Mixed Emotions
Bittersweet. That, in a word, describes the final MotoGP round at Valencia. Riders, teams, fans and followers, all face the weekend of MotoGP’s last race with very mixed feelings. The time and place, Valencia in early November, has a lot going for it. The weather is perfect for racing and spectating alike, not so […]

This Is The End
For anyone who enjoyed the host of apocalyptic disaster movies which appeared at the end of the 20th century, most of which seemed to involve asteroids threatening to destroy the Earth, the atmosphere surrounding the final MotoGP round at Valencia will be instantly familiar. For almost everyone involved, either in staging, […]

The Show Must Go On
Is the MotoGP series sport or entertainment? That’s the question which has gripped and divided the world of MotoGP, both inside and outside the paddock, since roughly the end of July. At Laguna Seca, Casey Stoner had humiliated the rest of the field, beating 2nd placed Chris Vermeulen by nearly 10 […]

Whatever The Weather
It is difficult to imagine a greater contrast in climate than the chilly, blustery spring conditions of Phillip Island, which the MotoGP circus has just left, and the slow broil of Sepang, set slap bang in the middle of the tropics, where they head to this weekend. You would think that two tracks, […]

The Gathering Storm
As objects to look at, motorcycle racing tires are neither particularly impressive nor very interesting. They’re round, black, shiny when new, matte when used. Some are wider than others, some are larger than others, some have a taller profile, some have a rounder profile. Some tires are covered in a system of grooves, […]

Phillip Island Preview - Homecoming
There’s something ineffably romantic about a newly-crowned champion returning to his native soil to be feted in his home race. And at first sight, Casey Stoner would seem to fit that poetic  notion just perfectly: a handsome youngster and his beautiful young bride return home after securing the world title in […]

Encore, Maestro
Viewed strictly objectively, MotoGP is an incredibly repetitious exercise. Every other Wednesday, the whole circus rolls into another race paddock, spends a day transforming empty pit boxes into racing garages, erecting luxury hospitality units and getting ready to race. Over the next three days, a bunch of riders spend several hours riding the same […]

High Drama
There is something about the Circuito do Estoril which just exudes drama. Firstly, there’s the location: Situated just a few miles from Portugal’s wild Atlantic coast, with only a few hills between the track and the ocean, the next stop past the beach is Atlantic City, New Jersey. And being so close to […]

The Best Laid Plans
In theory, motorcycle racing is incredibly simple. Rent a racetrack for a weekend, invite a bunch of riders to bring their bikes with them, lay a set of ground rules to try and ensure fair competition, give the riders a couple of sessions to get to know the track, then come Sunday, […]

Wrong Way Round
MotoGP is the very pinnacle of technological innovation when it comes to motorcycle racing. Whether it be the carbon brakes, advanced engine electronics, trick engine internals or complex chassis design, MotoGP really is pushing the envelope, what’s known in computing circles as “the bleeding edge.” If you only had a single phrase to […]