Silverstone 2018. The race that never happened.

There is a lot to write about Silverstone. I (Anouk) went to the UK for the first time. To ride on the other side of the road was the most weird experience ever, but I managed to ride at the left side of the road without any problems. 

Day of the champions was amazing to be. All those people that give crazy amounts of money for all the items that were up for sale. At a sudden moment there also was a selfie with Rossi for sale. The final amount was £3000 so that is about €3350. Wow! But it all was for charity, because Two Wheels For Life orginized the event. 

During friday morning we got so lucky. We got Aprilia guest passes, so we could watch FP1 from Aprilia. Both riders (Aleix Espargaro and Scott Redding) had a difficult session, and I felt so sorry for them both. But it was a great experience to see the team work so hard for them both and try to change the bikes for them. When you are in the garage you get another experience and it is way more excited to watch the training from that side of the track. 

Friday at the end of the day it suddenly started to rain verry hard. We were at the Dorna office waiting for the riders to come out (they had the safety commitee meeting). We could find some shelter under the roof there, but it didn't look like it would stop raining soon. I was looking for my umbrella in my backpack, but I forgot to take it from my car so I had a problem. 

Suddenly one of my heroes from the weekend was there, I could borrow his umbrella to get mine from my car. When we left the Dorna office the whole paddock was empty. Everyone was inside, so we went to the car to get our umbrella's to get this one back to its owner :) Usually I stay the whole evening in the paddock, but now there was no point going back, so we left verry early. 

Saturday morning we were verry early in the paddock. I usually wait for Tito to wish him good luck, so that was what I did. I also met the new #motulsuperfan for this weekend (Alison). It was a real pleasure to meet her because she tried for so long, and finally it was her weekend. 

I was alowed to do the pitwalk before FP4 so ofcourse I did. Tito wanted to take a picture with me, he was so happy, so the outcome was this crazy one. I think this is one of the highlights from the weekend. 

During FP4 it suddenly started to rain, suddenly heavy rain, and because the track wasn't in an optimal condition Tito had the crash everyone knows about. My heart was broken, weekend was ruined and I really hope he gets better soon and we see him happy on the track soon!

Then Sunday, raceday came. I decided to go to the track and give my full support to Tito despite the fact he was not there. It was a sad day with sad weather. 

According to the weather forecast there would be a lot of rain, so Dorna decided to have the MotoGP race at 11.30 local time. During warm up it already started to rain and the riders already suffered. 

Then the race, pitlane went open at the right time, all riders came to the starting grid. Suddenly the rain got worse and worse, so the riders all left the grid. 

We all know what happened the rest of the day. The race got delayed due to the weather conditions. I was in hospitality and the only thing I could hope is they canceled the whole thing. People already saw bad conditions on tv, well believe me, being there it was worse. 

It was so cold, only 12 degrees, and the rain was so heavy that the track more looked like a river with all the standing water. Every time there were new updates for track inspections. It wasn't even safe for the safetycars as the tarmac was so slippery that even the safetycar even slipped. 

Finally after the last track inspection from 16.00 local time they decided to cancel the event. I had a double feeling. I went from Assen to Silverstone to see a race, but there wasn't a race. But I'm more happy that they didn't risk the life or health from the riders to make the spectators and sponsors happy. 

Now a couple of days after the historic event (yes I can now tell everyone I was at that event, that race that never took place) more things get clear about the tarmac. The thing I am the most curious of is: will Silverstone resurface the whole circuit again? Will there be a British GP next year? If yes, will it be on Silverstone?

The only thing I know is: Silverstone I will never see you again!