Moto GP China Trip
by Dave Preston
Every once in awhile life tosses you a plum so juicy and rich.
This year it came from supplier Fieldsheer and distributor Western
Power Sports – the chance to spend a week in China and attend the
Shanghai Moto GP round as their guest!
Wow! Serious wow! My previous travels to foreign lands have been
limited to Canada and Mexico, which hardly count. This would be
different, and it was - every minute of every day for a solid week –
and wonderful.
Simply getting to China was a bit more complex than I would have
imagined. You need a US passport, which I had, but you also need a
visa from the Chinese government, so I was $199 down before I
started. Then there was the trip to the doctor (like most of us, I
was due for a physical anyway) where we decided that with shots for
DPT and Hepatitis A, and some anti-Typhoid medication, I would be
fine.
The itinerary – all on United Airlines- was a short hop to San
Francisco and then a 13-hour flight to Shanghai. The time changes
(you leap forward 15 hours) and the route mean that it never gets
dark for the entire flight – which is sort of weird.
Once on the ground, our group – made up of representatives from
some of Fieldsheer’s larger dealers across the country – met up with
Joe Parr from WPS and boarded a bus for a 3 hour ride to Hangzhou
(“Hong-joe”) where Fieldsheer products are made. There we were put
up at the Hangzhou Holiday Inn, and very nicely, too.
The first oddity came the next morning, as I enjoyed a sumptuous
buffet the Inn provides for guests - “breakfast” hardly seems an
adequate term for the extensive feast laid out. For a Seattleite,
however, it was a systemic shock to discover that a machine – one
cup at a time, prepares the coffee. For someone used to swilling
gallons of the stuff, this was almost a hardship. I “cowboyed up”
and persevered!
After breakfast I wandered outside for a stroll, since as usual I
was up two hours before any sane person. Fascination was as close as
the corner – Hangzhou traffic. At first it appears to be a
combination of a demolition derby, a chariot race, and a riot, but
after a while you notice that nobody is getting killed, or even hit
– which seems so unlikely. Imagine several thousand scooters,
bicycles, cars, trucks, buses, and pedestrians. Downtown Hangzhou
streets are three lanes in each direction, with a fourth lane
separated by a small curb to segregate the scooters and bicycles,
and then sidewalks – a total of 10 lanes! The trucks, cars and
buses stick to the middle six lanes – everyone else sort of goes
where they think best. Left turn arrows bring two curving lines of
scooters coalescing at the inside lane – like two groups of
motocross racers arriving at the first corner from opposing
directions – and yet it all works well. In several days of
observation, I observed two short conversations – the content of
which I could easily imagine – but no accidents at all.
Motorcycles? Turns out they are illegal in many provinces if over
150cc! I was never given a logical explanation for this, but in
China so many things simply are… the way they are. No explanation.
If you want a larger machine you import it yourself, and ride it out
in the country in the mornings. If you get caught, a small token of
100 RMB (about $13) to the officer should suffice. If you get caught
in downtown, your bike will likely be confiscated and never seen
again – at least by you.
Meanwhile, back in the traffic jam, you’ll notice all manner of
scooters and small cars – many of them models and brands never seen
here. The thought running through my head was – “this is the
future.” Vehicles are not the objects of passion and ego they are
often made to be in our society – and in my garage. Instead, they
are utilitarian tools meant for a job, with no more attention paid
to them than you lavish on your vacuum cleaner. (My apologies to any
vacuum cleaner aficionados.) But then, contrasts pile on top of
contrasts… there parked in front of my hotel is a new Bentley,
complete with it’s own valet to keep it dusted. I am not sure what a
$200,000 car would cost in China, but if you have to ask… Next to
the Bentley is a street cleaner – with a broom made of twigs and
straw.
More eye openers abound in the styles of clothing. Fashionably
dressed women in gorgeous dresses ride scooters and bicycles –
perhaps with a child on the back to be dropped off at school.
Various styles of tee shirts can be seen on all – from raggy to
stylish. Many of the stylish favor shirts with slogans and sayings
in English – but often the slogans are misquoted or blended – they
may not make any sense at all. In addition, some of the shirts make
liberal use of “colorful” language, including f-bombs, and I am
pretty sure the owners are not aware of what their togs are saying.
It does open your eyes!
Helmets are rare. Even more rare is the sound of a loud exhaust.
I never heard ONE in the entire week. What I did hear were frequent
applications of the horn from any and all vehicles, and the constant
screech of brakes worn to the backing plates and beyond. There is an
enormous need for brake pads and linings in China!
 I
strolled behind the hotel along the river, where many of the
citizens were doing variations of what I would guess were Tai Chi
exercises. Once in a while some lovely Chinese music would begin,
grow to a crescendo, and fade. Two days later I learned that the
music was coming from the street, and tells you a city truck with
water jets is coming to clean the street!
A Chinese Boxer Boat rolls along the river. Notice how
Scooter tires are put to use later in life.
Our first morning’s choices were a visit to a temple or a silk
market. I chose the silk market, and spent a pleasant morning along
three blocks of every possible silk product that could be offered.
Then we visited a “history town” area that was a street fair much
like any you have visited here. Lunch was with the group reunited in
a large restaurant in the side walls of a huge soccer stadium. Then
it was back to the hotel for a short rest before dinner.
Turns out that Len, who owns Fieldsheer, is a serious enthusiast
of Chinese food. Every time we went to lunch or dinner, it was to a
top-shelf restaurant that serves a different style of Chinese food.
All of it was terrific, although the lessons on food styles were
lost on a heathen like me. I stopped counting the foods that were
new to me at a dozen. I also learned about “Baijo,” fermented rice
liquor similar to Everclear with a proof level that will numb your
face and then dissolve your brain. Fortunately, I am a fast learner,
so one dram was plenty for me. Others learned more slowly…
Sunday – my first Moto GP race. After a three-hour bus ride to
Pudong Circuit I trudged over a mile to the “Accreditation Center” –
which appeared on the map but it is not clearly marked at all.
Because of my efforts to raise funds for and promote Riders for
Health, they had promised a pit pass for me – because RfH is heavily
supported by Moto GP and most of the factory teams. At least that
was the idea... They did have a pit pass for me, and a shuttle bus.
That was the end of the good news. What they did not have is anyone
who could speak English or cared to help.
The start of the Moto GP Race.
The shuttle bus took me around to the back of the HUGE circuit
and then under it and in and on and on to the back of a huge
multi-story “pits” structure. I walked up and down three times and
into and up and down both towers, and never learned anything or saw
anyone to tell me anything other than “no” without words. I met an
Australian man and woman having the same experience – and they
vented obscenities over the situation – which made me feel better! I
gave up on it and set off (in the pouring rain – I was now soaked to
the skin) to find a corner in the infield. Miles later – I found an
Arai display with English speakers where I learned you cannot do
that. At least in China, your pit pass gets you into the pit area –
period. Your grandstand ticket gets you into one section of the
grandstand - period. You may not wander the track at will – inside
or outside. For the price of the tickets – (caveat: which I did not
pay for) this is appalling! I returned to the pits structure and
ended up on the roof with a good view of the pit straight and corner
3 - until I was kicked off of there by an angry Chinese guard! I was
pretty sure he was wrong – but by this time I did not care that
much. I had also lost the piece of paper with the phone numbers of
my contacts from Fieldsheer and was no longer sure how I would get
out at the end of the day – if I could at all.
So… I gave up and found a shuttle that went under and out. I
climbed twelve flights of steep stairs to join my friends in the
grandstands – missing most of the 250 race in the process. Moto GP
is fun to listen to – but as a spectator sport there is little to
recommend it, as you cannot get to 99% of the track. To actually
watch the race in any coherent context I had to wait until I got
home to watch the recording my TV had made for me.
A digital zoom into turn 3 from my final vantage point.
So, while both DORNA and RfH flunked basic organization and PR
skills, the race was a treat anyway – a feast of color and sound –
blended with more unusual situations. Souvenir programs – not for
sale! T-shirts? They have ONE small stand, which was out of the XL
sizes my friends had requested. Very odd.
Monday was our day at the Ansai factory, which designs, develops
and manufactures products for Fieldsheer and several other firms
that were not necessarily going to be identified. We were greeted by
beautiful women with enormous bouquets of flowers as gifts for the
women in our group. The owner did a fine job with a Powerpoint
presentation on the history of Fieldsheer, and then we toured the
design and development center, the prototype lab, the pre-production
facility, and one of the manufacturing plants. Square footage in
China must be cheap! Massive use of space – and all of the work
areas are light and airy. I enjoyed more intriguing contrasts of the
modern (Cad-Cam design work) and ancient – two women crouching down
and cutting 2 inch sections of shrink wrap to fill a huge box, one
cutting at a time.
After lunch the women were taken shopping, while the men got to
work. Sexist to my eyes and ears, but perfectly normal to them, even
though Helen is the director of design and development, while “Blue”
is being groomed to be the plant manager. Blue also holds a Masters
degree from MIT. Both are stunningly beautiful, intelligent, and
highly educated women. What ensued was five hours of discussion of
product markets and upcoming designs with some of the best experts
in these areas in this country – with the exception of me. Other
than positive PR, this was the only value Fieldsheer got from the
trip.
The evening feast took place at “Zen” a Chinese fusion restaurant
– and then shopping at the night market across the street. Helen was
my negotiator – and what fun! She was also shopping for herself and
I observed the techniques well enough to try some bargaining on my
own.
On Tuesday I started the day with a morning walk as usual, and
this time ventured further away from the hotel. I found myself in an
alley with lots of little businesses catering to the locals. As I
paused to observe a family-run outdoor bicycle repair business, the
gentleman noticed me smoking my pipe and came over. He gave a
thumbs-up to the pipe, pointed at his own cigarette and said
something. I replied that I was sorry I could not speak Chinese. He
smiled, held up his hand and walked away – and came back with a
Chinese cigarette. I put it between my lips and he lit it for me.
While we smoked his mother came over and gave my pipe a thumbs up
and the cigarette a frown. We all laughed and I thanked them and
bowed and left. I asked Ayanna about this later. Ayanna, the
Customer Relations Manager for Fieldsheer, is from Milwaukee and has
lived in China for 8 years. She can speak, read and write in
Chinese. She told me I had done a good thing. I “gave him face.”
Accepting his cigarette was polite, and smoking showed it respect.
Well… who knew? Good for me!
Tuesday’s activity was a trip to Wuzhen– the Venice of China –
built on canals, etc. I could take it or leave it, but that is just
me being a clod. A 1000-year-old city with many historic buildings
from different dynasties, wonderful woodcarvings, art… and a “Baijo”
factory with vile smells!
After more food, more shopping, and a 24-hour trip home… I am
still staggered by the plethora of images, sensations and thoughts.
Here is China – a country with so much of everything the numbers
“do not compute.” I have read that you could export every job in
America to China and they would still have a labor surplus. That
there are more honor students in China then there are students in
America. Millions of people who are used to working ten-hour shifts
5 or 6 days a week.
What does the future hold? China is about to explode
economically, and will probably become the largest economy in the
world. Will they use their economic power wisely? Will they attempt
to exert undue influence and take advantage of their neighbors?
Depends on whom you read and what you believe. But I can close with
this – if you are so fortunate as to be able to spend a week or more
in China - take the opportunity. This is the most fascinating,
frustrating and confusing place I have ever been – and I would love
to go back! After all, there’s a bicycle repairman in downtown
Hangzhou I owe a cigarette.
My thanks to Western Power Sports and Fieldsheer for a truly
memorable week.
Ride safe, ride well and ride often!
Dave Preston is the author of Motorcycle 101, a sensible book
for the new and returning rider. |
