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 […]

Turning Point
For many years now, the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic at Brno has been a turning point, a fulcrum around which the fates and fortunes of all those involved in MotoGP pivot. Its singular position has much to do with the race’s place in the MotoGP calendar, coming as it does at the […]

Long Time Coming
When it comes to racetracks, the most damning accusation that MotoGP fans can make is that a particular circuit is a “cookie cutter track.” What they mean by this is that the track consists of a bunch of symmetrical, computer-designed turns stuck together to resemble something which has just rolled off a […]

Demolition Man
Home races are something special. For every rider involved in MotoGP, indeed, for athletes involved in any form of organized sport, performing at home in front of your friends and family, and usually your most devoted fans, is a truly memorable experience. At home, you can push just that little bit harder, brake just […]

Poor Little Rich Girl
As the MotoGP circus heads for the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, it is difficult not to reflect on the curious state of affairs which surrounds American race tracks. The United States of America is the world’s largest economy, a country with vast reserves of wealth, some of the world’s most […]