And they're off - Miracles in the Desert!

What a weekend!

Without doubt the weirdest MotoGP I have experienced; the opener at Qatar will be remembered for a long time to come.

But for me it was NOT because of the incredible weather, the unprecendented MotoGP race postponement, the shortest 125cc race in history, the long-awaited season opener... No, it was the sheer exuberance, the exhilaration, the pandemonium when the team we have sponsored for the past 3 years put one of the most likeable young riders on an historic first podium for both team and pilot! Frenchman Jules Cluzel took an incredible 2nd place in the 250cc race having battled his way forward from 13th position past most of the top seeded racers! Privateer team Matteoni - both known to many of our customers over the years - achieved their greatest result. I was privileged and proud to be in the pit and then under the podium with a few of our fortunate customers to drink in the moment and the raw emotion that makes this the most exciting sport on the planet!

Apart from Jules, despite being only 13 laps, this race was one of the most exciting we have seen in years, very close, a sweet comeback for Hector Barbera, and an amazing 250cc debut from 125cc champion Mike di Meglio (two French on the podium!). This will be a great series!

The 125cc race saw just 4 laps in the shortest race in GP history. An unprecedented half points were awarded; sure to make this a strange point count! our sponsored British rider Danny Webb (99) put in a good ride to go from 13th to 9th in the short time he had -- this after a poor week of difficult setups and bike issues.

The MotoGP looked like it was just going to get in under the rain -- but our hopes were dashed as seconds after the engines started in preparation for the sighting lap; the heavens burst open. Many of us had gone to the main grandstand for a starting-line view of the race; I regret to report the half-roof was designed to keep out sun, not rain, and we all got soaked! For an idea of what it was like, check out our video on YouTube.

Monday morning we were on the phone contacting all of our VIP and package guests, we were delighted that most of the people in the VIP Village manage to change travel schedules and make the unique Monday night race. Dorna was kind enough to re-open the hospitality and a good time was had by all! Many also made it back to the grandstands.

The rain held off; and Stoner cruised to his predicted victory; with Rossi and Lorenzo proving that this is going to be a 2- or 3-way race all season! What a battle we have brewing!

Qatar is by far the smallest event on the MotoGP calendar -- but once again I am reminded what a 'club' feel it has. Especially at the VIP level where you enjoy full paddock access, private stands and shuttle services, service road tours, and many of our customers got an opportunity to sit on the pit wall for race and qualifier starts! We had one customer who was photographed with every single MotoGP rider; anyone who wanted an autograph of Rossi or another rider found it easy; some saw the race from the service road. If you can make it to Qatar, this is one you want to save up for VIP. We will continue to offer an inexpensive package option to help you save your budget for the important stuff!

The destination itself can be a lot of fun - we did a tour of the old souk, the sublime new Islamic Art museum, and shopping galore! Very family-friendly, this is one I want to bring the kid to! See some photos of the weekend on our gallery. We are taking reservations for 2010 now - it will be about the same time, and will be the first event as well as a night race.

Oh yeah - Qatar took the coveted IRTA 'Best Grand Prix' award for 2008.

Official IRTA Test Jerez 28-29 March

This was fun... Known as 'GP 0' this was the first time we had run a package to the Test, and it won't be the last!

We had the run of the paddock. We met and had conversations with many riders and celebs -- just to name a few: James Toseland, Colin Edwards, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Angel Nieto, Giacomo Agostini, Tony Elias, Niall MacKenzie, Steve Parrish, many of the Red Bull Rookies, and a lot more including team members, journalists, and of course each other! We enjoyed (mostly) great weather -- although God did give Casey a BMW when rain hit the track 5 minutes before the end of the 45 minute qualifying shootout!

We showed up early - catching the end of the 125/250 tests. Here's where we got a clue that Jules was no longer 'Clueless' when he put in the 3rd fastest lap of the test just at the end. Bradley was second only to Simon -- there's a battle shaping up! And you could have knocked us over when we saw Melandri whizzing around in about 9th position on a bike that was predicted to be dead last and going backward... The new Tech3 livery and JT looked pretty snazzy too! We had a chat with Nicky, who admit he wasn't 100% with the bike yet, but is very confident he will soon master it. Ago was around, he'll be paying us another visit in Mugello.

If you want to have a break, enjoy an early spring, drink wine under the sun, and hear those bikes for the first time in 2010, join us for this unique event next year!

Speaker Lineup 2009

Speaking of Jules Cluzel, customers will have a chance to meet him at San Marino and probably le Mans; plus other riders and personalities through our guest speaker programme.

One of the things that we like to think makes us unique is the fact that "we bring fans to the paddock and the paddock to the fans". In this latter role, we are delighted to announce some very interesting speakers for our opening parties (Fridays usually) at MotoGPs. Some to note:

Programmes and speakers subject to change.

Our opening parties are included in almost ALL our packages. For some events ticketholders can purchase the parties separately.

Remember - all our packages are fully serviced - our mission is to make each event a weekend of a lifetime!

Hungarian MotoGP

As you are probably aware, Hungary has been canceled this year without replacement. This is a good thing, as it means we are certain to have the event in 2010 and we have plenty of time to prepare for it! Since we have already done a lot of legwork, and we are pretty close to the event, we expect to make Hungary one of our top events for 2010. If you want to be on our spcial 'friends of Hungary' mailing list, please drop us a note!

Congratulations for reading this far! As a reward, you may use code PPTX03 to take 5% off any package booking until the end of April. You may use this online or reference it when speaking/emailing us.

Looking forward to a thrilling season!
Gordon Howell, Founder & Managing Director.

Pole Position Travel is a trading name of Pole Position Travel SE; a European joint-stock company with seat in Czech Republic and subsidiary office in UK.
Kaprova 13, Prague 1, 110 00 Czech Republic.
t: +44 (0)191 406 6260 f: +44 (0)870 130 9207 help@polepositiontravel.com
Representatives in UK, USA, Italy, Australia, Russia. 

Our web sites:
www.polepositiontravel.com - all MotoGP travel
www.polepositionvip.com - VIP and Corporate Hospitality
www.brnograndprix.com - um... The Brno GP!
www.qatar-grandprix.com