It is a sultry Friday night in high summer on a rolling, cypress tree-lined hillside near the little town of Scarperia e San Piero, in the heart of Italys Tuscany region. A bearded man in red fishnet tights and a matching vinyl minidress sways with a beer can in one hand and a smile on his face.
Behind him, beside a rainbow-colored paddling pool, another man in a tank top and shorts wields something that looks like a chainsaw crossed with a trumpet, which he revs and waves around.
Around them, disco lights spill out from beneath a motorhome, piercing the haze from flares and exhaust fumes. A procession of people glides by, some on foot, others riding motorcycles of every shape and size. Music booms out into the night air, blending with the incessant roar of engines.
At Mugello you dont sleep
You could be forgiven for thinking youd wandered into an avant-garde music festival or the set of a Mad Max sequel. But this is Mugello, home to the Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix and one of the biggest parties in motorsport.
Formula 1 has Monaco, with its ostentation and air of exclusivity. Mugello, in perhaps Italys most idyllic region, offers something no less iconic, but altogether more visceral C and arguably, a lot more fun.
They say al Mugello non si dorme , at Mugello you dont sleep, says Davide Tardozzi, Ducatis MotoGP manager, grinning. Its true Because there are crowds and fans that are enjoying the night C a long night.
Justin Marks, owner of both the Trackhouse MotoGP and NASCAR teams, likens it to the Daytona 500. I dont think theres a cooler race in the world than the Daytona 500, he told CNN in Austin this year. When you go to the Daytona 500 and theres 200,000 people on the ground, and its this great American motorsport event, its really special; but when I went to the Italian grand prix at Mugello and the hills of Tuscany, and the fans, it had that same special sort of feel to it.
The appeal begins with the location. North from Florence, the roads twist through rolling hills and ancient villages, past rippling streams and the dappled shade from oak trees. Forty-five minutes later, the racetrack appears almost without warning coiled like a basking viper in the Tuscan countryside.
Ferrari connection
Owned by Ferrari, Mugello Circuit serves as a testing ground for the Italian manufacturers F1 cars. A bright red helmet-shaped booth, adorned with the companys famous prancing horse logo, stands at the main entrance. The tracks curves are painted in the green, white and red of the Italian flag, grandstands are embedded into the landscape and campsites sprawl into the distance.
Mugello is pure passion, says Fabio Di Giannantonio, one of two Italian riders for the VR46 Ducati team. For sure, its our home race here in Italy, where family, friends, fans come to see the race; we see this unbelievable place transforming day by day with all the fans coming. Its like a stadium, with all the hills around the track, and its just an unbelievable place to (experience).
Crowds begin gathering before race weekend, as MotoGPs multimillion-dollar traveling circus rolls into town.
Among the arrivals is Paolo Campinoti, principal of the Prima Pramac team, with whom world champion Jorge Martn clinched the premier-class title in 2024.
Passion, color and energy
Everything is special about Mugello, Campinoti tells CNN. I actually get here by Vespa from my house in Florence, which says it all. Theres a deep history behind the track; its a true symbol of Italianit an Italian circuit through and through. The fans bring an incredible atmosphere, full of passion, color and energy. Its not just a race its a celebration.
Campinoti and his wife spend the race weekend in the teams two-story motor home, parked in the paddock. I love sleeping at the track because it allows me to really feel part of the MotoGP community and soak in the atmosphere of this special weekend, he says. Most riders sleep at the track as well, so after dinner its usually nice to catch up and chat with them away from all the chaos that happens during the day. Waking up here, having breakfast with the team, and being right in the middle of the action from the very start its something truly meaningful.
Dominika Grnova, a motorsports reporter covering the Red Bull Rookies Cup a proving ground for top riders of the future is equally enamored with Mugello. The vibes, the Tuscan hills, these incredible colors, weather this year its been really hot and it can be quite unpredictable; we dont mind a little bit of showers and thunderstorms but obviously the Italian vibes are just incredible, youre always going to have fun here.
Wild boar encounter
A keen rider, Grnova often takes a motorcycle into the hills during race weekend. But there are hazards. On one excursion for pizza, They warned us be careful because there are wild boars in the mountains, and literally five minutes after leaving the restaurant, (my colleague) hit a wild boar. Luckily, he didnt crash, but we saw the wild boar spinning and squeaking, so it was really scary.
Di Giannantonios teammate, Franco Morbidelli, first came to the track as a toddler. Actually, the first time I came here I cant remember, because I was one, or one and half, and I was on the hills with my parents, he tells CNN. But definitely I remember the first time I came here as a kid with my father, enjoying Mugello and the race. But I also had the chance to come here and stay on the hills watching the racing and enjoying the environment of the hills; it was 2013 and I came here with a couple of friends () and it was great.
Chainsaws and rumore
Architect Alexis Cogul traveled from Miami with his friend Manny Azeri. Theyd just been in Monaco for the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Azeri was making his Mugello debut. It lived up to all my expectations and more, he tells CNN excitedly. Everybody knows everybody, especially in the paddock. Its like a big family, and the fans are just crazy.
The craziness is visceral a combination of pounding music, billowing smoke, crackling barbecues and revving engines. The noise that youre hearing is not motorcycles, Cogul says, gesturing up to the hills. Its actually people with chainsaws; they take off the chain and they basically modify the motor to imitate the bikes, they stay here for the whole weekend, and they create like a party.
Brandishing one of these infernal machines is Italian Michele Fuso, camping with friends. You take a normal chainsaw, and you cut it here, he says, pointing to a red box with a handle and a flared exhaust. Then you weld something like this on, he adds, pointing at the trumpet-like attachment. Asked why, Fuso and his friends shout in unison, Rumore ! Its the Italian word for noise an end in itself around here.
Fuso fires it up. A passer-by pours pour beer into the funnel, which sprays back gold liquid, along with a puff of smoke as Fuso hoots in delight
Given Mugellos rural location, accommodation can be hard to find for those not camping. Were 45 mins from the center of Florence, Cojul says. You normally stay in a house or a small hotel, theres nothing fancy around here. But thats what makes it even more fun. Theres no civilization or much around here, theres not a big city apart from Florence.
By Saturday night, the hilltop party reaches a crescendo: DJs on a huge stage play to thousands, fairground rides twirl against the sky amid revelers dancing, drinking and revving engines in a sea of limbs, lights and smoke.
A more genteel affair
Down in the pitlane, sophistication replaces chaos. Campinoti hosts a dinner outside the Prima Pramac Yamaha team garage. About 50 VIPs including actor Eric Bana, former F1 driver Mark Webber, World Cup-winning soccer captain Fabio Cannavaro, and MotoGP legend Giacomo Agostini sit at white-clothed tables as Florence-based chef Riccardo Monco serves a multicourse meal.
We wanted to do something truly special to celebrate our home race, Campinoti tells CNN. We wanted our guests to feel immersed in the spirit of racing and the pitlane felt like the perfect place. Its where so many crucial moments of the weekend happen, so turning it into a dinner setting creates something both unique and deeply meaningful.
Midway through the meal, a mechanic wheels out KTM rider Pedro Acostas bike and revs it hard, drowning out the piano-led band. The drummer playfully taps out a beat to match the roaring engine. Once again, rumore rules over all, to the amusement of the diners.
A rider and a bike and two wheels
Its easy to forget, amid the partying, that Mugello is primarily about racing, on MotoGPs fastest track, with bikes topping 220 miles per hour in elbow-to-elbow battles for one of racings biggest prizes.
This years event drew 166,000 spectators over three days, with Keanu Reeves among the 84,625 in attendance for Sundays race. Ducatis Marc Mrquez took victory, much to the dismay of the Italian fans cheering for local hero, Francesco Pecco Bagnaia. But few seemed to leave unhappy.
Which is better Formula 1, or MotoGP? Oh MotoGP, absolutely, says Cogul, without hesitation. MotoGP is all about racing, if you basically look at the race. Obviously, the danger factor in MotoGP is at another level. Its a much more extreme sport than Formula One, which is more about statistics and characters behind the scenes.
MotoGP is a rider and a bike and two wheels and the chances to fall or something to happen. Its much more action-packed racing; at the end of the day, when youre seeing that live, even the noise is louder, theyre completely raw bikes with nothing else, and that basically crawls your skin, so thats why I recommend to see it.
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这是盛夏一个闷热的周五夜晚，地点在意大利托斯卡纳大区中心地带——斯卡尔佩里亚-圣皮耶罗小镇附近柏树成行的起伏山坡上。一位蓄着胡须的男子穿着红色网眼紧身裤和相配的乙烯基迷你裙，一手摇晃着啤酒罐，脸上挂着笑容。
在他身后，一个身穿背心短裤的男子站在彩虹色戏水池旁，挥舞着一件形似电锯与喇叭混合体的物件，一边轰响引擎一边四处晃动。
房车下方溢出的迪斯科灯光穿透信号弹与尾气形成的薄雾，在他们周围流转。人群如流水般经过，有人徒步而行，有人骑着各式各样的摩托车。音乐声轰鸣着划破夜空，与永不停歇的引擎咆哮声交织在一起。
在穆杰罗，你无法入眠
若你误以为自己闯入了前卫音乐节或《疯狂的麦克斯》续集片场，那也情有可原。但这里实则是穆杰罗——意大利摩托车大奖赛的举办地，也是赛车运动中最盛大的狂欢现场之一。
F1赛事拥有摩纳哥站——以奢靡排场与专属格调著称；而坐落于意大利最富田园诗意的穆杰罗赛道，则呈现出同样标志性却更令人血脉贲张的体验，甚至可以说乐趣更胜一筹。
杜卡迪MotoGP车队经理达维德·塔多兹（Davide Tardozzi）笑着说道：“他们说‘al Mugello non si dorme’，在穆杰罗你睡不着。这是真的——因为人群和车迷们都在享受这个夜晚，一个漫长的夜晚。”
Trackhouse MotoGP和NASCAR车队老板贾斯汀·马克斯将其比作戴通纳500大赛。他今年在奥斯汀接受CNN采访时表示：“我认为世界上没有比戴通纳500更酷的比赛了。当你亲临现场，看到20万观众齐聚一堂，感受这项美国顶级赛车盛事时，那种体验无与伦比。但当我置身意大利穆杰罗赛道，置身托斯卡纳的群山之间，与车迷们共同体验大奖赛时，那种震撼人心的氛围同样令人难忘。”
魅力始于这片土地。从佛罗伦萨向北，道路蜿蜒穿过起伏的丘陵与古老村落，掠过潺潺溪流与橡树斑驳的树影。四十五分钟后，赛车场几乎毫无预兆地映入眼帘——如同一条盘踞在托斯卡纳乡间的晒太阳的蝰蛇。
法拉利关联
穆杰罗赛道由法拉利所有，是这家意大利制造商测试F1赛车的专用场地。主入口处矗立着一个鲜红色的头盔形售票亭，上面装饰着公司著名的跃马标志。赛道弯道涂装着意大利国旗的绿、白、红三色，看台与自然景观融为一体，露营区则向远方绵延开去。
VR46杜卡迪车队的两位意大利车手之一法比奥·迪詹南托尼奥表示：**“穆杰罗赛道代表着纯粹的激情。**毫无疑问，这是我们在意大利的主场赛事，家人、朋友和车迷都会前来观赛；我们看到这个不可思议的地方随着车迷的到来每天都在发生变化。赛道周围环绕着山丘，就像一座体育场，这里绝对是（体验赛车的）绝佳之地。”
随着MotoGP这场价值数百万美元的移动盛宴进驻城市，人群在比赛周末前就已开始聚集。
到场的嘉宾中包括普拉马克车队（Prima Pramac）领队保罗·坎皮诺蒂（Paolo Campinoti），其麾下车手豪尔赫·马丁（Jorge Martín）于2024年斩获顶级组别世界冠军头衔。
激情、色彩与活力
坎皮诺蒂告诉美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）：“穆杰罗的一切都很特别。实际上，我是从佛罗伦萨的家中骑维斯帕摩托车来的，这足以说明一切。这条赛道背后有着深厚的历史；它是纯粹的意大利风格赛道，是意大利精神的真正象征。车迷们营造出令人难以置信的氛围，充满激情、色彩与活力。这不仅是一场比赛——更是一场庆典。”
坎皮诺蒂与妻子在车队的两层房车中度过比赛周末，房车停放在围场内。他表示："我热爱在赛道过夜，这让我真切感受到自己是MotoGP大家庭的一员，沉浸在这个特别周末的氛围中。大多数车手也会留宿赛道，晚餐后远离白日的喧嚣，与他们叙谈闲聊总是很愉快。清晨在这里醒来，与车队共进早餐，从第一刻就置身赛事核心——这一切意义非凡。"
多米妮卡·格尔诺娃（Dominika Grnova）是一位报道红牛新秀杯（Red Bull Rookies Cup）的赛车记者，这项赛事被誉为未来顶级车手的试炼场。她对穆杰罗赛道同样情有独钟：“这里的氛围、托斯卡纳的山丘、绚丽的色彩和天气——今年异常炎热且变幻莫测；我们并不介意偶尔的阵雨和雷暴——但意大利的风情实在令人沉醉，在这里你总能享受乐趣。”
野猪惊魂记
作为一名骑行爱好者，格尔诺娃（Grnova）常在比赛周末骑摩托车进山。但危险无处不在。有次外出买披萨时，他们警告我们‘小心山里有野猪’，结果离开餐厅才五分钟，（我同事）就撞上了一头野猪。所幸他没有翻车，但我们眼睁睁看着那头野猪打着转尖叫，场面实在骇人。
迪吉安南托尼奥的队友佛朗哥·莫比德利自幼便与这条赛道结缘。"说实话，第一次来这里时我还不记事，那时大概只有一岁或一岁半，是跟着父母在山坡上观赛，"他告诉CNN。"但清楚记得童年时和父亲来穆杰罗看比赛的场景。后来2013年我又和几个朋友专程来山坡上观赛，沉浸在这片山野的独特氛围中，那感觉棒极了。"
电锯与rumore
建筑师亚历克西斯·科古尔与好友曼尼·阿泽里从迈阿密前来观赛。他们刚在摩纳哥观看完一级方程式大奖赛，此次是阿泽里首次到访穆杰罗赛道。他兴奋地对CNN表示：“这里完全超出了我的预期！围场里每个人都彼此熟识，就像个大家庭，车迷们更是热情疯狂。”
这种狂热直击感官——震耳欲聋的音乐、翻腾的烟雾、滋滋作响的烧烤架和轰鸣的引擎声交织在一起。"你们听到的噪音并非来自摩托车，"科古尔（Cogul）指向山坡说道，"实际上是手持电锯的人们。他们卸掉锯链，改装马达来模仿机车声浪，整个周末都聚集于此，营造出派对般的氛围。"
意大利人米凯莱·富索（Michele Fuso）正与朋友们野营，挥舞着其中一台改装机器。他指着一个带手柄和喇叭形排气管的红色金属盒说："拿把普通电锯，从这里切断"，随后又指向喇叭状的附加装置补充道："再焊上这么个玩意儿"。当被问及原因时，富索和朋友们齐声高喊："Rumore！（噪音）"——这个意大利词汇在此地本身就是终极追求。
福索点燃了装置。一名路人将啤酒倒入漏斗，金色的液体随即喷溅而出，伴随着一缕烟雾，福索兴奋地欢呼起来。
鉴于穆杰罗地处乡村，非露营者可能难以找到住宿。"我们距离佛罗伦萨市中心有45分钟车程，"科朱尔说道，"通常你会住在民宅或小旅馆里，这里没有什么豪华设施。但正是这一点让它更有趣。除了佛罗伦萨外，这里没有繁华都市，周围几乎看不到现代文明的痕迹。"
周六夜晚，山顶派对的气氛达到高潮：巨型舞台上的DJ为数千人打碟，游乐设施在天空中旋转，狂欢者们跳舞、畅饮、轰鸣引擎，肢体、灯光与烟雾交织成一片沸腾的海洋。
一场更为优雅的聚会
维修区里，精致取代了混乱。坎皮诺蒂在Prima Pramac雅马哈车队车库外举办了一场晚宴。约50位贵宾——包括演员埃里克·巴纳、前F1车手马克·韦伯、世界杯冠军足球队长法比奥·卡纳瓦罗和MotoGP传奇人物贾科莫·阿戈斯蒂尼——围坐在铺着白色桌布的餐桌旁，享用佛罗伦萨主厨里卡多·蒙科奉上的多道菜大餐。
坎皮诺蒂（Campinoti）向CNN表示："我们想为本土赛事策划一场与众不同的庆祝活动，让宾客完全沉浸在赛车文化的氛围中——而维修区正是最理想的地点。这里是整个赛事周末无数关键时刻的发生地，将其改造成晚宴场地既别出心裁，又蕴含深刻意义。"
用餐中途，一名机械师推出KTM车手佩德罗·阿科斯塔的摩托车并猛轰油门，轰鸣声盖过了钢琴乐队的演奏。鼓手顽皮地敲击出与引擎咆哮相和的节奏。喧嚣再次主宰全场，引得食客们会心一笑。
一名骑手、一辆自行车与两个车轮
在狂欢的氛围中，人们很容易忘记穆杰罗赛道的本质——这里是摩托GP速度最快的赛道，车手们以超过220英里/小时的极速展开贴身肉搏，只为争夺赛车界最重磅的奖项之一。
本届赛事为期三天，共吸引16.6万名观众到场。其中周日正赛当天有84625人出席，基努·里维斯亦在其中。杜卡迪车队的马克·马克斯最终夺冠，这让为本土英雄弗朗切斯科·"佩科"·巴尼亚亚欢呼的意大利车迷大失所望。但离场时似乎鲜有观众感到扫兴。
“F1和MotoGP哪个更精彩？”“绝对是MotoGP，”科古尔毫不犹豫地说道，“从比赛本身来看，MotoGP才是纯粹的竞速。显然，MotoGP的危险系数完全不在一个层级。相比更注重数据统计和幕后人物的F1，MotoGP是更极致的运动。”
MotoGP赛事是车手、赛车与双轮的结合，随时可能发生摔车或其他意外。这项比赛充满激烈对抗，当你亲临现场时，连引擎轰鸣都更加震耳欲聋——那些未经任何修饰的原始赛车，能让你寒毛直竖，这就是我强烈推荐观赛的原因。
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