After last year’s MOTO GP in Austria, this year we went to Germany, to the Sachsenring. A different track, a different country and a different atmosphere. Welcome to another article of tips and tricks on what to do and what to bring with you if you’re heading to Germany for the MOTO GP.
According to the organizers, 100,000 people attended this year’s Sunday MOTO GP race in Germany. Since the track is very large, there is plenty of space everywhere. Of course, the more lucrative places will be taken immediately by those who have chairs and giant umbrellas with them, which are quite annoying and will ruin your view a little.
Track
Let’s start with the track. Unlike the Redbull Ring, the Sachsenring track is really quite spread out. If you buy the cheapest ticket, you have plenty of options where to sit. We were initially to the left of Rossi’s tribune. This was a bit weird given that we are KTM fans, but we we were able to see into two curves. One of them was the very first one, where riders are very likely to fall. Personally, I would recommend it, considering that Sachsenring is full of turns. Seeing two at the same time was great.
For the main race, we moved to the longest straight line, where there is a lot of space, but unfortunately you can’t see much. On the other hand, there is at least a ‘big’ screen (not that big at all), which is something rare at the Sachsenring. Most of tv screens were facing the tribunes. Definitely preferred the Redbull Ring in this matter.
How do you get there?
Someone drove us, so we got relatively close to the track. I would say that it took us about twenty minutes to get to the track. If you want to park close by, there are large car parks which are further away but have a free bus service. Otherwise I can’t imagine you’d get there by public transport, it’s not very realistic.
What to take with you
You can of course buy food and drink, but personally I would recommend a cap, sunglasses, lots of sunscreen and lots of water. Considering when the race takes place (end of June), it will most likely be extremely hot, and water is expensive. I am not exaggerating when I say that it is worth taking about three liters of water per person. You will certainly drink it easily. I also took a shirt, which I continuously washed in water, which was a pleasant cooling effect.
Food, drink, fan shops, toilets
I must say that the food is like any other when on a big event. There are many different food stalls on the hill, which you really can’t miss, from sausages, pizza to noodles. We had pizza, but personally I have to say that the sausage or the Asian noodles are probably worth it considering the price tag of the pizza. What was relatively affordable is ice cream, and there are usually no queues for it.
As far as drinks are concerned, there is not much to choose from – you will find is water, redbull or beer. The beer is poured strangely, half diluted with soda. Probably so people wouldn’t get too drunk considering the heat. What I wouldn’t recommend is drinking iced coffee, it’s disgusting, not made with coffee at all. I was pleasantly surprised by the toilets, they are very accessible, the queues aren’t. bad at all. There is also an outdoor ‘shower’ near the toilets where you can cool off.
Be careful, because in 2022 it was only possible to pay cash for food and drink. While the Redbull ring it was the other way around, you couldn’t pay cash at all. I would recommend having about 100 euros in cash, it depends on how much you want to spend. Fan shops take cards though. Of course it depends on who you support, if KTM, there was a dedicated KTM section where you could find everything you needed.
In conclusion
I don’t think anyone cares about how the actual race went, so we can go straight to summarising this track and experience.
Did I like the Sachsenring more than the Redbull ring last year? I don’t think it can be compared, both tracks are interesting in different ways. The Sachsenring is a bigger event, I think it’s worth it, the only real negative for me is the lack of big screens.
How much would I rank the track from 1 to 10? I would say a solid 8.5. Of course, one of the disadvantages is the heat, which is exhausting. But nothing can be done about it. Probably the second advantage, but at the same time a minus, is the size of the area. You could walk there all day and easily not see everything.
Will I return to the Sachsenring? Probably not in the near future, my plan is a new year, a new track.