Thursday at a MotoGP event has its charms. Though the bikes don’t hit the track, there is plenty going on to observe and enjoy. The paddock is relaxed, the riders pass to and fro without the intensity of their Friday-Saturday-Sunday routines, people mingle and visit.

The mechanics are hard at work preparing the bikes for the next day. Some garages are still being set up. The journalists are settling into their places in the media center.

Tomorrow will be hectic, but on Thursday, things are relatively calm. Here’s a quick tour in pictures:

Moto2 rider Sandro Cortese cleans his boots behind his team’s box. It’s not uncommon to see a rider working on his gear like this, though it is rare to see one of the premier riders doing so. They have other folks looking after their equipment.

For example, I saw a guy working on Nicky Hayden’s Dainese boots. He had taped off the Drive 7 green bits with blue masking tape, then he shook up a spray can of black paint and used that to cover up the green. I think that’s as good a sign as we’re going to get that Drive 7 is out of Team Aspar Honda’s program.

Once the track sessions start, you don’t often see the major parts of bikes unassembled like this swing arm from one of the Pramac Ducati 14.2 bikes.

 
The Bridgestone truck brings a lot of tires.

 
They have a lot of rain tires, and this weekend they will probably need a good supply.

 
Though the Thursday press conference is usually at 5PM for the European rounds, here in the U.S. it’s at noon to hit the European market before the audience goes to sleep. Given his podium at Losail, Andrea Iannone was selected for the CotA press conference. His English has improved a lot! However, as the press conference is conducted only in English, some of the questions he received were more complicated than he could easily comprehend. This led to some charming moments as he tried to follow what was being asked. He soldiered on and did the best he could, which was pretty well.

 
Sitting next to Iannone was big brother figure Valentino Rossi, who helped the younger Italian rider several times with the English situation. When it was his turn to field questions, he told us about his interest in riding the Suzuka 8-Hour race alongside current teammate Jorge Lorenzo. As Casey Stoner has announced his plans to enter this event alongside Dutch WSBK rider Michael van der Mark, the buzz is that Yamaha would be very pleased if their dream team would contest this race against Honda’s Stoner and Van der Mark team. Alas, the answer from both Rossi and Lorenzo was, Maybe next year.

 
While Lorenzo gave basically the same answer to the Suzuka question as Rossi, he was also asked more than once about his helmet issues at Losail. (Apparently, part of the foam in his HJC helmet came loose and fell downward to block his vision, forcing him to slow his pace and give up first the lead and then both podium positions.) After first answering that it was a ‘human mistake,’ the type anyone could make, even at the top level of racing, and that he stood by his helmet supplier 100%, he was then asked again what had happened, this time by a Spanish journalist. He patiently explained that the phrase ‘human mistake’ meant that “one human, one person, made a mistake.” He then stood firm and added, “I cannot describe what happened, I will keep it for ourselves.”

 
Marc Marquez was, as usual, all smiles, given that no one other than he has won a MotoGP race here at CotA.

 
Perhaps the nicest moment of the press conference came when Nicky Hayden was acknowledged, first by Nick Harris and then by everyone in the room, for this weekend being Hayden’s 200th Grand Prix. I had seen Nicky’s parents, Earl and Rose, sitting in the audience when I came in, but when it came time for Nicky to answer questions, his folks left their seats to present him with a small sign and a celebratory chocolate cake!

 
Nicky went on to answer questions about his still-recovering right wrist, which continues to improve. Based on his doctor’s advice, he expects this progress to continue for up to a year after the surgery. Good news!

 
The press conference ended on a pleasant note, perhaps one of great expectations, with Rossi rejuvenated, Ducati back at the front and there without Casey Stoner, Marquez at a track that suits his style and his Honda, Bradley Smith aiming for Top Satellite Rider in the 2015 season, and Nicky feeling stronger on a stronger customer Honda.

Friday, let the track sessions begin!