On-Track Off-Road issue 193

MotoGP

FLAMER!

MotoGP’s final race at Valencia and the success for Marc Marquez summed up 2019 as the world champion logged win no.12‌but this fiery moment for Michele Pirro was also a reminder that a long season also had its moments of drama and talking points Photo by CormacGP

Supercross

HIGHLIGHTS OF PARIS Encouraging signs ahead of the 2020 AMA Supercross season for Monster Energy Yamaha’s Justin Barcia who shone at the Paris La DÊfense Arena to win his third Crown as King of Paris-Bercy. The popular event in the French capital was another premium draw for riders and public Photo by Ray Archer

MotoGP

NOT YET INTO TWILIGHT 2019 won’t be fondly remembered by Valentino Rossi among his catalogue of 24 years of Grand Prix racing, and a meek 8th position at Valencia was an apt sendoff to a term where #46’s powers have waned (46 races without a win now). But it says much for the Italian and the forces at Yamaha that Rossi was out testing again less than 48 hours late at the Ricardo Tormo and the speed shown by Maverick Viñales already could hint at happier times in ‘20 Photo by Polarity Photo

WorldSBK

ALL REDD BSB Champion Scott Redding’s career renaissance from turgid times in the MotoGP Aprilia set-up and a broken femur (all in the space of a calendar year) continued apace with an immediate welcome to the speed of WorldSBK. Will the former Grand Prix star have a quick (and lasting) impact on the Superbike results sheets?

Photo by GeeBee Images/ Jamie Morris

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MotoGP

THE FIRST

Blogs by David Emmett & Neil Morrison, Photos by CormacGP/Polarity Photo

VALENCIA IRTA TEST RICARDO TORMO CIRCUIT · NOVEMBER 19-20

MotoGP VALENCIA TEST

T PREVIEW

MotoGP

MotoGP VALENCIA TEST

MOTOGP BLOG

TOO MUCH MARQUEZ?

More than Europe’s largest MC store

“I am so proud of my brother,” Marc Marquez told the press conference in Sepang, after his brother Alex had just wrapped up the 2019 Moto2 title. “I’m proud because I think it’s very difficult to be ‘the brother of…’.

“Social media is good but sometimes it’s hard. When he asks if he should check social media, I tell him, no, don’t. Just keep pushing.

Keep going. Believe in yourself.

You are the same Alex that won the Moto3 world championship.

You are the same Alex that won four races in a row. Today he did the race of a champion. He is not ‘the brother of.’ He is Alex Marquez.”

Winning Moto2, especially the way that he did, was the moment that Alex Marquez started to step out of the giant shadow cast by his brother. After a difficult start in the category, and a year lost to organisational upheaval inside the Marc VDS team, Alex rode like a champion in his own right in 2019. He was no longer just the sibling of the champion dominating the toughest MotoGP field ever. He was double world champion Alex Marquez.

As the only rider to win the title in both Moto3 and Moto2, and the reigning Moto2 champion, he surely deserves a ride in MotoGP. But putting Alex Marquez straight into a seat in arguably the most prestigious team in motorcycle racing alongside six-time MotoGP champion brother Marc? That opens up a can of worms which would been left firmly closed if Alex had made a more leisurely alternative progression into the premier class.

Marc Marquez was clear about what he wanted: to have brother Alex alongside him in the team.

He denied it of course: “It’s in Honda’s hands, not mine,” Marc said after qualifying on Saturday.

Then again, he also denied trying to get a tow off Fabio Quartararo during qualifying in Sepang. In Valencia he was talking about his brother in the press conference on Saturday, when rumour has it the deal had been done on Thursday already.

To an extent, the options to fill the seat were limited. They were: move Taka Nakagami or Cal Crutchlow up to Repsol Honda and risk the wrath of LCR Honda boss Lucio Cecchinello, put the prematurely unemployed Johann Zarco on the bike, or promote a Moto2 rider into the Repsol team.

Signing Alex Marquez was a request which HRC could not deny Marc. Right now, there is one route for a manufacturer to winning the MotoGP title, and that is contracting Marc Marquez. The elder brother is currently in negotiations to renew his contract with Honda for 2021 and beyond, and signing Alex was arguably one way of persuading Marc to stay put in 2021.

By David Emmett

But it is also a massive risk. Sure, Alex Marquez is a two-time world champion, but his progression has not been quick, taking five seasons to win the title, and four seasons just to beat his Marc VDS teammate. How quickly will he adapt to riding a MotoGP bike?

And the pressure will be huge: at the Repsol Honda team launch back in January, Marc Marquez did not mince his words. “Being in this team means fighting for victories, podiums and the championship,” he said. “If not, it’s actually failure.” Those words will be thrown back in his face in the middle of next season, if Alex isn’t anywhere near the podium battle.

If Alex doesn’t live up to expectations, team boss Alberto Puig will have to pussyfoot around his results. What we do not know is how Marc will take criticism of his younger brother. Will he be as hard in his judgement as he was with 2019 teammate Jorge Lorenzo? Or will he make excuses, and want Alex to be treated with kid gloves?

History shows that riders leave a winning ride with a factory when they feel they are no longer being shown the respect they deserve. Valentino Rossi left Honda for Yamaha when he felt Honda believed his victories were down to the bike. He left Yamaha when he felt they were paying more attention to Jorge Lorenzo than him. Lorenzo, in turn, left Yamaha for Ducati when he felt Yamaha weren’t sufficiently grateful for his 2015 title. Lorenzo left Ducati when CEO Claudio Domenicali criticised him in public.

What happens when Alberto Puig or HRC boss Tetsuhiro Kuwata start to publicly hint that Alex isn’t fast enough? Will Marc ignore the criticism and focus on himself, or will he take it as a slight on his family? Will he demand respect not just for himself, but for his brother as well? And what if Honda decide not to extend the one-year deal signed with Alex?

Could this be what pushes Marc Marquez out at Honda? There is a huge potential minefield for distraction whatever the scenario.

Two Marquez brothers inside one team may end up being one too many.

MotoGP

MotoGP VALENCIA TEST

BLOG

SMOOTH LIKE BUTTER

More than Europe’s largest MC store

That was a strange experience walking down pit lane at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit last week. For all the new parts, new colours and new machines on show, it was the absence of one figure that stood out. For the first time in eleven years Jorge Lorenzo was missing from the buzz and talk of possible race winners and title candidates.

Eleven years is a long stay at the top of any profession. By the end, it appeared as much. Repsol Honda proved to be one challenge too far as Lorenzo’s 2019 quickly turned into an ordeal as big and sustained as one could imagine any elite sportsman going through.

It was telling to hear him speak of his emotions prior to his final race at Valencia. Rather than aiming high he was admitted to pressing the ‘safety button’. “I imagined I’d feel relaxed. But I felt the opposite.

I got pressure because … I didn’t want to crash during the race.”

There were some desperate moments across these past nine months. Too many to mention here. But as we move through the months and years, 2019 will be nothing more than a footnote for

one of the giants of the modern era. When he was good, Jorge was untouchable. Or as Cal Crutchlow put it, “sometimes you were on the podium and you wouldn’t even be in the same race as him.” In an era that produced Rossi, Stoner, Pedrosa and Marquez, Jorge beat them all. How’s that for a calling card?

and Rainey and only Rossi, Agostini, Marquez and Doohan won more races in the premier class.

Make no mistake: in Lorenzo we were dealing with racing royalty.

But more than that it was how he did it. When Lorenzo first hit the scene he was cocky, he was brash and he rubbed many up the wrong way.

For a career as long-lasting and a character as complicated, where do we start? Well, the numbers bear out the widely held opinion that he ranks among the best we’ve ever seen. In terms of titles there were five (as he so often reminded us). In terms of wins there were 68. And in terms of top threes only one rider ascended the steps to a podium more times than he. His three MotoGP titles have him level with Roberts Senior

A personal favourite story was provided in Casey Stoner’s autobiography. It centred on Estoril, 2008 and the first of his 47 MotoGP wins. Jorge had just triumphed in his third premier class race.

He could say what he wanted to whom he wanted. And he did just that. Perplexed by Stoner’s absence from the victory fight, Lorenzo approached Livio Suppo – then Ducati’s team boss – and smilingly inquired, ‘what happened

By Neil Morrison

to Stoner? A problem with the head?’ Casey later seethed, “he seemed to have become arrogant beyond belief.”

But Lorenzo would mature and learn to curb that flair for selfgratitude. More than anything it was those early years as Valentino Rossi’s team-mate, where he withstood all manner of snipes, barbs and internal scheming, that solidified that mental edge.

Bruised and battered by a series of rookie crashes in 2008, he pushed the Italian hardest a year later, but lost. Never mind. Back he came in 2010, stronger, faster and with greater consistency. Even before Rossi’s leg break at Mugello, Jorge had him on the ropes. That steadfast belief became a hallmark of the eight years that followed.

He was tough. Boy was he tough. A fourth place two days after fracturing both ankles during free practice for the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix was the first in a string of remarkable feats. His ride to fifth place at Assen five years later, two days after fracturing a right collar-

bone, is just as breathtaking now as it was then. Incredibly Jorge was the fastest rider on track for four of that day’s 26 laps. How he then rallied to push Marquez right the way to the final round was, to borrow the words of veteran journalist Mike Scott, “awe-inspiring.”

To sustain these feats, Jorge had developed a style all of his own. He developed his silky smooth, languid movements, born on a 250, to devastating effect on Yamaha’s M1.

To watch him trackside brought to mind Jim Redman’s old quote about Mike Hailwood: “You knew he was going fast when he looked slow.”

He was in the Stoner-Marquez mould of making the impossible appear normal, his wide, arching lines and barely believable lean angles eliciting gasps from anyone close to his telemetry readouts.

I’ll never forget Bradley Smith’s astonishment at Jorge’s pole lap at Valencia, 2015. “I get to look at the data and sometimes it can be a bit demoralising,” admitted the Englishman. “[Like], ‘how the hell did you do that?’ He had half

a second on me in the last sector alone which kills me because I’m sideways, crossed up, and can’t do any more. And he’s still finding half a second on me!”

We had never seen consistency on two wheels like it. The differences in his lap times could be measured in hundredths and thousandths rather than tenths. His concentration and ability to withstand pressure was mesmerising. That third MotoGP title, sparring with Rossi all year, was peak Jorge.

Then no bump in the road could keep him down. Time and time again mistake or misfortune lost him ground. But time and time again he rallied, returning stronger.

By Motegi, Rossi looked fatigued, aged and ragged. And let’s put the bullshit conspiracies to one side here: it was Jorge’s refusal to wilt that led Rossi to orchestrate his own high-profile downfall, rather than the work of any higher power.

It leads us back to that arrogance.

Or, as others see it, enduring selfbelief. Davide Tardozzi, grizzled ex-racer and Ducati team boss, certainly saw it that way.

BLOG

“I am a person who never drops his shoulders, that never gives up,” he told Manuel Pecino last year. “But Jorge taught me that the limit can be taken much further. With his determination, perseverance and selfconfidence he made us believe we would get the result we were looking for. I won’t deny Jorge made me change my mentality.”

It wasn’t always plain sailing, however.

When it was bad, it was really bad. That Assen high-side in 2013 left him with mental scars and a fear of repeating injury.

When he lacked sufficient feel from there, Jorge was lost at sea. Freddie Spencer is the only serial champion that comes close to matching the highs that could be as dazzling as the lows were perplexing. Let it not be forgotten this was a man who once lapped Assen ten seconds a lap slower than Colombian journeyman Yonny Hernandez in that sodden encounter in 2016.

It would be fair to say Jorge was no regular guy. He could be stroppy and temperamental. His personal entourage changed almost by the year and one former colleague even doubted if he had learned their name six months into a working relationship. He lacked the inter-personal skills of a Marquez or a Rossi. This worked against him as he switched from Yamaha to Ducati then Honda with only one colleague –

Juan Llansa – following him through. At times his dealings with the media had a rehearsed quality. He rarely displayed the wit, spontaneity or natural charm of a Rossi and had an occasional knack for saying the wrong thing (Montmeló 2016 when he claimed hadn’t been consulted on the decision to introduce the Formula1 chicane in the wake of Luis Salom’s death when he himself had missed the Safety Commission meeting the evening before springs to mind).

But then not everyone is a natural showman. His own efforts at grandstanding celebrations gave way for raw shows of emotion in the later years. When his strict upbringing is considered – father Chicho worked him hard from a young age at his riding school in Majorca and openly admitted to using training methods deployed

by Israeli Defence Force to hone his son’s concentration – it really is rather remarkable that Jorge functioned as well as he did.

And this was functioning at the very highest level. “Honda and Jorge Lorenzo cannot fight to just score some points or even top five or podium, that I think could be possible with time,” he reasoned in his farewell address at Valencia. “I think we are both winners that need to fight to win.” Anything less wouldn’t suffice. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was Jorge Lorenzo to a tee.

Polarity Photo

Photo: R. Schedl

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FEATURE

JOAN MIR

By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Polarity photo

3 STEPS TO MotoGP

FEATURE

M

otoGP is tight, tense and pressurised on a normal day but the stakes were raised for 2019 thanks to the influx of new and eager throttle hands.

Fabio Quartararo, Miguel Oliveira, Pecco Bagnaia and Joan Mir represented the next generation of high-class athletes to hit the elite: two world champions, all Grand Prix winners and all graduates of the steps through Moto3 and Moto2.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Mir however had a slightly different trajectory. Less than eighteen months before he’d first sampled the power of the works GSX-RR the Mallorcan was celebrating the Moto3 World Championship after just his second campaign in Grand Prix. Such was his dominance in 2017 (10 triumphs) and immediate excellence in Moto2 that the recently-turned 22 year old was quickly identified by the Suzuki factory as the hottest talent to snare.

Mir’s ascent has been dizzying and his arrival among ‘the big boys’ has asked a lot from what is already a very focussed and dedicated but also likeable youngster. In August, while rounding the quick Brno circuit in the Czech Republic for a 2020 test and mere hours after the Grand Prix, Mir crashed heavily at 300kmph through Turn 1. He

It was a setback to an otherwise steady and impressive term (ten top 10 results) where the emphasis had been on education. Mir had not snared the limelight like Quartararo but had caught the eye in the same way that Oliveira had been vindicating his worthiness on the fledgling KTM. As #36 takes the final laps of Jerez in tests for 2020 we decided to ask Mir about three lessons – or guidelines – he’s had to deal with in scaling the steepest curve…

1

“MotoGP IS THE FASTEST AND THE HARDEST LEVEL OF RACING SO I KNOW I NEEDED TO BE STRONG AND READY…”

Preparation for a racing season, especially a new one, is a bit like studying for an exam.

You want to know as much as possible. You want to try and remove doubt. The ‘exam’ itself is when you arrive at the first tests of the year in Malaysia which involves three days, 75 laps a day and in high temperatures. Only when you get there do you know if you have prepared well…or you need to revise a bit more! In my case I was happy this year because I knew I was in good shape and I know there are other riders

who find that kind of work harder in MotoGP. I could do as many laps as I wanted and that allowed me to find a good feeling with the bike.

I thought the bike would be heavier but the truth is that it is not much more than Moto2, more or less the same but of course the big difference is in the power, especially braking. Coming onto a straight it accelerates so hard and as a consequence – and because of the speed – you spend more time on the brakes.

JOAN MIR

was briefly hospital with chest and lung injuries and missed races in Austria and Great Britain. At Valencia for the season-closer recently, team manager Davide Brivio commented that Mir was still “not 100%” after the accident.

FEATURE

The sense of inertia is much higher in MotoGP as you are dealing with more force. It is something we had to work towards, above all in the gym with some weights. I already made a step in that respect from Moto3 to Moto2 and had to do a bit more for MotoGP. I did not gain more weight but I worked on my physical condition to be leaner and stronger and with more stamina. So we worked more in the gym compared to 2018 and I can notice it when I’m on the bike.

“I CRASHED IN THE FIRST CORNER...I REMEMBER THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO BREATHE, I HAD BLOOD IN MY MOUTH...YOU THINK ABOUT THE BIKE AFTERWARDS AND WHEN YOU ARE ALMOST READY TO RIDE AGAIN BUT ALL THESE NEGATIVE THINGS YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD...”

I train a lot with a motorcycle: three-four times at least during the week. But I also don’t leave my gym work because that’s important for MotoGP. In Moto3 I was fit but not so much; Moto2 required another level and then another for MotoGP. I think it’s critical otherwise you don’t arrive to the end of the race. You can always train as much as you like, but the day after the MotoGP you always have pain in your muscles.

I’ve always been a bit of a sportsman and I keep active, so to do training has never been a problem for me. I trained a lot for Moto2 and that meant the move to MotoGP was not too big or

2

“YOU NEED TO GET YOUR HEAD IN THE RIGHT SPACE…”

Every year you need to change your mentality. You can never stay the same. The good and the bad of always trying to improve is that you always have a new challenge. I had my

first year in Moto3, then the second year I changed from KTM to Honda and won the championship, then directly to Moto2 – another new challenge – then MotoGP and a factory team. I’m accustomed to changes! I hope it will be the same for 2020! I hope to be here for a while. I’m also happy to look back and see the evolution I’ve made and now I’m with the best of the bike in MotoGP. Honestly, there are some moments when you think ‘how did I get here’ or ‘what am I doing here?!’ This happens when the results don’t come but I feel I’ve made some signs and results, especially near the beginning of the sea-

son. Insecurities come if you are running near the back and it is hard to even do that!

- but I have the overriding feeling that we are progressing.

After the accident in Brno I had to see how I felt – technically – on the bike again.

I crashed in the first corner for a technical problem, it was not my fault. I remember that it was difficult for me to breathe, I had blood in my mouth but the medical people came really fast. You think about the bike afterwards and when you are almost ready to ride again but all these negative things you have to get out of your head. The more you think about it, the worse it is. I came back for a test in Misano but missed race time.

On the second day of the test I already felt really tired. The doctor said the injury probably should take six months but we will work on aerobic and anaerobic area because that’s where I struggle more.

At home in Andorra where it’s cold and no humidity I feel really good. We have to continue working and I need to think about how to get ready. The doctors will also explain and help. In the end, I’m young, I don’t have time to think about the crash, about the confidence, no way. I need to be at 100%!

JOAN MIR

strange or did I feel I needed ‘more’. I worked harder because I wanted to be safe and sure that I would not fall short for MotoGP.

FEATURE

JOAN MIR “DOES IT FEEL TOO EARLY TO BE IN THE MotoGP CLASS? I DON’T THINK SO. IF YOU SEE MY LINE HERE THEN I DON’T THINK THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME FROM NOTHING TO TITLES, WINS AND MOTO2 PODIUMS TO A FACTORY TEAM IN SUCH A SHORT TIME...”

FEATURE

When I was injured it was difficult: I don’t like to watch races on TV! I don’t like it! I hate it!

3

“MotoGP IS A LIFE-CHANGER…” The level I’m at now means more obligations. You also have more ‘pressure’: people following you, people expecting results and performance from you. This is also something that grows depending on the results you make. If you are a rookie then it starts quite high because everyone wants to know how you are getting on and how you are progressing and it’s a question that the press are always interested in. It is a fast but steady build-up. I would not say it is a massive explosion of attention. I didn’t have any

moments of anxiety really. I think that’s because of my character but also the people I have around me, as in the team. Suzuki gives me a lot of confidence in that respect.

They are really good: when things are going well they celebrate with me and when they don’t they are the first to find a solution to problems. I put pressure on myself: nothing comes from the team and I think that is amazing.

I had a lot of success in Moto3, adapted fast to Moto2 and now I’m here and my attitude to racing has not really changed in that time. I’m not really a person that can laugh while I’m working – outside

Does it feel too early to be in the MotoGP class? I don’t think so. If you see my line here then I don’t think there are many people who have come from nothing to titles, wins and Moto2 podiums to a factory team in such a short time. I think the second half of my first Moto2 season could have gone better but there were problems inside the team [Marc VDS underwent a dramatic management change] that I could not control. The results were not the same as they were at the start of 2018 but I think I had already showed that the skill necessary for that class is to adapt quickly and that’s what we did. I know I am in MotoGP because I deserve to be.

Suzuki gave me a chance to be here but they were not the only ones offering. I think a factory would be not so stupid to sign someone they didn’t think would be good enough, and I had three or four teams thinking the same way: I keep that in my head but I also know we haven’t done anything yet.

JOAN MIR

the track then yes – I’m serious when I should be. You have to be focussed here and on what you need to do.

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MXGP BLOG

THE HOTTEST SEAT...

HRC are world champions in MXGP and MotoGP but it’s curious to see how the company have handled the allotment of the second saddles next to Tim Gajser and Marc Marquez.

In Valencia last week Honda dominated the headlines before, during and after the final round of MotoGP: Lorenzo, Marquez and seat-swapping. All the fuss about Moto2 world champion Alex Marquez taking the vacated Repsol Honda HRC berth next to his brother and in the Triple Crown winning set-up for 2020 struck a small chord for me with the HRC operation in MXGP where Australian Mitch Evans slots next to Tim Gajser. It seems that Honda are facing questions over the wisdom of their choices alongside their #1 athletes.

Although Alex Marquez’s predicament is tinged with nepotism and he had to break a contract with the Marc VDS team to take up the Honda opportunity, the 23 year old is a Moto3 and Moto2 world champion and is wholly deserving of his MotoGP shot; regardless of his surname. Evan’s position – as a one-season rookie of Grand Prix

racing – is markedly different. In fact, a comment I saw on Twitter regarding the official announcement of his contract – something along the lines of ‘he must be paying for it’ – prompted some dismay.

It seems unbelievable that the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer and arguably the most advanced race team in MXGP would have to contemplate a cutpriced option as a second rider.

Certainly not one that has to fork out.

Part of the suspicion or reaction from MXGP followers may come for two reasons. Firstly in 2017 Honda made a double signing of Brian Bogers and Calvin Vlaanderen from the ashes of the HSF Logistics MX2 team and the principal sponsor went along with both Dutchmen. Bogers and Vlaanderen had shown potential in MX2 and their signatures were

generally accepted as a change of strategy for Honda after their expensive investment in Gautier Paulin but these were not A-list acquisitions for the brand to accompany Gajser, who had rocked the MXGP class on his debut term in 2016. The fact that Bogers struggled with injury, then form and results and Vlaanderen was overlooked for the MXGP deal for 2020 adds to the ‘stop-gap’ feeling of the deal.

Secondly, deliberation and rejection of a rider with Max Anstie’s skillset (the Englishman seems all but certain to leave MXGP for 2020 after being left out in the cold) and the strong ensembles at KTM (Cairoli, Herlings, Prado), Kawasaki (Desalle, Febvre) and Yamaha (Paulin, Seewer, Tonus) means that the HRC wing is struggling for similar billing and strength as their rivals.

By Adam Wheeler

It’s important to remember that Evans is not an unknown or a random punt for Honda. He already caught the eye with a top ten finish in the slime of RedBud for the 2018 Motocross of Nations, riding a CRF450R for his country, and was then signed-up for the second year of Livia Lancelot’s 114 Motorsports team to replace Hunter Lawrence in MX2. A podium finish on his debut in Argentina last March was a revelation. But then the long, hard education of a full Grand Prix season and several crashes weakened the tall rider’s impact.

For MXGP Honda have promoted from within and they have identified youth. In this respect there are similarities to the strategy with Marquez in MotoGP, although the Catalan is from the same family and management group rather than Honda specifically (also, it could be argued that he was able to really excel in Moto2 only when Honda’s engines had been replaced by Triumph).

To gain some insight to the Evans appointment I called former HRC MX General Manager Roger Harvey, now an official advisor to the team.

“When Mitch opened his account in Argentina that was impressive and he rode well for the first half of the season but ran into problems when he tried to drop weight for the 250,” he says. “We could see the potential was there.”

Evans has only recently turned 21 and would have been eligible for two more years in MX2 but his imposing frame and capabilities on the 450 meant a more natural fit in MXGP. Whatever the Australian showed (and the approach he took to his racing) in 2019 clearly resonated with both current General Manager Marcus Pereira de Freitas and Harvey and he was signed to the second CRF early in the summer. “We knew he would be better on a 450 and it is also an age thing and that’s why he became such a strong option,” Harvey adds. “Taking another proven rider for 2020 was an option…but we wanted something similar to Tim

in the past where we could school, learn and teach someone with a lot of capability.”

“He will be given time,” Harvey continues. “MXGP is so stacked now.

We know we have a youngster. If he gets up to running 10th-12th then that’s something we’d be looking for [in 2020].”

Roger admits that Evans’ newcomer status in the world championship carries favourable financial implications compared to, say, an established GP winner (“we all work to budgets…) and in the general picture of Gajser allegedly being one of the best paid riders in the series with his long-term Honda agreement. But #43’s luck or positive timing is to be in the right place at the right moment with the right age and the right prospect.

HRC is one of the largest set-ups in MXGP but two of their factory foes have three-rider rosters, mainly to cope with the demands of twenty rounds, forty motos and sixty starts in 2020.

MXGP BLOG

It begs the question why can’t Honda do the same and give Evans that ‘third rider/junior/development’ role? They could have even kept Vlaanderen; an athlete who has aged out of MX2 and admirably represented their nowmysteriously up-in-the-air 250 programme. “There was a consideration to run three riders but ultimately the decision was made to focus totally on two projects for MXGP and squarely on product development for the future,” concludes Harvey. “We wanted to bring Calvin up to MXGP a year earlier but he wanted one more chance to try and crack MX2. He was considered.”

Alex Marquez could have only a few months to hit the ground running before the vast MotoGP contract movements for 2021 begin (almost the whole paddock is available) and Evans could be in the same predicament, even though contract durations have not aligned as neatly in MXGP as MotoGP. If anything, the situation for Vlaanderen, who is now on a Yamaha, proves that pressure to deliver and make the right

choices is crucial when it comes to career openings with the best equipment and structures in the sport.

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www.ktm.com

ktm More delights from EICMA and KTM presented three new models with specific purposes.

The 2020 1290 Super Duke R is the third generation of the leading naked model in the Austrian range – a model that CSO Hubert Trunkenpolz described at the “ultimate naked bike” – and the key features seem to be another boost in power and incremental weight-saving across a motorcycle that has been radically overhauled. The 390 Adventure is a no-brainer: an agile but sophisicated off-roader that has taken germs of the conquering 450 Rally Dakar-winning model

to enable riders to have a first, simplistic taste of the dirt. It was the introduction of the 890 Duke R that caught our attention though and is a typical ‘KTM’ offering: a road bike that could roll out onto the track in a heartbeat. The beefed-up engine is complimented by a more racier aspect with the chassis, Brembo brakes, WP Suspension, Michelin tyres and electronics to match.

We’re currently riding a 790 Duke with all the PowerPart trimmings and can only fantasise how the new 890 must feel.

PRODUCTS

gatsby If you spotted Fabio Quartararo, Franco Morbidelli or any of the Petronas Yamaha SRT MotoGP team (and Moto2 and Moto3 athletes) sporting a sculptured thatch in the last two races of ‘19 then it might be the fault of 41-year old cosmetics firm Gatsby. The crew signed a sponsorship deal with the company to highlight a range of grooming products, largely from their Malaysian base. There is a selection of ‘Moving Rubber’ hair styling options. Gatsby is an international brand and distribution points can be found through the company’s website.

www.gatsbyglobal.com

FEATURE

makin

By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Ray Archer

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FEATURE

THE

2019 FIM Motocross World Championship ended with a historic milestone trip to Shanghai for the first ever Grand Prix of China. It was the last of eighteen dates in the series run from February to mid-September visiting three continents, fifteen different countries and which is traditionally rounded-off by the annual Motocross of Nations.

For 2020 ‘MXGP’ will consist of twenty fixtures and will again bounce between South America, Asia and Europe.

For organisers and promoters Youthstream the FIM World Championship is a year-long undertaking that involves a crew of 150 people moving from circuit to circuit and in a process of construct-deconstruct.

For decades international motorsport has been likened to a ‘travelling circus’ forever on the road. MXGP may have modernised to seek out the best facilities where top racing talent can push limits and put on a show but there are still earthy roots in the ‘temporary’ nature of motocross. In 2020 there will still be Grands Prix at venues with years and years of history and other fixtures at brand new locations where a muddy track is sculpted and taken away in a mater of days.

MXGP is more mobile, compact and adjustable than ‘cousins’ such as MotoGP and WorldSBK that need the vast size and scale of the same circuits season-in, seasonout.

The championship might involve over thirty officially entered riders both in the MX2 and MXGP categories and then entertain hundreds of racers in the support classes of the European Championship and WMX at select Grands Prix, but the cost to bring the spectacle to a country or territory is much lower compared to the millions asked by the likes of MotoGP and F1. According to 2018 stats MXGP attracts 57 million TV viewers and has a flowering social media reach that extends to several million Facebook likes, website visits, YouTube views. MXGP’s flexibility and grass roots appeal means it can tap into some markets where other motorsports cannot be found.

“The general demand for a grand prix is high and we have 25-26 requests from organisers for what will be 20 races,” says Youthstream CEO David Luongo. “So we have to make choices based on the best projects and popularity.

It is always the same: in Europe you have less races that are supported by the government through the

“We have to make a calendar of twenty races because our target is to develop the sport worldwide and for sure you have some that are financially less good or stable than others… but in the end those that fare less well – maybe because of bad weather - help those other ones. You put that in a total budget and that’s how your world championship works.”

Constructing the fabric of a global series means speculating on new partners and proposals and then banking on regular, well-attended Grands Prix where the passion for motocross burns bright, such as France, Germany, Italy (three rounds in 2019), to name but three.

“Recently the race where we really feel there are ‘no limits’ is in Indonesia,” Luongo says.

“The market is more than five million bikes sold per year and at the last event in Semarang we had 150 riders in the national race. There were 65, 85, 125 kids and, for sure,

at some point some of those will join us in the European Championship because that is the next step. If you don’t have a Grand Prix overseas then it is much harder to develop those riders. If you visit them then you create the dream and in five, six years who knows where those kids might be? Our mission is not to just develop sport in one area, it is to go wherever we can, and sometimes make the first impression and see how the market reacts.”

“Latvia is a good example,” he adds. “We went there first in 2009 and Pauls Jonass was their first world champion in 2017 and we have a lot of eastern European riders now in the European Championships. I think in the top twenty of classes like 85, 125 and 250 we have something like sixteen-seventeen nationalities. Thirty years ago it was the same four-five as usual.

That’s not to take anything away from countries like France, Belgium and the UK but the more countries you ‘touch’ the bigger your sport is.”

PLACING THE ‘FOOTPRINT’ Size is something that Youthstream have had to juggle since the end of 2003 and when the company purchased the rights to MXGP. The ‘old’ classes of 125, 250 and 500cc

MAKING MXGP

tourist and sport departments. It is more based on ticketing. Overseas the sport has extra backing because governments might want to grow a sport or activity or use it as a tourism tool. So there are two different ways of managing an event and it is the same in most sports.”

FEATURE used to run independently and only came together in the same place on the same day consistently in a single championship from 2001. By 2004 the reformatting to ‘MX2’ and ‘MX1’ (now MXGP) instigated the shape, presentation and community of the sport as it is today. MXGP grew from fifteen fixtures to twenty and also expanded in terms of the set-up at the circuits themselves.

Typically Youthstream first have to occupy an empty facility, where adjustments have likely to have been made to the racing surface and layout in terms of preparation and bringing it up to world championship spec. This means challenging obstacles but also a degree of effort towards secure and spectacular jumps, FIM rules for protection and margins for safety, a regulation length of 1.6km and with an average speed that does not exceed 60kmph.

Before the teams arrive and begin to park-up and unpack at a Grand Prix (that comes to life on Friday afternoon but with official sessions starting Saturday morning) Youthstream are already erecting elements like the ‘Skybox’ start gate and VIP zone, the two-floored pitlane, the camera towers and positions, installation of timing systems, trackside advertising and

“We used to be about thirty people but that number has grown,” reveals Logistics Manager Stefan Husar who has been part of the Youthstream staff roster for twelve years and used to head-up security and also TV infrastructure. “We are able to build a Grand Prix framework in three days. Our ideal plan is to start Wednesday and by Friday we are clean and ready.

We also build the hospitality structures and that means a lot of work. We have done it in shorter time period before but that is really difficult.

The break-down takes us a day, as we start on Sunday afternoon right after the races.”

“Different tracks present different challenges,” he adds. “A flat place like Lommel [Grand Prix of Belgium] can be pretty easy but one that is on a hill and is tight, like Loket [Czech Republic] or Teutschenthal [Germany], is much harder. It can also be raining sometimes and that makes it more complicated. The pitlane looks like a fairly simple structure but it is fifteen tons of iron to assemble only with manpower.”

MAKING MXGP

every other minor detail that classifies the meeting as a ‘Grand Prix’ compared to any other other race. There are organisational, commercial and operational considerations that range from establishing offices, peripheral entertainment, marketing opportunities, retail and, of course, the biggest outlay: the live TV broadcast with two outside broadcast trucks containing studio space, commentary positions, post-production facilities and equipment for the use of drones and GoPro cameras.

FEATURE

“The trackside [bannering] has to be done by the middle of the afternoon on Friday for the FIM inspection and track walk for camera positions and bridges are in a secure place.

It all has to be homologated and some things might have to be moved just to make them a bit safer for the riders; we work with the FIM on that. An example would be placement of a bridge before a jump takeoff and not after, and other structures must be a minimum

of three metres away from the track. They deal with the local club for any strawbales but we try to make sure nothing is in the way.”

“TV is a separate crew, but we build the camera towers based on their feedback for positioning and height. Every circuit is different so we have to physically walk the track and have to decide with the director.

Even though we go to many of the same circuits we always try

to modify or change the positions or the angles.”

Husar’s team hustle pre-andpost event, and for back-toback Grands Prix this can mean a hectic week. During the race itself the crew are still busy. “Mainly we are on standby,” he says. “Between the races the boards are cleaned and other small jobs such as the gate and mesh being cleaned.

We also help the timing and Skybox guys who are busy all

I think it is easy to see just in the paddock alone.”

CATERING FOR THE CAST

The introduction of the European Championship to the MXGP support card in the last ten years has tested the confines and resources of circuits, simply through the amount of riders, trucks and transport that need to find practical working space. The introduction of more structures in the basic make-up of a Grand Prix has blossomed the modern face of MXGP in the last ten years. “It has changed a lot,” Husar evaluates. “In the past we did not have the Skybox or the double tiered pitlane and there are also more pub-

With the stage set, a Grand Prix has to wait for the ‘players’. At certain rounds the teams will arrive in droves and in all manner of set-up; from the vast double rigs of factory KTM, Yamaha and Honda to the humble van and awning combinations of the privateer.

It’s the responsibility of Paddock Manager Yves Doriot – a twenty-five year veteran of the role – to squeeze them in an orderly fashion and formulate the ‘manufacturer lanes’ that see the various colours of MXGP grouped together, as well as create a living area for the riders to park their motorhomes.

licity boards to place now.

More sponsors are good for the sport in general. It is still growing, and I think MXGP now is on a different level to what it was twelve years ago.

“We have around fifty-seven trailers because the support categories in the European Championship also have some big trucks,” he reveals. “The tendency now is more towards

big teams and less privateers.

It is quite well organised. We have around forty riders in the EMX250 and thirty-five in EMX125s that are also in team structures, so there are more transports when you count all the classes. I would say the volume space of each team is still increasing a little bit.

There are at least one or two more trailers ever year. There are more hospitalities. Just for HRC I need to find a space that is 73m long.”

Like the demands on Husar’s squad, Doriot and his staff have to adapt to the peculiarities of each individual circuit.

“A traditional moto club only has so much space,” he laments. “I have to fit the Grand Prix classes and then survive in the best possible way with the European classes. New facilities and those in permanent motorsport circuits are far easier. There are difficult places like Arco di Trento [Italy] but this is also my favourite circuit on the calendar.

The club do clever things to make space, and every year they look at their budget and ask what they can do to increase the small room they have. In other places nothing happens at all, despite making requests.”

Youthstream provide each circuit/club/organiser with a ‘manual’ each year, which is like a ‘Dummy’s guide to…’

MAKING MXGP

day especially on Sunday with podium ceremonies. We also build the sound system in the Media Centre for press conferences. So we are active with maintenance jobs.”

FEATURE Grand Prix. Inside are all the requirements; from internet speed to power, to water supply to square metres. New organisers will have scoped-out other events to grasp the full scale of MXGP and this will certainly be the case for overseas rounds where the championship will revert from trucks and workshops to crates and freight.

“All the teams try to use a MotoGP-style box system, which is nice because when they are unpacked and constructed then there is a mechanic work area and a section for the riders to have some privacy. At the moment the level is good,”

says Doriot, who often has to re-fit the paddock into a temporary ‘hangar-type’ installation or use a permanent pitlane complex, as was the case for the Grand Prix of Qatar at Losail between 2013 and 2017.

toms but thanks to our shipping partners that has not happened for a while now.”

MXGP is big, shiny, colourful and varied and - on the whole - very accessible with the public permitted entrance to paddocks.

“I still think we can improve Circuits have had to update the organisation with the flooring and areas to cope with teams: using one bike per rider the amount of semi articulated would be better for everyone trucks and rigs. but some people don’t want that,” Doriot opines. “OtherIn 2020 the technical and wise we have a good, timely homely ‘hub’ of Grand Prix could system. A team like KTM could shape-shift once more. “I think use something like seven it will, because one factory team crates. There were famous has an idea and I think it will problems in the past when change the face of the paddock,” teams would put food inside Doriot says. “If it can happen the crate or other products technically then I think people and we’d have trouble at cuswill want to follow. The factory

GOING THROUGH THE SCREEN Assisting the expansion is the provision of live TV broadcasts from each grand prix.

The coverage helps to put the cumbersome timetable of four 35 minute races on a Sunday afternoon in front of eyeballs in living rooms or through tablets anywhere in the world thanks to the MXGP.TV online platform. The technology and expertise needed to capture a race where many corners and sections can easily be obscured by a weaving track is undoubtedly one of Youthstream’s biggest expenditures.

It is also the largest ‘calling card’ of exposure for the sport, so it has to be right. The live broadcast is complimented by other facets of production such as the 26-minute highlights show, feature reports, onboard laps, pre-start interviews and more.

Transmitting MXGP calls for another dedicated group of professionals. “We have seven people from the TV crew on post-production,” says Cristian Punturiero, Executive Post Production. “All those

are working on editing, video and clips that are made during the live broadcast like the interviews and reports, GoPro track previews and the paddock loop: we prepare all those things. We have one person specifically on GoPros, who collects a lot of images from helmets, start gates and podiums. It’s a different point of view compared to a standard camera. We then have four cameramen running left-and-right to film nice stuff away from the Live signal and with the super-slow mo high frame rate equipment: most of that is used in the 26 minute highlight programme called ‘Behind the Gate’ which is prepared on Sunday night and can mean some very late evenings because it has to be ready for Monday.”

Punturiero and his magicians can get creative with the dynamism and aggression of motocross racing but there is another steadfast team whose duty is to purely cover the action in real time. “The Live crew is bigger,” Punturiero states. “We have eleven cameras, radio frequency and static cameras. You need operators for those. There is also a drone operator and in 2019 we worked more on improving these images for the broadcast. In total I would say we could be between 25-30 people for the live production.”

The challenges of providing the same standard at overseas races and away from MXGP’s European base are tackled by maintaining the personnel.

Punturiero: “The key people are always the same. You can use some local crew but it is important for consistency to have the same operators such as the engineers, director, editors, main cameramen and RF cameramen.”

TV is an ever-changing and potentially wallet-busting landscape. “Oh, so much!

Everything. Fantastic growth,” Punturiero grins. “Mainly because of the quality of the equipment. HD is obviously the biggest thing compared to ten years ago but also the hardware and software has progressed so much. It’s all different. Even the working space in the truck and how we filter and use everything for social media has really changed the game. ‘MX Live’ [the forerunner to MXGP.tv] was a big thing and when we saw how good we could make the product through the internet…then MXGP TV became an incredible platform.

We can have 50,000 people live-streaming thanks to good satellite and broadcast technical partners. EBU [European Broadcasting Union] give us the structure to have a very good quality video.”

MAKING MXGP

teams are really professional now and the quality of their work is on a very high level.

The fact that it is all becoming bigger is not really a problem.

Support teams now are on the level that the factories were ten years ago.”

FEATURE TV encompasses strands of the timing system that is branded by Tag Heuer and also on the verge of the same technical upgrade (the way bikes carry transponders and cut the signals).

“The time keeping department is also growing every year and now have more lap sectors than before,” says Punturiero.

“We work to be faster and to have the best connection between the time keeping office and the TV truck. It means as soon as the rider hits the finish line then we have all the results and standings immediately to hand and to use on the screen and the broadcast graphics.”

Motocross is open to the four seasons. A race in fantastic weather can still create dust and roost while torrential rain can create a notorious ‘mudder’. Motorcycles and riders’ stamina are not the only things that take a battering.

“Different cameras positions mean different lenses and we can go from 60 to 40 but the camera has to show a good, clear image that is also dynamic and show the sponsors and atmosphere,” Punturiero claims. “We invest a lot each year to keep the quality. Every year there is something new and I think the viewers demand that. For post-production we also have to renew the cameras because you can imagine how the conditions

cause deterioration each year.

There has to be a lot of careful cleaning and maintenance. At the end of the season it is all serviced.”

Riders stretch the limits of their conditioning and their health, manufacturers strive to forge machinery that will lower lap-times and Youthstream are constantly analysing what working methods can be improved to make creation of a Grand Prix easier or more practical. TV is the vanguard of progress and Punturiero has an opinion of where it can go next. “We are now talking about 4K,” he comments.

“It is not a simple change to make because it means the people at home have to

MXGP pushed up to twenty rounds in 2018 and will re-create that longest ever season starting next March. It is a far

cry from the nine rounds and countries that took part in the inaugural FIM championship back in 1957 but – like the bikes themselves – nothing ever stands still.

MAKING MXGP

have a receiver for it. More onboards could be nice but it is difficult because you can imagine how the camera lasts with the muddy track. We can grow with technology and see how we can incorporate things like GoPro signal into the Live signal. Right now we are using quite a few options, such as the 360 camera for social media so people can feel like they are on the bike with the rider. The cameras we use on track are some of the best money can buy. I think 4K is the next big move but we are not quite ready for it yet.”

FEATURE

THE FOLD OF AN

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer

N MXGP PILLAR (AND WHY MICHELE RINALDI RULED THE GRAND PRIX ROOST)

M

ichele Rinaldi – Italy’s first ever MX FIM World Champion – passed the baton as Yamaha’s main factory team custodian in MXGP this year. For almost three decades his race team were the reference for the Japanese manufacturer in motocross.

Rinaldi – flanked by his two brothers and a small roster of long-term technical staff operating out of his Langhirano workshop near Parma – was responsible for title success with at least four

of Yamaha’s YZ motorcycles and with at least three Italian riders, two Americans, one Frenchman and, of course, a Belgian.

‘Rinaldi’ is one of the heavyweight names of the sport. Although he had long since dispensed with the role of Team Manager (nearly fifteen years ago) 60 year old Michele was (and is) team owner, steward, and business owner. 2019 marked the final term that a race squad under his steerage would grace MXGP. That responsibility for the brand now falls to Louis Vosters’ Wilvo crew as Rinaldi’s role moves to one of technical tuning and

support for Yamaha’s entry in both the premier class and the MX2 division.

Rinaldi’s history is one that is ripe for tales and anecdotes.

His team moved through critical eras: two-strokes/fourstrokes, crowd booms and busts, evolving riding styles and technology, tobacco sponsorship, the financial crisis and the emergence of energy drinks (his squad was the first official Monster Energy race team outside of the USA) and maintained a productive and collaborative relationship with Yamaha Motor Corps and Yamaha Motor Europe.

FEATURE

He enjoyed initially Suzuki support and then began the long journey with Yamaha to oversee one of the longest-established competitive and engineering set-ups in the Grand Prix paddock.

In a slightly more volatile age for racing, teams, sponsorship, sales - and even motorcycling itself - what was at the centre of Rinaldi’s longevity? “He was a fair and honest guy,” answers Bob Moore, Michele’s third world champion in 1994 and first in the 125cc division. “He gave me everything I needed and never promised something and then didn’t deliver. I was never misled, and I felt I had the bike and technical package to win.”

Then there were the results.

Since Andrea Bartolini’s 500cc crown in 1999 (the first for a Japanese four-stroke) the team’s combination of racetech acumen and shrewd rider recruitment delivered eight world championships: the run of six in two categories with Stefan Everts (2001-2006), followed by MXGP gold medals for David Philippaerts (2008) and Romain Febvre (2015) and silver ones for Steven Frossard (2011) Jeremy Van Horebeek (2014) and Jeremy Seewer (2019).

From a journalist’s perspective Michele was entirely pleasant and open, yet serious and humble. He held his cards close to his chest for information but would not hesitate to explain some of the technicalities of what was going on outside of his awning and on the racetrack. His mere presence commanded a degree of respect. He was quick to credit the work and commitment of those around him and regularly underlined his obligation and professionalism towards his manufacturer. Rinaldi has a wizened and reasoned view of Grand Prix; as anyone would, having breathed the sport since the 1970s. I wrote for Yamaha for almost ten years and had the chance to see and interact with the Rinaldi at the track, behind his office desk and in moments of levity, when he’d bring one or some of his daughters and family to the circuits with him.

He comes up with good ideas (the current two-tiered pitlane was something he suggested to Youthstream) but would arguably feel the 21st century form of MXGP is a vast departure from the days of motocross that he knows so vividly. Team Management had been looked after by Massimo ‘Mino’ Raspanti since the end of the last decade but the Rinaldi philosophy was steadfast, particularly the ethos that helped attribute to the success, and the bizarre trend of a rookie rider excelling to a career peak in their first season with the team. “He puts the rider at the centre of any project,” says Moore “and it helps enormously that he is a former rider and racer – those guys make the best [management] in my opinion.”

Langhirano is dark, discreet (you’d never find the workshop in the depths of a small industrial park unless you knew where to look), notable for stark ‘No Photography’ signs, laden with memorabilia and home to one of the finest historical motocross Grand Prix bike collections; all wrapped in plastic and carefully stored.

I can still recall the winter where his small and outdated race truck was no longer adequate for the corporate ‘requirements’ of running a factory team and how much the upscale to a modern semi irked him.

On this occasion our talk is taking place further north in Italy and the Imola circuit.

MICHELE RINALDI

FEATURE For two years the venue has played host to Rinaldi’s home GP. Italy has entertained multiple rounds of MXGP in recent years as Tony Cairoli expanded the wave of popularity for the sport in his homeland and a wave of interest that Rinaldi initially began in the early 1980s. We were supposed to chat for just ten minutes but reached almost half an hour and I left with the sensation that a plastic had barely been scratched.

Two months later we’d converse with an eager and reflective Moore at the Valencia MotoGP for some perspective on the chemistry that made a Rinaldi racing project irresistible and sometimes unbeatable prospect.

Michele, there must be some emotion connected with the end of a journey in racing…

It’s been a long time: since 1992 with Yamaha because I signed at the end of ’91.

We’re finishing the chapter and starting another one…but we’ve been working towards it for a few months. It wasn’t a shock, but it was to really make that announcement here in front of the media. It is a big change in a way but also not so much and is part of that process that began with being a rider, being a rider in my own team, stopping to race and putting another rider into the team, moving to

BOB MOORE: “I LIKE THE FAMILY ATMOSPHERE. HE HAD A BIG, BIG TEAM BACK THEN, PROBABLY THIRTY PEOPLE WORKING BUILDING THE BIKES AND THE RACE KITS. I WAS IN THE WORKSHOP EVERY SINGLE DAY AND IT WAS EASY TO TRAIN AND RIDE BECAUSE THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMEONE THERE TO HELP OUT.”

MICHELE RINALDI another brand and continuing on and on until reaching the last GP as a team owner.

Will you miss that immediate connection with a rider?

Yes. Either through me or through Mino we had to sort or talk or change things, and I had my responsibility to the team and the rider. From next year that won’t be the case and we’ll have to go through the new team manager and the people running the ‘new’ team. I’m used to that though.

If there was a time when I had to say something direct to the rider then I always did when Mino was aware, or we

did it together. I was always behind the way the team was run or at least daily informed.

Even now I don’t think it will be a big change for me.

Talk about some of the strongest memories as a team manager…

I have to go back to the first big emotion and that was my first championship as a rider because I was also a team owner! I had started it in ’84 because Suzuki had stopped racing. I could have gone to another brand but I wanted to continue using Suzuki bikes and the only choice was to do my own team: look for the

money, look for the mechanic and get it all set up. So there was that, and then 1990 was emotional when [Alex] Puzar won the 250cc championship.

He did not want to go to the 250s and wanted to stay on the 125s and I pushed so hard for him to go up – because I thought it was the most important and the number one class – so he started there almost as a complete unknown for other riders and teams and began to win many races and motos. It was a big shock because we won the most important championship with an ‘unknown’ rider who didn’t even want to be in

FEATURE team and the way they were organised. So I got in my car and drove straight from Austria to his race workshop in Langhirano and I asked for a minute. We went up to his office and I said “this might sound odd but I don’t care: I know I have the ability to do well on a 250, just give me Bob Moore: I remember it like a chance, give me a shot. I’ll it was yesterday. I had an offer ride for free to prove it, just to stay with KTM for 1992 but give me bonus money” and he I’d just finished second again was very taken back by that in the [125cc] championship. because during that time – I was hoping to win it and I’d the early ‘90s – there was still dislocated my shoulder that quite a bit of money around year and lost to Stefan Everts in the paddock. I really like to by seven points, so I was close work with good people. I did but, whatever. I thought ‘I’ve not know Michele that much got to change, I’ve got to do but I followed his racing casomething’ and I’d always reer and I knew everyone in been a fan of Michele, his Italy loved him and that I just the class! I think we won the title with one race remaining and everybody was happy. So my title, and Alex’s. If I have to talk about just one standout memory then it would be either of those. But if we talk about riders then Bob Moore’s story is a nice one….

Photo by Max Zanzani

wanted to be a part of that project and of course it was a really strong team. I wanted to try for it because I thought I had the ability to show him I was capable of doing it.

Bob came to me and said: “I don’t care if you cannot pay me or what kind or technical support you have but I want to ride for your team”. It was our first year with Yamaha in 1992 and I told him we already had our two factory riders and we didn’t have a bike for a third rider and also Yamaha didn’t want another one. He said: “I don’t care Michele, do your best and it’s fine for me”. That was the first time ever that someone came to me saying ‘do what you want, I want to

Bob Moore: So, he said he’d do what he could and he threw a couple of suggestions. I left there thinking I had better than a 50% chance and then it happened pretty quickly. He took it to heart and told me he had his two factory spots filled with Yamaha but he could build me a bike from his side and try to get some budget together to do it. And in the end he did. A few weeks later he put something together and I was like ‘sign me up’. He even found me a small salary. That year they called us ‘the ice-cream men’ because we were all white with the Chesterfield sponsorship.

I was really fortunate. I had a really good crew. I wasn’t given the factory bike but I had really good technical support and it wasn’t miles off. On a 250 I didn’t need more power. That year Donny Schmit was the best rider by far and I was fortunate enough to get second.

We looked for a production bike, we modified it a bit and couldn’t use factory parts because Bob was ‘external’ and we finished second in the championship: Donny won, he was second and Puzar was fourth. It was fantastic. Bob had done well so of course that other factories were looking for him…

Bob Moore: It was even better than I expected. I knew going in I was not a factory rider but he still did everything in his power to give me what I needed. I loved my bike and in fact some of the things they struggled with on the factory bikes I didn’t have issues with. I was a little disappointed because I felt I had earned a slot [for the next season] but I understood Michele because he had the world champion and the Italian superstar in Alex Puzar and the sponsors loved him. I was a bit bummed and there was no place for me. He said he could offer the same package but my desire to be world champion was even higher. I was offered the factory Suzuki ride with Stefan Everts and ended up going that route. But Michele and I left on really good terms and ten months later I was back down there.

Bob came back to us and won the 125s in 1994 and for Yamaha it was a bit special because they were looking to support the 250 team only. So, again, we bought bikes and modified them for this special project and we did it.

Bob Moore: The 125 series was a case of stepping down because I needed all the right pieces to fit. Michele’s priority was the 250 and trying to get that title back and I was the side-project to start promoting their racing products. He had

a business model in place and I was the tool for that. Michele has so much experience and he knows what he’s talking about. It’s funny because he and I were so different with our riding techniques and styles and the way I approached things really bugged him! I’m calmer and take my time and do things a certain way but Michele was the type when if the green light was on or the track was open he’d be the first one out and will do as many laps as he could. He was hammering it. I was super-calm and would sometimes wait 1015 minutes in practice before I’d go out: I knew it was muddy and I wouldn’t make any time.

He would get so mad at me!

Practice starts was another one. He said: ‘they are doing starts now, why aren’t you out there?!’ and I say: ‘I know how to start!’ That was the only time we kinda clashed. That was the year we started, and became more so when I came back to ride for him in 1994 where we were more of a satellite team to his operation…but we had a blast. I won the title and it was a dream come true.

To do it for someone like him was amazing because he was such a good guy….

But there were other stories and riders. Like Jeremy Van Horebeek in 2014. In his first year with us he finished twelve times on the podium and was second [in the championship].

MICHELE RINALDI

race for you’. Normally there is a lot of negotiation and pull and push with the money…but Bob just said: ‘up to you’.

FEATURE It was a great season and totally unexpected for him or for us. Romain Febvre’s story in 2015 is very special. He had to move out of MX2 because of one day [Febvre’s birthday is December 31st]!

Nobody believed in him for the MXGP class and I was surprised about that. I couldn’t quite believe that nobody had interest, right up until the day he signed with us. I thought we could do well with him but didn’t think about the championship and he started to go really fast.

It was a really great season because he was a rookie, refused by other manufacturers going on to win the title. For Yamaha it was very unexpected. Then Jeremy Seewer. He didn’t come to us to finish in the top three of MXGP but to do his best, try to improve and try to

“WE ARE LATIN AND ARE PASSIONATE PEOPLE AND TEAMS RUN BY LATINS COULD HAVE SOMETHING EXTRA THAT COMES INSTINCTIVELY...” be faster. We knew right at the start of the year that we’d be stopping as a race team in 2019 but I told my staff that if we can push and do our best then our only goal should be to help Jeremy make that improvement. It was a matter of pride and it was humanly important to help someone be better and faster and feel better about themselves. Romain was a champion and it was obvious we wanted to go for the title in 20198 so the only other quality we could have shown was to help Jeremy. Thanks to some injuries - that we are all aware of, I have

my feet on the ground – what we built with Jeremy is something that paid off.

That feeling is sometimes better than podiums.

The worst memory is when Josh Coppins lost the world championship in 2007, because of us. Loket [Grand Prix of Czech Republic], four races to go with a lead of 107 points. The championship was won.

But he got injured, because of a mechanical problem. He couldn’t enter the next races and finished fourth in the championship. He lost not because of him but because of ‘motorsport’ and that was so sad. We didn’t give him the possibility to win his only title, which he deserved because he was the fastest and that was after six championships in a row with Stefan Everts. What do you do when you don’t have Stefan Everts? We took Josh, and we didn’t win because of us. Then we took David Philippaerts.

2008 was David’s first year. It wasn’t easy…and it was very close…

It wasn’t easy. It was much more clearcut with Josh. Stefan led, led, led. Josh was leading with an even bigger gap.

Are you happy to be best remembered because of the run and association with Stefan? It is a record unlike almost any other: six years of consecutive titles…

He won most of his titles with us also the tenth and the last and will probably always be the greatest champion…but it was not always easy for him. 2003 was the most difficult season; I doubted if he could finish even in the top three of the championship with us until the fourth GP. From the fifth he completely changed because he started to ride in the 125 class as well to do two motos per GP. We thought it would be good for him

What was the best Yamaha YZ in your tenure?

It is always the last! [smiles] I don’t remember all of them. I do know we had difficult years. We won with David in 2008 and then Yamaha came with the new layout for the YZ450F and it was not easy. But, on a bike that was not the most-loved in the world, we won in 2010 with three different riders: David, Steven Frossard and Gautier Paulin. So that meant we tuned it quite well or we found a good setting. I don’t know. With the 450 experience is very important.

You need to put the rider in the middle and then try to optimise it around the

MICHELE RINALDI

to enter a race before the race! So the team decided this strategy and Yamaha said it was OK if they believed it would help. I mean, the season had already ‘gone’ before that. I remember being with him and his wife Kelly at Leipzig airport Sunday night after the German Grand Prix and he was destroyed, crying. We started to talk and we had a long gap – one month – before the next race at Montevarchi and made this 125 plan with Stefan. We then started working with the 250 four-stroke and he won the 125 race in Montevarchi, but this was not important because we were going for the main class. He won. From that day we turned things around and stopped Stefan from sinking. He won the championship [and classified as runner-up in the ‘125’ category]. That year, compared to 2004 or 2005 or 2006 if you know the story, you can see how the team really helped the rider to achieve an incredible result. In 2003 he won the ISDE, the Nations, the MXGP class and then all three classes at the last GP in Ernee: this is a story that I will never forget because that is a crew, that is a family.

rider. Much more than the 250 where you need good power everywhere, RPM and over-revving. The 450 is not like that.

You have to work with it and adapt it to make the best package. I don’t think we ever had a terrible bike. The dream bike for the customer is a 400. For GP racing you can improve it, but 400 is more than enough for any rider in the world. The specification should be for the customer first. The average age of customer now is pretty high – 30 years and more - and maybe a 250 is not enough and a 450 is perhaps too much. 400 is ideal. Talking about speed in GPs then I don’t necessarily link danger with speed. 60kmph is not more dangerous than 55, for me It is more the track and the jumps and the way they are built. If people want a lower average speed then it depends on the bumps and jumps. The tracks are not so natural as they are in the past. Bikes are very powerful, you can get injured with a 250 as much as a 450 but now – for me – the time is to look for the customer and go lower with the displacement.

Make the dream bike that people will buy and GP will follow.

PRODUCTS

www.scott-sports.com

scott sports Adventure or trail motorcyclists, or simply those who don’t like or want the feel or look of leather, are spoilt for choice when it comes to riding gear.

Usually this sector of apparel involves advanced construction and fabrics as brands strive to offer the most effective waterproof, breathable and resistant wares possible: maximum versatility. For this reason Adventure products are not particularly friendly on the wallet, and the vast quantity of options from different manufacturers means that it’s often hard to find a jacket, pants, gloves combo that do a range of jobs well.

OTOR has been allied with Scott Sports since the magazine started in 2011 and this means we’ve had access to a multitude of different kit. We’ve been running, skiing, riding and Adventure riding in the depths of South Africa with their products and can personally vouch for their effectiveness.

With some interest then the new ‘onroad’ collection from the company is worthy of attention. At the top of the three strand offering (Priority GTX, Dualraid Dryo and Voyager Dryo) is the Priority GTX, featuring three-layer GoreTex, Pittards leather reinforcements and 3DO and is made for ‘three seasons’ thanks to the ability to adjust, zip and remove elements for climate control.

As well as a staunch windproof and waterproof protection there are various other specs to the jacket and pant set: five pockets, a direct ventilation system with teethless waterproof zipper, climate comfort, waterproof storm cuff with thumb loop, YKK Aquaguard Zippers, Inner kidney insulation system, Glove friendly zipper handle and much more.

The pants are mainly forged from polyamide and polyester and have a high waisted kidney area and spacer mesh inside lining at bottom for comfortable riding. There are three types of gloves.

Shown here are the AVD (75 pounds) which are 80% goat leather with hard knuckle reinforcements and a padded as well as non-padded palm section.

Dive into the on-road section of the Scott Sports website to have a browse and then find a shop where the new range will be on the hangers. A fresh riding get-up is likely to set you back around 1000 pounds but the subtle styling and colours and quality of the equipment means it will be an investment that won’t have to be made again for a long time.

WWW.24MX.CO.UK

6

24mx is not liable for price changes, tyop’s or changed availablitly of products in the ad

AMA BLOG

TALK TALK...

The riders are deep into their bootcamps about now, not much news out there to report. We’re looking for some of the smaller teams still to hire some guys but that’s about it for the sport over here. Geneva SX coming up of course in a couple of weeks and the final round of the Aussie SX series next week so there’s some stuff going on overseas. I get asked a lot about the different podcast shows that we do over on the Pulpmx Network as it seems nowadays there’s a new moto podcast popping up every day!

Well, we’ve been here since 2008 and have no plans to fold up shop anytime soon. The whole popularity of podcasts are soaring right now with people discovering the new medium as a way to tailor make their time listening to whatever it is that interests them. And that’s really where it all started for me.

In 2007 I started listening to podcasts about sports and thought about how great the format would work with motocross.

No word count, no time limit and in the interviewee’s own words at that. There wasn’t anything out there at all so an opening for me was created. Funny

to look back at that first podcast set-up that consisted of a laptop and about $40 in equipment!

Getting the greats of the sport on the phone for an hour was easy to do, the stories we heard were great and for the first time, the stars got to tell their stories in their own words.

Smash-cut a couple of years and with the podcasts gaining momentum, I thought about doing a Howard Stern-type of motocross show. A morning radio show that would make you laugh, have skits and funny phone calls and the hardest part of the whole deal, make it live. Oh and did I mention that I

wanted to have six phone lines for people to call in and talk to the stars of the sport?

The whole Pulpmx Show thing was quite an undertaking for sure, new equipment, new software, a huge uptick in expense it was all a gamble that I wasn’t sure would work to be honest. I teamed up with Paul Lindsey, a former team owner, at first but those early shows didn’t work very well before we parted ways due to chemistry and budget reasons.

In stepped Kenny Watson, living in my hometown of Vegas something Paul didn’t - and the

By Steve Matthes

show started to get some steam.

Watson would say anything about anyone at any time. I knew how to deal with him and how to get him going. The morning zoo with Watson was, at times, truly hard to deal with, but at other times we were making some hilarious and real moments about the sport. Listeners were able to call in and we had some real characters at times calling in to talk to Jeremy McGrath, Ryan Villopoto, Chad Reed, James Stewart or whomever else we had on.

Those first few years we added up the numbers every four months and they were growing and growing. We were onto something, it was that simple.

Yes, people in the pits were upset with us (mostly Watson) at times for we were being real, honest and trying to entertain all at the same time. I used to tell people “Can’t make an omlete without breaking some eggs!” which always sort of made me feel better about trying to soothe some angry feelings?

Watson’s role with the Hart and Huntington team grew as the team did and he started also undergoing some changes in his personal life. The show was dragging him down, causing some issues with the team and he was also abusing substances. His performance on Monday nights started getting more erratic which if I’m honest, started taking some of the fun off it. He had to move to Southern California for the team and also needed to get some help (which he did) but the show, well it had to go on. I was at a crossroads. I knew that I couldn’t get anyone in Las Vegas that could pull off a weekly spot every Monday with the same knowledge that Watson had. So I decided to rotate co-hosts and invest in the show in terms of spending more money to fly people in to sit in the chair with me for four or five hours.

We still kept gaining listeners.

The switch in format worked and some have told me it got even better. Watson dropped in from time to time when he could, Tony Berluti, Kris Keefer all started

stopping by more and more and riders like Jake Weimer, Nick Wey, Zach Osborne all flew up to hang out and talk moto.

The growth of the show has astounded me and our partners have mostly stayed the same as well. The listeners have grown to be loyal in using the many discount codes we hand out and many a sponsor have told me it’s the best money they spend on advertising.

We’ve had some epic guests on over the years, not all of them shining a positive light on themselves either. Tony Alessi came on after his son Jeff was kicked out of a national for shining a laser pointer in the eyes of a rider and absolutely lost his mind. We had to buy more server space after that one. We’ve had Alex Ray and Tyler Bowers basically tell each other how much they don’t like each other live on the air. That was awkward. We also had a listener tell us that he had stage 4 brain cancer and the show was his time to forget about his terminal diagnosis.

AMA BLOG

As much as we act like goofballs, things like that make you stop and think about we’re making a difference.

Show #400 was a couple of months ago and we managed to get Ryan Villopoto, Nick Wey, Jake Weimer and Adam Cianciarulo all in-studio to talk about their careers and so on. The booze started flowing (for everyone but Adam) and I have to admit, I lost control of that show!

Although I’ve pissed off some VIP’s in the industry (looking at you Ricky Carmichael and Jason Anderson) and they won’t come on the show, most riders, like Josh Hansen, Justin Barcia and Joey Savatgy, have all scorned me but eventually came around and appeared on the show at some point. At 40,000 plus listeners (and watchers as we’re also live on Facebook), many riders and industry people realize that if you want to get a message out, we’re the spot for it.

All in all, it’s been an amazing career in podcasting for me at

Pulpmx.com and something that I’m making the majority of my living at. Last year we had 4.5 million downloads across the platform for all the shows and nothing seems to be stopping the desire for the fans of this sport to get it crammed into their earholes.

What a ride it’s been!

PRODUCTS

www.ride100percent.com

100% For all their invention and creativity with off-road goggles, 100% really caused a stir with the launch of their Barstow product five years ago that ventured into the booming custom/vintage strand of motorcycling and perfectly married performance and stylish cool. Now the San Diego company have renewed their leftfield model for 2020.

The new Barstow retains the same simplistic frame for maximum vision, features triple layer foam for moisture retention,

anti-fog lens treatment and the upper vents force air in and channel out moisture to prevent fogging. Importantly the 2020 range has taken the artistic interpretation and vision of three different collaborators to finalise the five offerings of the range: Deus Ex Machina, Roland Sands Designs and skateboarding icon, Steve Caballero. Head to the 100% website to see and learn more.

FEATURE

A three-hour blast on a (2019) KTM 1290 Super Duke R to the Aragon round of MotoGP was also a fine opportunity to run-the-rule over a few pieces of high-tech riding kit.

2019 SUPER DUKE R We’ve ridden, rated and professed our fondness for this flagship streetbike from KTM and the big twin begged to throttled from Barcelona to Aragon which meant a mix of city streets, motorways and then open and quick A roads all the way to Alcañiz. The styling, noise and sheer presence (that single sided swinging arm is still so delectable) turns heads on every outing but it was the torque, stability, braking prowess and the feeling that the power from the 1301ccs is endless that makes it so charming, almost adorable if it didn’t command respect and a little slice of awe. The best thing about the 1290 however is the feeling of versatility. I used it to pootle around taking the kids to their sport training sessions and it was equally at home weaving into small traffic holes as it was leaping forward when the road invited. The engine

throb often created a hot ride and the electric steering lock is a cool idea but not the most reassuring in terms of security, however the Super Duke was an absolute pleasure in motion. We filtered with ease in Barcelona, devoured motorways miles at a speed and were left smiling like a loon through the curves of the N-420 all the way to the circuit.

ALPINESTARS TECH-AIR AIRBAG Alpinestars have been leading the march in airbag technology in MotoGP for over a decade and have had their street system on the market for at least five years. It’s a complicated and advanced set of gear; an independent, partially sleeveless vest that connects to several compatible jackets in the Alpinestars portfolio.

We opted for a Specter leather jacket and needed to grab a size-up in anticipation of the volume the Tech-Air would need. It’s utterly essential that any rider with the inclination (or the wallet power) to consider a Tech-Air take a careful fitting of their chosen jacket to ensure full mobility and

A bit of patience and time is spent adjusting the Velcro fastening points between the airbag vest and the jacket as well as connecting the main ‘ECU’ of the airbag to the small electronic wire in the jacket: this is done through a simple plug in the back and once made is discreet and largely invisible. The Velcro tabs are tricky, and it takes a few attempts to reach the optimum pairing between the two garments; the first couple of fixings leaves some of the spiky side of the Velcro twisted-up and scratching on your upper-arm. Considering the fact that the airbag won’t be frequently attached and unattached from the Specter it’s worth the investment of patience to get this aspect spot-on. Two quick zips secure the Tech-Air in place and the set of orange and green lights on the left arm blink into life.

TESTED

TESTED: ARA-GONE

comfort. The airbag itself (we had the Race version) arrives in a large box and with an instruction manual to equal any household appliance. The unit can be scanned and customised online – this is pretty important in terms of configuring the type of use between racing and street - so that the airbag fires at either at a base speed of 25kmph or over 100kmph for the racetrack. Apparently it deflates in one minute and resets for another activation.

FEATURE

OK, so, the first impression of the whole package is the sheer weight of it. Imagine an entire leather suit in the confines of just the jacket: it’s seriously hefty. As with most technical attire of this ilk the weight drops away when the garment is actually being worn. Still, I wouldn’t want to walk around for an entire day with the ballast of the airbag/jacket combo. Once sat on the bike then the weight seems to decrease further. You have the sensation of being rigid and compact but I honestly did not find the airbag restrictive in any way. It was like wearing large back protector, and there was no sensation of carrying ex-

tra padding around my torso (none more than usual).

The airbag is ‘armed’ with closure of a central clasp across the chest that is also magnetic. To be honest this is not something you’d forget to do and is not obtrusive when you unzip the jacket for some air. The combo is enhanced with zips and adjusters (a kidney bind also helps with that weight distribution) and by the time you have everything correctly into place then those LEDs are winking at you and making you feel like a MotoGP rider.

The tech specs and role of the Tech-Air have been published repeatedly (full inflation in 25 milliseconds, data reading at 0.002 of a second, coverage of shoulders, back, kidneys and chest, 25 hour battery life on a single full charge taking six hours) but what does it feel like to wear?

Tight, but fairly unimposing is the answer. Off the bike is another matter and this

TESTED means it won’t be an easy option for a short ride to the shops (ironically when someone is bound to send you over their bonnet) but for any substantial trip then there is no disputing the extra sense of security that the body protection conveys. Once that orange LED flicks off and the tech is ready then it provides a little shot of relief. Motorcycling is far too exposed to the elements to ever hoist a sensation of invincibility – and the truth is that you ride along

hoping that the airbag won’t ever have to fire (there is also a small period of worry that the technology will activate accidentally and how you’d deal with that scenario) – but this is somehow reaffirming that you’ve taken steps to increase your chances in case the asphalt comes calling.

Priced over 1000 dollars you are paying a premium for one of the most important and sophisticated safety components of motorcycling on the

current market. Examining the airbag and its vest ‘chassis’ closely then it’s clear to see where your money is going.

The design, materials and the millions of hours and euros that have been ploughed into the R&D necessary to make something like this effective is baffling. Progress with fabrics and composites means that the Tech-Air is likely to get smaller, lighter and even more practical as the years go on but how long do you wait to save your own back?

6D ATS-1R When 6D Helmets launched their street ATS-1 three years ago they offered one of the safest and most effective lids on the market, thanks to their ODS technology – now reformed and refocussed - that combats the effects of low velocity impact and rotational acceleration. However, it was a product at a premium price with a few small drawbacks such weight, a large shell size and questionable quality concerning the visor. In short it was a decent first attempt and enough to wobble some of the big hitters of the industry but not knock them from their perch. I loved the styling of the ATS-1; there was a certain ‘badass’ look to the curved shell. It was also very comfy.

FEATURE The ATS-1R is the next generation - and like the ATR-2 offroad version that was launched this year - has made important upgrades and has undergone a sizeable overhaul. We opted for the matte titanium silver to test and the helmet has a noticeably bigger chinbar section (containing reinforced EPS for impact protection) and the form and closure of the visor is more secure and clinical. Apparently, it has lost weight, and there is no discernible difference from the Shoei and Arai we also have in the office.

On the ride to Aragon the improvements of the ATS-1R come to the fore. It’s quiet, and very cool. The venting system seems to be highly effective.

A Pinlock visor aid is bundled with the helmet but wasn’t needed. With both upper and lower intakes open it took a concentrated effort to steam up my vision.

chin cover wanted to pop out after a few uses but this is the only gripe we’ve encountered so far on the ATS-1R.

The subject of comfort is subjective and personal but the ATS offers a snug fit, even if my Medium size does feel a little like a Large sometimes.

After sustained use I have a slight red mark on the top of my forehead but never the sensation of a pressure point or annoyance. In fact, it’s quite a relief to move the helmet around a little at times. The Dri-Flex material helps the interior to still feel ‘new’ despite a lot of use (almost daily) One corner of the removable

A stopover in Aragon meant that luggage space was at a premium. A browse through the official KTM carry options for the 1290 revealed that a ‘Rear bag’ was the most suitable choice. The unit came with an extension zip to expand the capacity and two small side pockets (that were handy for storing the straps and waterproof cover). An updated version of the bag currently on the KTM website has a slimmer profile with these pockets removed.

KTM REAR BAG

TESTED The first thing I noticed about the bag was the shape: it slipped into perfect line with the rear pillion seat of the Super Duke. It also has a firm-form ‘lid’ which means it can ‘seal’ the zipped inner compartment even further and can be robustly yanked tight.

Nothing is getting out.

The bag is fixed with four straps which initially seems a chore to lash around the subframe and the rear number plate stanchion but the operation gets quicker and easier every time you do it and, like the bag closer itself, can be pulled so tight that nobody is going to be removing it from the bike in a hurry. The bag also didn’t budge a centimetre

all the time we were on the road. Carrying it through the paddock to the media centre was a cinch thanks to the heavy-duty handle and the convenient shoulder strap that comes packaged. The Rear bag is not a daily runaround tool – the straps dictate the impracticality of this – but it is a safe, well-made, value-formoney candidate for loading the Super Duke with a few essentials that won’t fit in a backpack.

PRODUCTS

www.indianmotorcycle.com

indian There was a visual feast of gleaming new technology, bikes and kit on display at the recent EICMA show in Milan and Indian were among the brands keen to show off their latest vehicles. We could fill this entire issue with details of the new motorcycle for 2020 but we recently spotted an Indian FTR (after reviewing the bike in the last issue if OTOR) circling the streets in Barcelona and, wow, what a head-turner.

Indian unveiled the ‘FTR Rally’ in Italy, that they describe as adding to the FTR base an ‘authentic retro styling to the modern performance capabilities riders expect.’

The 1200cc 123hp engine is surrounded by a new aesthetic of ‘Titanium Smoke paint with the Indian Motorcycle headdress

logo, aluminium wire wheels with red pinstripe, brown aviator seat, a new rally windscreen and Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires’.

The naked bike effect is enhanced by an upright ergonomic, new ProTaper handlebars and other detailing. The FTR Rally is a quality offering (Brembo brakes) at a premium price but there is a wealth of options to stand out while enjoying a special riding sensation. The ‘range of 40+ accessories specifically developed for the FTR platform, giving riders the ability to customise combinations and maintain the independence they seek when purchasing an Indian Motorcycle’ states the PR and is the impetus to make the ‘Rally’ even more desirable.

Photo: R. Schedl

#GETDUKED BEAST MODE ENGAGED 2020 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R The NAKED rulebook has been re-written.

The KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R is now leaner, meaner and even more menacing than ever before. Sporting an all-new chassis and suspension setup, the flagship LC8 V-Twin 1301 cc boasting brutal forward thrust, blinding acceleration and an advanced electronics package, the NEW BEAST is locked and loaded for battle.

PRODUCTS

mxgp album Looking for an MXGP yearbook then the ‘MXGP Album’ remains the definitive choice and for the eleventh year there is no better interpretation of the series than this collection of slightly different and artistic photography by Stanley Leroux with a mix of interviews and texts in both English and French.

There are two covers to choice from – a limited edition with Glenn Coldenhoff in action at the 2019 Motocross of Nations – and the standard version featuring 2019 champion Tim Gajser. Expect a thick, glossy and well-designed publiction that will take pride of place on any coffee table. Only a set quantity of the books are printed, so order soon in order not to miss out.

www.motocrossgpalbum.com

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SBK BLOG

TESTING TIMES...

More than Europe’s largest MC store

Apparently 2020 has started (!) November is still to be seen out but for the last few weeks “#2020startshere” is all I have seen and heard on my timeline from riders, teams, journos and anyone, it seems, working in the motorsport industry. I wonder if there would be an appetite in any other walk of life to change the calendar and have New Year’s Day on the 16th November each year.

What people are referring to of course is the fact that the racing campaigns have all reached their conclusions and the focus now turns to preparations for the 2020 season.

There was a strange irony that some of the main WorldSBK teams had convened in Motorland Aragon to begin their winter testing programmes just days before the final round of the MotoGP Championship, despite being the only series that did not have a published calendar for 2020.

We waited all week with the prospect of, ‘it’s coming soon’. It took another full week or so to get there but we finally have it. Was it worth waiting for? Probably not.

There will be no race in the US next year. This causes a major problem for GeeBee as I’ll need to stretch my current pair of Levis and Gazelles for

some time longer as there will be no spending spree at the Gilroy Outlet Village, a famed destination with all European travellers heading to Laguna Seca. However, I am genuinely disappointed. Laguna Seca can be a difficult track to work at but it always adds an extra angle to the pictures for the year and California in summer time is never much of a chore.

The series will also have no race in the far east. Buriram will now only appear on the MotoGP calendar in the early part of the year and nothing has filled it’s place on the WorldSBK schedule. Instead we will head to Qatar two weeks after the season has kicked off in Australia.

There was a suggestion that Losail may be the first round in February but I would imagine the Phillip Island organisation would be

less than chuffed with losing their unique place on the calendar, for which I am sure they pay a handsome fee. Personally I will be glad to get Qatar out of the way early in the year and can look forward to enjoying the rest of the season.

It does mean that Argentina will be the final round of the championship, something that I understand they were not particularly keen on. It is a great place to visit and I am sure will serve up a suitable season finale.

However, the mistakes of this year cannot be repeated. I fear that a degree of damage may have been done amongst the local fan base after the debacle that happened back in October. It would be unforgivable to have a similar situation arise at the last race of the year in 2020.

By Graeme Brown

The rest of the season has a familiar look to it with the only a couple of tracks being shuffled around. Jerez and Motorland Aragon have swapped dates primarily to avoid a cold and windy weekend in Alcañiz. It is hoped that the weather will be more clement in Andalucia in March.

As expected, Oscherleben in Germany joins the party in the first week in August. It was interesting looking back to the last time we visited there in May 2004. A lot of people have complained in recent times that when Jonathan Rea or Alvaro Bautista were winning by eight, nine or ten seconds that the races were boring. Race two at Oschersleben in 2004 was taken by Regis Laconi with a margin of 21.549 seconds.

Imagine that.

The other ‘new’ venue is Circuit de Catalunya at Montmelo, north of Barcelona. The date has been fixed for the weekend of 18-20 September but there was a real push to have it in October as the final round. However, my understanding is that the circuit has to change several parts of the track to meet the FIM safety standards if they have held a car race beforehand. It obviously has

to be changed back if the car race comes after. The time frame and the costs associated with this didn’t fit the circuit’s own schedule so the October date couldn’t be met. I would, however expect to see it as the final round in 2021.

Back at the test in Motorland Aragon, there was little that threw up any surprises. Jonathan Rea only turned a few laps on the first day, posted a fast time and went home.

I read some criticism of the fact he didn’t run at all on the second day but the weather literally put the dampers on the team’s and JR’s plans. A family commitment meant he had always intended to return home on the Thursday afternoon but no one had factored in the wet weather we encountered. That said the team had very little new to test so were just confirming some things learnt in the final races of he season.

I reckon with the time he posted it pretty much confirmed they were on the right track.

The rest of the guys managed to test on the Thursday afternoon once the track dried out and in the end the times were really close between Scott Redding, Chaz Davies, Alex

Lowes and Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Redding impressed by being fast straight off the bat. Coming from the BSB spec Ducati to the full factory machine with different electronics he could have been forgiven for settling in gently and building some momentum but he looked at home from the off and finished the test as the only man to dip into 1m49s territory. Razgatlioglu also felt strong on the Yamaha. He was impressed with the power and its delivery but also with the feeling in the wet. Rain has always been his Achilles Heel and I found out at the test that this dates back to his early days on the Superstock1000 Kawasaki ZX-10R. He had an electronic malfunction in the rain in that season and crashed heavily.

Since then he has struggled for confidence in the wet. However, having run in the damp on the Yamaha he felt a lot more comfortable and able to push harder.

Alex Lowes was fast on his first outing on the Kawasaki but admitted he was using the time to learn the characteristics of the bike. He seems to be a fast learner, posting times comparable with his best on the Yamaha from the race weekend

SBK BLOG

earlier in the year, on a track that was much colder. Once he is familiar with the ZX-10RR I reckon he is one to watch in 2020 for sure. ‘Man of the test’ for me however was the American Garrett Gerloff.

Having jumped off the MotoAmerica Yamaha R1 with Dunlop tyres he arrived at Motorland having to learn both the track and the characteristics of the Pirelli tyres in conditions that were not ideal. Like Lowes he learned pretty quickly and was only a few tenths off the quickest Yamaha of Razgatlioglu by the end of the test. He did have a crash in the final minutes of the second day, he was unhurt, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on in Jerez in the coming week.

That leads me nicely to the last gig of the 2019 GeeBee World Tour. I am in Jerez all week covering both the MotoGP and WorldSBK sessions and after that I will have my full focus on the Christmas and New Year holidays. I will be next on track in Jerez again in January for the WorldSBK test before the merry-go-round starts to gather

some speed for another year.

Then, and only then will 2020 have started.

PRODUCTS

www.gloryfy.com

gloryfy Austrian company Gloryfy have graced the Red Bull KTM MotoGP team with sets of their ‘unbreakable’ glasses; most made from NBFX since 2016 and with a ‘memory effect’ so when they are bent or flexed they return to their original shape: very convenient.

Several models have Inclinox temple adjustment enabling an ideal fit, high-contrast and colorfast vision due to mass-tinted lenses and uncompromising precision and clarity of vision. ‘STRATOS lenses perform best on clear sunny days. The blue light is not filtered which means far more available energy for the body and therefore top performance,’ they claim.

Expect prices to hover around the 150 euros mark and the website is a hive of information about each model, including a ‘virtual fit’ tool where you can see how a set would look on an image of your face. Collections are grouped into ‘Sport’ and ‘Lifestyle’. Sport has offerings for riding, running, mountain bike, surf, fishing and more. Lifestyle has plenty.

We like the ‘Kingston’ as well as the more rounded ‘Amalfi’. Also Soho Sun and St Pauli Sun. From shiny to matte and with a range of lenses, the www.gloryfy.com hub has a wealth of customisation. Have a look.

TEST

IT WON’T DROP BELOW 50 Words by Roland Brown Photos by Phil Masters/Arch

TEST

ARCH KRGT-1

C

ranking through a series of bends and then winding open the throttle to send the Arch KRGT-1 accelerating hard with a rumble of V-twin exhaust note, it’s easy to see why Keanu Reeves gets excited about this motorcycle. Especially as the movie star doesn’t just ride a bike like this, he helped design and develop it, and co-owns the company that built it.

Hand-built bikes with a classically American, 45-degree aircooled V-twin engine don’t normally feel this way, but the Arch corners sweetly thanks to a unique chassis whose arched frame gives the brand its name. And perhaps, too, because it was developed on the twisting canyon roads north of Los Angeles, where Reeves – who was heavily involved in that process – likes to ride.

Reeves has been captivated by motorcycles since his childhood in Toronto, Canada.

He’s ridden bikes in movies including Chain Reaction, My Own Private Idaho and John Wick: Chapter 3, looks after the green Ducati 888 that starred with him in The Matrix Reloaded, and owns machines ranging from a custom-built chopper to a 1973 Norton Commando 850.

Arch was formed after Reeves called on renowned Los Angeles custom builder Gard Hollinger to discuss modifying a HarleyDavidson. The duo struck up a friendship, and Reeves eventually persuaded Hollinger to set up their own firm to take the concept further.

The duo stuck with American motive power: a S&S V-twin of 2032cc, or 124 cubic inch, capacity. The pushrod-operated lump breathes via a specially developed downdraft injection system, and out through a custom-formed Yoshimura pipe.

Peak output is 94bhp but the torque figure of 156N.m, delivered almost from tickover, reveals more.

The main frame arch is made from steel and holds CNC-machined aluminium rear sections. It’s difficult to decide which of the cycle parts tops the bill, from a stellar cast featuring high-end Öhlins suspension, six-piston ISR radial monobloc front brake calipers and BST carbon-fibre wheels in 19in front, 18in rear diameters.

More than this list though it’s the method of construction and attention to detail that characterises the KRGT-1, and which leads to its sky-high price (£89,995 in the UK).

TEST

ARCH KRGT-1 WORLDSBK POR

“THE HANDLING REALLY IMPRESSED. THAT UNIQUE FRAME IS CLEARLY STIFF, STEERING GEOMETRY SEEMED WELL CHOSEN AND THE ÖHLINS FORKS AND SHOCK DELIVERED A FIRM YET COMPLIANT RIDE. THERE WAS EVEN ADEQUATE GROUND CLEARANCE, FURTHER EVIDENCE OF REEVES AND HOLLINGER’S EFFORTS TO SET UP THE KRGT-1...”

TEST The fuel tank is made from two aluminium halves, each comprising CNC-machined pieces that are welded together, the whole process taking 40 hours. The No.32 on the steering head signifies this bike’s position in the production run.

The flyscreen, tank shape and the curves of the swoopy, leather-upholstered single seat contribute to a sporty profile that is countered by the huge V-twin powerplant, high bars and forward-set footrests. Not that all these are fixed, because each bike is built for its customer, who is encouraged to visit the Arch facility to finalise options from paintwork to ergonomics.

Styling is an unusual blend of two-wheeled themes; quirky but to my eyes not unattractive. After I’d settled into the low seat and pressed the button, the long-stroke motor erupted into life with a ‘BLAM’, and settled to a tickover sufficiently lumpy to confirm the pistons were displacing a full litre apiece.

When I knocked the slightly notchy sixspeed box into gear, let out the firm clutch and pulled away, the Arch’s performance, raw character and poise combined to memorable effect. The wheelbase is long, and the fat Michelin Commander tyres required firm input at the bars. But at 244kg the Arch is quite light by American V-twin standards (if not by most others’) and went where it was pointed.

And it certainly charged when I wound back the throttle. From barely more than 1500rpm the mighty motor breathed deeply, the exhaust note quickened to a machine-gun-like assault and I was pushed into the usefully supportive seat. Once the bike was into its stride there wasn’t too much vibration. The KRGT-1 headed for the horizon, its flyscreen helping to make the upright riding position surprisingly comfortable.

And the handling really impressed. That unique frame is clearly stiff, steering geometry seemed well chosen and the Öhlins forks and shock delivered a firm yet compliant ride. There was even adequate ground clearance, further evidence of Reeves and Hollinger’s efforts to set up the KRGT-1.

Their work is far from over, too, because development is under way of their next model, the 1s, featuring a sportier riding position and single-sided swing-arm; and the Method 143, and even more striking and expensive 143ci (2343cc) V-twin of which only 23 units will be produced.

Meanwhile, Arch is looking for affluent enthusiasts to order the KRGT-1 (in the UK see www.futuremoto.co.uk, or Suffolkbased dealer Krazy Horse who offer demo rides – www.krazyhorse.co.uk). But you get the impression that Reeves, whose wealth is estimated at over $300 million despite his habit of giving away substantial amounts, will not worry if production numbers remain low.

After all, the position of Arch Motorcycle’s co-founder and test rider, with Californian canyon roads outside your workshop, must be one of the few jobs in the world to rank with being a movie star. Keanu Reeves has been Hollywood royalty for 30 years, and he’s pretty damn good at making motorbikes too. The KRGT-1 is proof of that.

ARCH KRGT-1

“THE POSITION OF ARCH MOTORCYCLE’S CO-FOUNDER AND TEST RIDER, WITH CALIFORNIAN CANYON ROADS OUTSIDE YOUR WORKSHOP, MUST BE ONE OF THE FEW JOBS IN THE WORLD TO RANK WITH BEING A MOVIE STAR...”

PRODUCTS

www.alpinestars.com

alpinestars Alpinestars have launched a special Honda collection for 2020. Among the products are two jackets, boots, gloves, a ‘tube’ and a full leather set. The leathers are based on the popular and well-equipped GP Pro V2 suit and riders eyeing the new Fireblade can complete their upgraded sports look with the SMX 6 V2 boot and the SP-8 V2 glove. In typical Alpinestars fashion the items blend the latest and most advanced R&D and test techniques for protection, comfort, function and style. Those searching for something a little more casual or less-track based then the T-Faster Air Jacket or T-SP-1 waterproof or the Chrome Sport hoodie will do the job.

FEATURE

THE FAST CONNECT

By Adam Wheeler Photos by Polarity Photo

DISCOVERING THE AMAZING TECH THAT OUTSTRIPS THE SPEED OF MotoGP BIKES

ON

a bright and hot Friday October morning 2019 MotoGP World Champion-to-be Marc Marquez feathered the throttle of his factory Repsol Honda around the first kinks of the Chang International Circuit for the opening practice session of the Thai Grand Prix.

Entering the double apex Turn 7 the Spaniard lost control and was ferociously flung from his race bike, striking the asphalt with a whopping 26g of g-force. Marquez escaped serious injury thanks to his Alpinestars airbag that fired less than half a second after he was ejected from the saddle and the sensors that inform the technology every 0.002 of a second.

In the same moment that the 26 year old – who would amazingly win the Thai race that same weekend to wrap his eighth world title and sixth MotoGP crown from the last eight years – was arching skywards, images from the Honda’s onboard camera was flying around more than 30km of cabling and connectivity at the Chang facility. It zipped back to editors and production staff in Barcelona, Spain where it was being cut and prepped for use by TV broadcasters and the burgeoning MotoGP social media channels mere minutes later.

In motorsport so much moves in an instant.

FEATURE

MotoGP in particular has been relentlessly chipping away at the forefront of street motorcycle development for decades. Whether for engine tech, pioneering electronics, composite materials, braking efficiency, tyre prototyping and performance and safety advances such as body armour and airbags; the sport has defied challenging economic times and cost-cutting measures to continually innovate and experiment. Such is the spirit of competition, and MotoGP is the highest level with brands committing multi-million-dollar budgets to the cause.

The efforts by the manufacturers and teams to continually set the curve is not a singular entity in the Grand Prix paddock.

MotoGP, and rights-holders Dorna Sports, are in a race themselves: to keep pace with the rapid train of technology. The vast web of connectivity around the world means that coverage and demand for the racing exists in everfluctuating boundaries. Like most sports, MotoGP moved on from a rudimentary television broadcast some years ago and is now a versatile media ‘engine’ of output and content. Crashes, outtakes, unbelievable ‘saves’, behind-the-scenes clips and many more indicate that a MotoGP ‘race’ is just one element of the line-up.

Fully absorbing their responsibility to relay this gripping and sensational spectacle to more than 428

million homes, 20 million followers on social media, 79 broadcasters taking the live race feed and almost 3 million fans at the circuits, Madrid and Barcelonabased Dorna have become a world-leading authority for ‘onboard’ cameras.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing was the first international series to embrace this perspective, which has now become part of the broadcast fabric of most motorsports. In 1985 American Randy Mamola agreed to have a 1.3kg

camera installed on top of his 500cc Honda fuel tank for the Dutch Grand Prix and promptly won the race in the pouring rain.

“After this Bernie [Ecclestone] discovered onboards and linked it to Formula One…but MotoGP was first,” smiles Dorna MD Manel Arroyo.

Shedding 1.2kg and shrinking to the size of a pencil, Dorna have pioneered the use of cameras on a motorcycle. They have investigated a myriad of positions, resolutions and integrated

The onboard footage from the sharp end of MotoGP is one of the key features of the Videopass subscription App, where users can digest any one of the nineteen races or practice and qualification sessions however they choose.

“Today the technology means we can show so much and there is a lot of possibility,” says Arroyo.

“With the cameras on the bikes we can reveal how the riders are working to make a show.”

A transmission of this ilk is one of the first offerings in deeper ‘immersion’ for the curious MotoGP fan. It is also part of a complex IT and media content jigsaw puzzle that relies on the expertise of a company like Tata Communications to click the pieces together.

POL ESPARGARO: WE ARE USING QUITE A LOT OF DATA FROM TV: IT IS ANOTHER TOOL THAT ALLOWS US TO RECOGNISE OUR PROBLEMS AND TO SEE WHERE THE OTHERS ARE FASTER. WE USE ALL THE TOOLS WE HAVE IN OUR HANDS AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM.

The vast multinational Indian firm have 300 of Fortune 500 companies as customers and have been entrusted with the ‘conveyance’ of MotoGP since 2017, having crafted a benchmark in Formula One five years earlier. They carry 30% of the world’s internet ‘routes’ due, partially, to a subterranean

and terrestrial fibre optic cabling network that could run more than 17 times around the circumference of the globe and connectivity to more than 240 countries and territories. “MotoGP, in its own way, is actually pushing the boundaries of innovation substantially, especially if you look at the whole TV department and the new ideas they are trying,” asserts Mehul Kapadia, Tata Communications’ Global Head of Marketing. “It is a true sport, with a lot going on at any given time: it can sometimes be hard to show replays! The target audience is different compared to something like F1 but importantly for us it is a great innovation learning ground.”

“Social networks are giving us the information and the knowledge of what the fans like and do not like,” Arroyo claims. ‘We have to have partners like Tata Communications with their knowledge and connectivity to give the fastest and best experience.”

“Today’s fans are changing,” Kapadia explains. “There are those that come to the racetrack - and it is a big racetrack - so how can they consume the race in its entirety and that’s where things like OTT [Over The Top media services] and the richness of the data that Dorna are producing come into play: how can that be shared?

Then you consider the fans watching it at home: how can that be more interactive? People are literally watching MotoGP in outer space now. If you are somebody

TV, TATA & MotoGP SPEED

graphics and now use up to 120 units, sometimes as many as four on each MotoGP bike. ‘The difference between motorsport and other sports is that we can be much more interactive between the fans and the riders, bikes and teams,” Arroyo explains. “There are many angles, views and feeds in motorsport and it allows the fan to have control. We are not only battling against other sports but also other streams, films, series’, entertainment and it is important that people can understand that motorsport is a place where they can really get interactive.”

FEATURE that wants to consume a lot of micro content and not just what happens on the weekend, then this also needs to be accessible and that’s what we do in terms of providing the connectivity.”

THE HOW – “A PIECE OF FIBRE IS LIKE A HAIR…” MotoGP is a mammoth mobile community with a population of hundreds that shift from circuit to circuit, continent to continent. An overseas Grand Prix will involve a long-haul operation of almost 1000 crates alone. Set-up for a round begins well over a week in advance and Tata Communications have a small but essential area for their ‘monitoring pods’ inside the TV compound at each venue. These compact units are connectivity hubs; critical gateways for everything captured and recorded at a MotoGP fixture to be beamed to the outside.

“We connect point A to point B in the best possible way,” says Kapadia. “We have one of the largest sub-marine cable networks in the world today and that gives us is a lot of capacity between continents.

We work with our partnerships and service providers in different geographies to ensure that fibre connectivity can be put up: imagine your broadband at home and then imagine it again on steroids!

There are also a lot of server guarantees. Again, if you are at home and you are downloading, watching Netflix and have other connections then it could slow

down or you have some buffering.

What we do is put in enterprise grade connectivity which means that the part that goes from a race circuit to the Dorna production HQ in Spain is completely mapped out to the optimum. It is a ‘motorway’ that has been opened up and even has a ‘police escort’ so there is no hold-up whatsoever.”

“For us MotoGP is a mobile capability showcase,” he adds. “I could take you to any MotoGP venue around the world and that is an incredible ‘proof point’.”

Evidence of Kapadia’s words are seen in the Pods. Entering these small, functional units reveals a frosty blast of air conditioning, monitors, illuminated decks and cables. “We have over sixty video feeds coming into us from Dorna and we are responsible for bringing those in and transmitting them globally,” explains a jacketed Steve O’Keefe, Tata Communications Global Broadcast Media Service manager and regular pod inhabitant. “There is an IPF – International Programme Feed – which is the clean feed and we’ll have things like the four onboard cameras of every bike coming into us but then it is up to the director which one goes out to transmission.”

“We send an IP field engineer out on Thursday prior to race week to work with the local telecom provider and Dorna who are building up the TV compound with the circuit,” he says. “As far as our fibre testing then the local provider

will put the D Mark into the main circuit building and we’ll test it there. Me and my team will arrive Monday morning and we’ll look out for the physical extension from the D Mark to the tech Pod where our network nodes are.”

The Tata Communications Pods not only sprinkle MotoGP globally (more of a ‘power-hose’ effect actually) but are what O’Keefe calls “the anchor” for all content, and especially for the six core broadcasters in the paddock that are cycling unilateral material throughout the day. There cannot be even a hint of outage. “If our systems go down then there is no broadcast around the world for MotoGP, so we take it very seriously and we carry a lot of weight on our shoulders,” he stresses. “We carry 70% of the load on our fibre optic backbone and if there is an issue with that then it’s a major one because Satellite cannot transmit as much as optical. We have full redundancy 1GB fibres and everything is backedup on a second fibre so if we did have an outage on the first then it would be a seamless rollover to the second and the transmission

TATA & MotoGP XXXXXXXX TV, XXXXXXXX XXXXXXSPEED XXXXX

would not be disturbed. God forbid if we had a catastrophic failure but then we also have our satellite feeds to transmit.”

Dependency and reliability are two pillars of service that Tata Communications have been able to establish in MotoGP. There are the foundations for Dorna to wander and wonder at what they can do next.

“One of the good things we have been

‘THERE WERE CONCERNS THAT THE 450S WERE TOO FAST, TOO HEAVY AND TOO MUCH FOR THE ATHLETES AND WERE LEADING TO A SPATE OF INJURIES... NEAR-CRISIS MEETINGS WERE BEING HELD.’

FEATURE able to do in the last few years with Tata is be able to take four signals from one bike, send them to Barcelona and our studios and convert to a 360 camera perspective, which is the only one today in motorsports that is live for viewers but can also be enjoyed through the App for our users,” says Arroyo.

“The 360 camera is an incredible ‘first’ that MotoGP has done,” advocates Kapadia.

The provision for fans to be able to ‘drag and scan’ an all-encompassing view from any of the riders’ motorcycle is a fine example of interactivity. But the provision of the IT highway forged by Tata has other benefits, such as the possibility of having a separate crew in the comfort and confines of Dorna’s production office a short

distance outside of the Catalan capital of Barcelona.

“It helps to have another team away from the stress of a race environment; somebody in another place that is bigger, with more tools and more resources than an OB truck,” says Sergi Sendra, Dorna’s TV Director and company Media Director. “We are always trying to improve and that is a key part. It is about the way to work.”

Kapadia says the versatility of Tata Communications’ service catalogue is a fine fit for MotoGP and for them it provides some of the diversity they crave. “MotoGP is far more open as a sport,” he opines. “We also do PGA European Golf and for us each one of these sports presents different business challenges. For Formula 1 it is the whole ecosystem: the

management running the sport, teams like Mercedes and Williams, broadcasters like Sky, the whole lot. With MotoGP is it direct with the Dorna ecosystem. Golf is very different. You can imagine the amount of content they get.

In MotoGP we are talking about a 45-minute race or session. In golf it is all day for four days so their needs are different. It challenges our ability to personalise and customise. It is like working with a bank or a manufacturing company or an IT company: our process, systems and products can evolve to serve those people better. Sport is a big learning ground because some other companies won’t require this big 24-7 work but certain companies will. A bank will need constant, flawless service.”

MotoGP is damn fast. Motorcycles will top 220mph (355kmph) on the longer straights in the series.

2019 has seen new records fall for the closest race finishes of all-time. It is therefore essential that any technical provider to the championship can keep pace to showcase all of this. Tata Communications have good form in this respect – their ‘ultra-low latency’ - and connection with 12 of the leading stock exchanges testify to the fact.

“A lot of work has gone into our network to ensure low latency: the point from when something happens to it bouncing somewhere and being seen somewhere else and we are talking about millisec-

onds,” reveals Kapadia. “You bat an eyelid and the data has to go from Qatar to Barcelona and back: that’s the speed it has to happen.”

While Marc Marquez briefly saw the world from a different perspective in Thailand Dorna were able to provide broadcaster DAZN in Barcelona – the rights holders to MotoGP in Spain – with the camera perspective in the same instant thanks to this dizzyingly quick bridge.

“DAZN is now working and broadcasting from Barcelona and last year these people were at the circuit,” says Sendra. “When we went from the satellite to fibre we were a bit ‘frightened’ but we know that taking a risk is how you can achieve new things. After three years of tests from a variety of circuits we decided in Australia last

year that DAZN could broadcast from Barcelona and that means the 20 people that used to work and travel are now based back at home. From the first moment they described their experience [working with the feed] as ‘perfect’. Obviously, they have to adapt depending on the latency but we have to say the experience has been extremely positive. All the management of the onboard cameras is now done in Barcelona.”

O’Keefe is a specialist with quarter of a century of experience and his eyes widen when asked about how the IT world has twisted the throttle in the last ten years. “I started with one of the first companies in America to do streaming media and content delivery network, so IP video distribution, and we were dealing with 56k/128kb per second video which was chug-chug-

TV, TATA & MotoGP SPEED

THE SPEED – “YOU BAT AN EYELID AND THE DATA HAS TO GO”

FEATURE

chug,” he says. “Obviously the broadcast industry is coming to a point where we are now going back into the IP world. We do provide ethernet services IP/ HDSDI and ASI feeds but more and more it is coming to an IP feed. I believe the future is turning this Pod into a fully IP automated solution…but it will take a little while.”

The parallel with the riders on the track is strong: the hunt for more speed, more improvement, more possibilities. The difference comes with the target. MotoGP teams and athletes chase betterment for sporting achievement and glory, Kapadia acknowledges that the

search for even quicker connectivity – and upgraded technology generally - is partially driven by another source.

“It is a fans world,” he states. “Doing a 360 camera view is what fans want but it is supremely challenging to stretch those four-feeds in real time. New technology comes up in various things and 360 is one of them. We can also talk about virtual reality and there will be a time when this comes into play as well.”

“It is all relative to what the user wants,” he continues. “At the end of the day different technologies are running at different pace. Look

at phones. We never used to have much storage space because we didn’t need it. Now you need a lot for all the photos and HD videos.

So different technologies are moving at a certain pace and hardware and Applications also. Then you have to look at the digital infrastructure. Tata Communications is digital infrastructure services provider and connectivity is a part of it, but it constantly has to keep pace with the users’ demands.

Generally technology moves at an incredible pace and for us it is not just about how quickly data can be moved but how relevantly it can be positioned and the combination of connect-compute-storage.”

Lap records will be chipped away and race-winning times will drop.

An ‘innovator’ like Marquez will even shift the style and technique of what it will take to excel in MotoGP. Away from the activity between the red light and the chequered flag, Dorna are in a similar pursuit. They have cornered a market with their onboard camera hardware and the TV outlay of MotoGP is the definition of the term ‘comprehensive’ thanks to the blanket coverage of every rider, every corner, every sensational moment, every talking point, every interview quip.

“We are surrounded by a massive amount of data from the bikes and the riders,” says Sendra. “Things like GPS…and we are working a lot to be able reproduce this and think about some [concepts like] virtual reality. Firstly, we have to analyse, because video and audio can be transmitted from one step to another but not data yet, and we’re working on that to produce new ways to show a part of the race.”

The images and information that is on-tap has become, oddly enough, a tuning aid for the teams.

2019 MotoGP runner-up Andrea Dovizioso is just one rider who has talked about the fine detail and accessibility of the super-slow-mo footage as a means for deducing the handling characteristics of his factory Ducati Desmosedici at certain circuits. The minute frames

of information on screen turns into a visual guide for altering set-up, based on an immediate appreciation for what the motorcycle is doing while entering a corner. Every team uses video as a private learning or ‘spy’ tool but the general MotoGP feed is another source.

As the ‘20s beckon, MotoGP is accumulating hundreds of terabytes of footage and material. Some is shipped digitally as well as physically back to Spain, some is transported in hard copy to the next races (this is especially the case with sequential flyaway events).

Again, this aspect of transportation and storage is another theme whereby the company lean on Tata Communications. “We are working on a system where [at] the same time we produce we are also storing and providing access [to broadcasters],” Sendra says. “This is important because we have many cameras and feeds and bigger ones like for 4K and we need more space and agility.”

“We’re in a proof of concept phase with Dorna bench-testing 4K and HGR technology moving forward,” O’Keefe says looking around his Pod in the paddock of the Dutch Grand Prix at the Assen circuit.

“That being the case next year there could be more bandwidth and potentially more equipment.

We are looking to take that next step.”

Ideas and modernisation used to be hemmed by resources and the technology available. This is

certainly the case for the motorcycles where horsepower and engine output has been on-tap for many years but the progression of chassis performance and tyres needed to catch-up. The machinery has now never been faster or more capable entering the third decade of the century. The balance has now tipped more towards the ‘means’: people can unleash their imagination and have the tools to make them happen.

“Absolutely,” Kapadia concurs.

“We are at a place now where it is about user cases and user experiences. In MotoGP if they went up from 120 cameras to 150 or from 6 feeds to 10 then we’d be able to keep pace with it. We’d be able to ensure that it is all tested before they want to do that. A classic example is in F1: when we moved there they actually had connectivity that was less than a home broadband connection at every race track! Now they are using 100 times more. Due to this they can do remote operations, like they do in MotoGP. The camera remains the same but they now have the ability to have a human sitting somewhere else to manage it.

You have opened up time for that human to be doing other things when the race is not on. If you are at the track then you are limited and it involves the cost of travel as well: it is cases like that which will keep pushing boundaries of technology.”

TV, TATA & MotoGP SPEED

THE FUTURE – “HAVE THE FOUNDATION IN PLACE”

BACK PAGE

Valencia. MotoGP 2019. By Polarity Photo

ON TRACK OFF ROAD

‘On-track Off-road’ is a free, monthly publication for the screen focussed on bringing the latest perspectives on events, blogs and some of the very finest photography from the three worlds of MXGP, the AMA Motocross and Supercross series’, MotoGP, WorldSBK as well as the latest bike tests.

‘On-track Off-road’ will be published online at www.ontrackoffroad.com on the last Tuesday of the month. To receive an email notification that a new issue available with a brief description of each edition’s contents simply enter an address in the box provided on the homepage. All email addresses will be kept strictly confidential and only used for purposes connected with OTOR. Adam Wheeler Editor and MXGP/MotoGP correspondent Ray Archer Photographer Steve Matthes AMA MX and SX correspondent Cormac Ryan-Meenan MotoGP Photographer www.cormacgp.com David Emmett MotoGP Blogger Neil Morrison MotoGP Blogger & Feature writer Matthew Roberts Blogger Graeme Brown WSB Blogger and Photographer Roland Brown Tester Núria Garcia Cover Design Gabi Álvarez Web developer Hosting FireThumb7 - www.firethumb7.co.uk Thanks to www.mototribu.com PHOTO CREDITS Ray Archer, CormacGP, Polarity Photo, GeeBee Images, Phil Masters, KTM Images, Massimo Zanzani, Jamie Morris Cover shot: Brad Binder by Sebas Romero/KTM Images This publication took a lot of time and effort to put together so please respect it! Nothing in this publication can be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the editorial team. For more information please visit www.ontrackoffroad.com and click ‘Contact us’.