About us - who we are and what we do

Brief history

Pole Position Travel grew out of a software company in Scotland run by founder and managing director Gordon Howell. In developing an "enterprise management system" for small tour operators, we required a pilot project. We chose the2002 Brno MotoGP in line with Gordon's keen interest in motorcycles. Following this successful pilot, our first commercial event was in 2003 when we brought over 500 people to Brno Czech Republic under our flagship travel web site www.BrnoGrandPrix.com

• In 2004 we had over 800 customers in Brno, and brought people to the new track in Qatar (www.Qatar-GrandPrix.com).
• In 2005 we had nearly 1400 ticketholders in Brno, and groups in Laguna Seca, Germany, the new circuit at Istanbul, Assen and Valencia. At this point, realising that he preferred motorcycles to software, Gordon took the MotoGP business out of his existing company, set up Pole Position Travel and re-based in Prague, Czech Republic, where we remain headquartered.
• In 2006 we had the largest VIP VIllage presences in: Brno (in a private lounge), Laguna Seca, Sepang, Valencia. In Brno we had nearly 1500, with 16 buses, an opening Pig Roast at the Monasterey, a charity event at the Brewery with Randy Mamola and Steve Parish in benefit of Riders for Health, a Karting miniGP on Friday and more.
• In October 2006 we took over the bookings for Valencia from the defunct company moto-events. This entailed us re-booking some 750 tickets, 80 hotel rooms, buses, ViP, reception and more in a space of 2 weeks. Several of the comments below reflect customers' appreciation of our 'rescue' of their MotoGP break...
• In 2007 we brought customers and attended all 18 events, developing the total portfolio of events and products. We held parties at all events, rapidly becoming one of the highlights of a GP weekend! Our largest party at Brno attracted over 400 people, despite the rain! We also started sponsorship of some riders and teams, helping us to get more ínside the sport and share this with our customers. Finally, we are proud to have been able to expand our our charity work with several events in benefit of Riders for Health and Down Syndrome Ireland (see www.charity.gp)
• 2008 saw us going to all events again, and consolidating our position as market leader; seeing a nearly 50% rise in turnover.
• At the end of the year we launched our new ClubGP giving customers an opportunity to get ''inside" MotoGP, as well as enjoy special privileges as one of our extra-VIP customers! We expanded our charity events, and have now raised in excess of €50,000.
• 2009 brought a downturn in line with the world economy, however we still found we were consistently the largest group in the VIP Villages and we have been pleasantly surprised that some of our events did even better in 2009! We started a long term relationship with Red Bull Rookie from South Africa, Brad Binder, who in 2016 became the Moto3 World Champion!
• In 2010 we expanded our sponsorships and launched our "MotoGP Team Experience" in partnership with Honda Gresini - for the first time offering in-paddock experiences as a full guest of a MotoGP team.
• 2011 saw our first venture in World Superbikes with our partner team Alstare Suzuki. Alas they retired at the end of the season, and in 2012 we partnered with an up-and-coming team, Kawasaki. In the space of that thrilling season, their lead rider Tom Sykes caught up with the leader Max Biaggi and came to within 0.5 points of taking the world title! We continue to work with Kawasaki, and in 2013 they fulfilled their dream of becoming World Champion, repeating this in 2015 and 2016! 2011 also saw the arrival in MotoGP of British World Supersport Champion Cal Crutchlow, with whom we have enjoyed a partnership since. We also started working with LCR Honda MotoGP.
• Also in 2012 we launched our first tour to the Isle of Man TT, immediately setting a new standard for top VIP tours. We managed to get all of our customers into the course cars for a lap at speed on the closed course just prior to the race on senior race day! We are now the acknowledged leaders in top VIP tours to the TT.
• In 2013 we expanded our team, now 7 full time with part time representation in USA and Australia. We expanded our sponsorships as well, to 5 riders in all three grids, plus SBK and Isle of Man enabling us to deliver more Team Experiences than ever before!
• In 2014 we have launched the "Pole Position Club" - our private in-paddock hospitality. We added another British World Supersport champion, Sam Lowes, to our sponsorships. We are running a new pilot into World MX, and looking into other events to add to our growing portfolio as we continue our policy of re-investment into the sport. We also brough on Pramac Ducati as another partner MotoGP Team.
• 2015 saw our expansion of the Pole Position Club, and our sponsorship of British Moto3 rider Danny Kent, who went on to take the Moto3 crown. In SBK we sponsored our first female rider, New Zealand lass Avalon Biddle, who went on to win the Womens' European Junior Cup. With Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki's triumph in SBK, we were proud sponsors of 3 world champions!
• 2016 saw further expansion. In Road Racing we ran our first tour to the Isle of Man Classic TT -- great fun! In MotoGP we started working with our 4th MotoGP team, Aspar Ducati and Irish rider Eugene Laverty. We also started working with British MotoGP rider Scott Redding. Our Pole Position Club partnered with Moto2 team Stop and Go Racing. Silverstone toppled Brno as our top event - we had over 100 team guests, plus another private hospitality! Brad Binder winning the Moto3 championship was the crowning achievement of the year.
• Pole Position Travel expanded again in the 2017 season -- we opened a new office in Barcelona over the summer; and took new premises and 3 new staff in Prague. A new web site, new products and new events; all designed to bring you the best experience of a moto tour!
• 2018 was our best year; running tours to all MotoGP events (apart from Argentina), several SBK and the Isle of Man, as well as a special tour to the Sepang pre-season test (30 events in total!) A setback occured when our largest event, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was cancelled, and we were required to refund most of our ticket customers; however as a result of this, the Isle of Man TT became our number one event (and remains so through 2023 at least)
• During 2019, we embarked on further business expansion - investing in new technology, new staff and additional marketing. Unfortunately sales were down across all events and sectors in the industry, mainly owing to recessionary fears; however our business improvements would soon show results. We also visited the new site for the MotoGP of Finland and set up a tour to this exciting event. The Isle of Man TT remains our top event.
• Needless to say, 2020 was a catastrophe. January 2020 saw record sales - as many years of experience has taught us, 'so goes January, so goes the year'; and we experienced a 30% sales growth from the rolling average of the past three years! So by February we were bouyant! We also introduced a very special product - "Legend Night" with Giacomo Agostini - joining him for dinner, drinks, a private tour of his museum and staying at his villa in Bergamo. The first event at the very end of Februrary was sadly our last event of the year as the very next day, in the very city we were celebrating the day before, COVID-19 broke out in Europe. All events ultimately were cancelled (or closed to spectators) in 2020 and we saw a 98% drop in revenue. We were forced to dismiss almost all staff and close offices; reducing the company to just 2 people. However we vowed not only to carry on, but to honour ALL bookings and payments for cancelled events. This has been a very onerous promise to keep, however we are proud that we have honoured this committment through it all.
• A few events took place in the latter half of 2021, with substantial restrictions and travel issues. However starting with the Austrian MotoGP in August -- sensationally won by our man Brad Binder (who we have supported since 2009, for many years as his sole sponsor) -- we returned to the paddock after 18 months with just 2 clients/4 people. Sadly our flagship event, Brno, was cancelled as they were unable to resurface the track as demanded by Dorna [and we could not reasonably justify money on this in light of demands to treat COVID]; and of course the Isle of Man TT was cancelled for the 2nd year in a row. Another major blow occurred when the legend Valentino Rossi annouced his retirement effective at the end of the season. We were sad that most of his fans never got to see him race again owing to pandemic and travel issues. We continued to operate the business with just 2.5 staff. BREXIT also took hold, cutting us off from any COVID relief schemes as we are an EU registered company, not UK
• 2022 saw the first shoots of revival, and we attended almost every MotoGP event, albeit with much reduced number from 2016-19 levels. We were proud to host Honda Brazil, including the global President and VP of Honda, at the Isle of Man TT! We are proud to partner with new British Moto3 team VisionTrack - and offer guests the opportunity to be guests of the team! We also work again with the re-branded RNF Racing (formerly Petronas) MotoGP Team as well as stalwarts Gresini Ducati and LCR Honda. Sadly Finland was cancelled again. Still just 2 staff plus part time assistance. We honour all credits.
• At the time of writing we are in the first half of the 2023 season. We continue to honour our pledge of credits (all expire at the end of 2023) and delighted to at last welcome two new members to our team: Harvey from South Africa and Alexi from Australia! Starting to look like a real business again!

  We are committed to full recovery and our mission of delivering the best possible Moto racing experience!

Come along for the ride, and remember: nothing beats being there!

Our mission

Our mission is to be the world leading destination specialist for world motorcycle event travel.

If you want to go to a MotoGP, Superbike or Isle of Man, or want to bring customers or clients, we will take care of all your needs. We have a specialism in VIP requirements (and a dedicated web site for this, polepositionVIP.com)

Our main customers are:

• Individuals, families and small groups of friends.
• Companies for incentive trips and client entertainment
• Clubs and other loose associations of people (if you are a club travel coordinator we will make your life a lot easier!)
• Agencies, especially those targetting their regional market (sell on commission or re-package)
• Teams and others involved in the sport itself

We believe we are the largest specialist in MotoGP travel. In fact, our strength derives from our exclusive commitment to moto sports- we don't do anything else. This enables us to focus on the key areas of knowledge which we can pull together in bringing you the best possible experience:

• Commitment to the sport and 'inside' knowledge and contact
• In-depth, on-the-ground research into the destinations; to enhance your experience off-track as well as on.
• We are bikers ourselves!

We appoint local 'destination managers' who help ensure that all goes smoothly and you get the best from your short GP weekend. Local knowledge and local language are critical to success. We speak Italian in Italy, Spanish in Spain, German in Germany, Czech in Czech Republic and even American in the USA and Australian in Australia!

Together with our event managers, we:

• Secure tickets in the grandstands we believe provide the best experience
• Select hotels which offer outstanding quality and services in their range. All hotel rooms are en-suite, and we cater for different party sizes (singles, triples, families) and stays (you must only obey the minimum length requirement and stay the night before the race day - usually Saturday night) Our deluxe packages always feature the best hotel in the region to guarantee the top event experience.
• Organise ground transport (and sometimes air!) to get you as efficiently and comfortably as possible from hotel to circuit.
• Plan parties and cultural excursions to provide you with a full programme of activities for the weekend
• Learn all we can about the destination to be able to help you plan your travel and maximise your weekend!

Us and your money

We appreciate that going to an event can mean a substantial outlay; not just in purchasing tickets and accommodation, but also your air travel, incidental costs and of course your planning time and committment of your precious holiday days.

We want you spend your money wisely. We will help you work within your budget, we will NEVER attempt to 'oversell' you, and indeed where we can suggest costs savings we will !

We promise "no traumas". We are fully insured; and enjoy strong support from our private investors. Owing to our financial strength, we pre-pay all tickets, accommodation and other services (usually long before you arrive) so there is no danger of you losing your money -- or your holiday.

Our guarantees

Our guarantee to you is simple: we strive for complete satisfaction. If you have any complaint, please contact us as soon as possible.

We treat the very few complaints we get quite seriously. Nobody is perfect, and when we have made a mistake we will bend over backwards to rectify it or compensate you for inconvenience (within our terms and conditions, limited to the total value you have paid us)

While our terms and conditions state that we can't be responsible for third party failures (typically hotel problems, issues with your tribune seat, bus breakdowns, etc.) we are here to help overcome these issues; and we will help pursue compensation where we feel it is reasonable.

If you like what we do, tell others. If you have complaints, tell us!