Nerves are building as the sun shines over the Silverstone paddock.
Former World Superbike champion and MotoGP rider Neil Hodgson is ready to take to the track - with me on the back as a pillion passenger.
“Go with the flow of what the rider in control of the bike is doing,” advises Moto2 star Jake Dixon. “Make sure you lean with him, don’t lean away from him because it’ll help him when he’s riding and give you a better experience as well. That’s the biggest thing.”
Hodgson offers plenty of reassurance - his crashing days are behind him, he won’t be taking any risks and that seems to make plenty of sense. Just as nerves are calming, another ex-MotoGP rider Michael Laverty chimes in with exactly what I don’t want to here…
“I wouldn’t fancy doing the pillion as much,” he says. “When you’re in control, you get to experience that every input, you feel the reaction.
“Whenever someone else is in control, that scares me more. Riding around the back with Neil would be much more scary for me than riding myself as fast as possible!”
Reassuring.
The good news is we’re going to be flying around Silverstone, one of the best tracks in the world and the venue that will host the British Grand Prix this weekend, live on BT Sport.
“It’s an incredible track,” Hodgson states. “It’s unique because it’s so big, it’s wide, it’s so wide - some of the tracks we go to are half the width or even less. A narrow track makes it really one-line, that makes overtaking really difficult.
“But there are so many lines at Silverstone, so many ways to build a fast lap and that means you get some great racing. From a personal point of view riding around here, when you’re on the track, it’s so unique and a real special place to ride.”
“I love it,” Laverty adds. “It’s one of the best tracks in the world and it’s got such different character from one side of the track to the other.
“You look at the turn one we use for MotoGP and you get the high speed corners, the long Hangar Straight, the hard braking at Club and Vale. It’s got something to really challenge the riders.
“But with the sun shining, beautiful blue skies, I just love riding around it, it links up really well and I had some success here in British Superbikes. One of the best places on the calendar for me.”
As Hodgson pulls out of the Silverstone pits, I cling on for dear life around his waist already feeling like he’s travelling quick enough. How fast will he be once we’re out on track?
Down the Hanger Straight we hit around 165mph, he later tells me. "I wouldn't really want to go any faster," he says, explaining my weight on the back of the bike makes the "front feel really light". When MotoGP stars race down the same section of track this weekend, they will be travelling at over 200mph.
Racing down Vale and into Club corner, it feels like there is no way the Ducati will stop in time to turn the corner. As Hodgson slams on the brakes, my backside lifts completely off the seat and for a moment I'm convinced I'll be flying over his head and the handlebars.
Fortunately, that doesn't happen and we dive into the tight left hander before being flung to the right, hitting the apex and opening up the throttle into the straight, flying over the curb and what feels frighteningly close to the gravel trap on the exit.
In reality, Hodgson could and would be going much faster without me on the back and it gives an incredible sense of just how on the edge top level MotoGP riders operate. There’s a nerviness, but also a calmness to sweeping around the open tarmac and feeling the rush of wind through the visor.
“I always talk about the mindfulness version of it,” Laverty explains. “You’ve got your helmet on, your visor down and it’s really only you and your thoughts - hitting your markers, being as consistent as possible.
“There’s a peacefulness to it where it’s just you, your thoughts and your focus. There’s really no room for any other internal chatter in your brain. It’s the one place I can go and the thoughts will just be me and riding that bike as well as I can. There’s an adrenaline rush as well, it’s a heck of a buzz.”
Whilst it can be a calm place when a rider is in their groove, the stark reality is that the stakes are high and danger is around every corner. It’s something that most people would struggle to put to the back of their mind, but those involved in the sport find their own way to look past the risks.
“Do you know what? This might sound like it’s hard to believe but you never wanted to crash because you were always in a championship, you don’t score points,” Hodgson says. “The fear of failure outweighed the fear of getting injured.
“I know that if you crash on a race circuit you could be incredibly unlucky and lose your life, but the chances of that happening are a billion to one.
“Every time you get into a car and drive, there could be some bloke coming along, looking at his phone that could kill you. Yes, somebody will get killed with that happening, but it’s not going to be you, is it?
“That’s what you feel like on a bike - you know you could get injured, but it’s not going to happen to me.”
For Laverty, understanding why he crashed was the key method for getting over the psychological and physical damage it could do.
He explains: “It’s one of those things where when you’re young, starting out and figuring it out, when you crash and don’t know why you crashed that can be hard to take, knock your confidence and take a while to come back from it.
“But with experience you know exactly why you crash, you know when you’re about to crash in general, the only ones you can’t control are someone else taking you down but that’s just part of racing.
“The safety equipment has come on so well with advancements, airbags and the helmet development and everything. You hope that on closed circuits there’s enough run-off that you’re only going to bounce and tumble and beat yourself up a little bit.
“You hope that the ultimate is never going to happen. It can happen and it does happen but you accept the risks, and we love the sport. It’s an inherently dangerous sport, it’s always going to be but you put it to the back of your mind and move on.
“When it starts coming to the forefront of your mind and you’re thinking about it, in my opinion as a racer, that’s when it’s time to stop.”
Whilst bravery is in abundance for MotoGP stars, there is also a huge element of natural talent and feel for the bike. Laverty now advises multiple young riders with his own academy, and recognises there is only so much he can do.
“I’ve got a lot of those really young riders who are figuring the sport out and a lot of it is intuition and feeling through your hands, your bum and your brain,” he says.
“It all becomes subconscious with practice and time but they’re still figuring that out so it’s all consciously thought about at the moment. You try to give them pointers, but it is a hard thing.
“The only thing that will ingrain it in them is time and experience so you’ve got to work at it and have patience. You can put them on the right path, but a lot of it you can’t teach it, it generally comes from feeling - you’ve got to go out there, experience it and understand it.”
Jake Dixon knows all about the dangers of the sport having suffered his fair share of injuries, but that will be put to the back burner this weekend as he arrives at his home Grand Prix.
“It’s part and parcel of racing,” he says. “It’s something you have to accept and when you crash you just go back out and go faster, that's the way I deal with it anyway.
“It’s always going to happen, it’s just trying to understand where the limit is so you don’t crash too much.”
The 22-year-old has secured two podiums and impressed in Moto2 this season and is eyeing more success at his home race.
“Doing any Grand Prix, especially your home Grand Prix, is amazing,” he states. “You come with added pressures but obviously you have the home crowd support that cheers you on.
“It gives me extra motivation to come here and do well, and coming in the best form I ever have done in Moto2 I want to fight the win for the British fans and see if I can do it.”
He will be joined on the Moto2 grid by Scottish youngster Rory Skinner, who has been earmarked as Britain’s next big hope having impressed in the British Superbikes this season.
“Like most racers, it’s always come from their parents,” the 20-year-old reveals. “My dad has had bikes since he was 11 years old, did a bit of club racing, nothing too spectacular but he won a Scottish Championship or two.
“Bikes have always been around for me - had my first one at 18 months old, started riding when I was three then racing when I was six so they’ve been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember.”
His Moto2 opportunity as a wildcard brings plenty of attention and a huge chance to catch the eye as teams begin to plan for next season - but he insists he remains relaxed.
“There’s no pressure to perform, the team are well aware how difficult it is to transfer to Moto2 from any championship,” he says.
“I’m going into it with no expectations, no pressure, just looking to enjoy it. It’s going to be a steep learning curve, I’m fully aware of that, but it’s something I’m just looking forward to.
“I’m 20 years old, getting to do a Grand Prix, I’m so grateful for it and just looking forward to a new challenge.
“At the end of the day, it’s better to get there early, give it my best shot and if something comes from it, it does, if it doesn’t then I’ll know I’ve given it my all.”
Skinner and Dixon will be riding on the edge at Silverstone and hitting speeds mere mortals could only dream of experiencing. Danger is never far away, but just three laps on the back of a bike at Silverstone give a clear experience of the thrill and adrenaline they will experience in their quest to cross the line first.
BT Sport is the home of MotoGP. Catch all the action from the British Grand Prix at Silverstone live on BT Sport on August 7. For more info go to bt.com/sport/motogp
