MotoGP VIP hospitality: is it worth it?

Memories of GPs past really forced the issue: the better half would not cling to the pillion seat, put up with wet, Antarctic weather and stay in a cheap pub. Enough was enough, she said.

The alternatives were simple: head down to Phillip Island from Sydney on my own, or upgrade the experience for two. My brother-in-law faced the same choice, so we decided we'd drive down in a car and stay in a posh-ish house in Cowes, while he'd research the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix's VIP hospitality packages.

He reckoned the Champions Club looked like the best option for us: three days of on-track action in a flash tent, with tucker and grog thrown in.

The Champions Club suites are framed marquees, with clear windows and front yards facing the track at Honda Corner (Turn Four), where nearly all the cornering drama unfolds.

Each suite is kitted out with a bar, bain-marie-style buffet, tables and seating both inside and out, with extremely helpful and polite staff to attend to everyone’s food and drink needs.

The suites open early and shut around 6:00pm.

It sounds too good to be true and is priced accordingly – around $1300 per head for the three days.

On top of that, the brother-in-law's research indicated that a house the girls would appreciate would set us back around $550 per head for four nights.

That seemed a lot of coin, but we told the girls they were worth it (Xmas is coming, remember!).

Then we started adding up the costs of our previous visits and the Champions Club/rented house combo began looking more attractive: we'd save a little on fuel by going in one car, not on two bikes; we'd use the Events bus to get to and from the track ($15 per day per head) and save on parking fees and the price included entry to the track and all our daytime food and drink.

Hidden benefits therefore included the elimination of any bike-related speeding fines on the way down and back, and no worrying about breathalyzers.

The upshot was that we went for it and we had a great time: it was the best MotoGP visit we've ever had and the bonus was local lad Jack Miller finishing the main event on the podium.

Unlike some reviews these days, done by 'influencers' who've been given a 'freebie', this one you can trust, because I'm a fussy, cranky old-school journo and my better half is slightly worse. And because we paid for it. My wife's sister and the brother-in-law are also demanding.

We arrived at the local Event bus stop in Church Street, Cowes, and found a timetable zip-clipped to the pole. The bus arrived at the stipulated time and did a local tour, picking up other people.

At the track, we passed through the check point and found the Red Bus that took us to the Champions Club suites. The staff welcomed us and began plying us with finger food and drinks. That service level continued, unabated, for three days.

Lunchtime involved a multiple-choice menu every day and the drinks kept flowing until 5:30pm on the third day, when the caterers finally ran out of red wine (but not anything else).

Every day we ate and drank well enough to ensure we didn't need much tucker and grog when we returned to our beautiful, air-conditioned house, with its two bathrooms and three dunnies.

The girls had an absolute ball and we didn't have to cook anything during our stay.

The weather was typical Phillip Island: warm on our arrival; freezing cold with 50-knot winds the next day, and in-between on race day.

We alternated between inside and outside the marquee and missed almost none of the action, because the vantage point embraced the bottom third of the straight, Doohan Corner (Turn One), Stoner Corner (Turn Two), Honda Corner (Turn Four), Turn Five and Siberia (Turn Six).

When the bikes went out of view, three large screens inside the marquee provided MotoGPTV coverage and commentary.

We'll do it again next year – and that says it all.