Italy so food at the circuit is plentiful and good: nary a doughnut to be seen. Merchandise is plentiful if a little uniform: it is hard to buy anything without a yellow 46 on it. It is even harder to find anyone willing to sell it when they’re busy selling VR46 merch.
It would be surprising if there were anywhere at Mugello that wasn’t a good vantage point to watch the racing. The landscape means several parts of the track are visible from most locations. A grandstand seat isn’t necessary but it does guarantee a degree of comfortable viewing and, perhaps more importantly, screens which show the global TV feed.
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