MotoGP 2013

[Crasherfromwayback]

Scroll down that article a bit, the greenery is a tree in the background well back from the track. It's insane cos you've got Pedrosa on a GP bike with trees and power poles in the background. From that shot it feels more like a street race than a permanent track.

Duh Peter! Now that makes sense!

[HenryDorsetCase]

I hadn't seen that site before so thanks to whoever linked it.

[roogazza]

Just cos it's a great shot of this years champ.

[denill]

Just cos it's a great shot of this years champ.

Gotta say, although we criticised Dorna for shoehorning MM into the works team, it would have been a much different season if they hadn't...................

[BMWST?]

Gotta say, although we criticised Dorna for shoehorning MM into the works team, it would have been a much different season if they hadn't...................

dunno woulda been very interesting(knowing what we know now) seeing him on a satelite bike,woulda been some bloody good battles with VR CC etc,and he woulda podiumed a lot .

[merv]

Chances are if he'd had to be in a satellite team I imagine HRC would have made sure his bike was quick anyway. What a dumb rule though, there are so many rules now. Not like when Kenny Roberts could just front up and win the championship on his first try to and probably just had to have an international race licence(and a fast bike).

From a pure racing point of view it is a shame that people can't just have a try like in the past, we don't see any Kim Newcombe's any more or Ginger Molly's or Keith Turner's able to give it ago. Its all the hand of promoters with the big money go round because all said and done the riders make a job out of it now and the top ones get paid a lot.

[Bender]

From a pure racing point of view it is a shame that people can't just have a try like in the past, we don't see any Kim Newcombe's any more or Ginger Molly's or Keith Turner's able to give it ago. Its all the hand of promoters with the big money go round because all said and done the riders make a job out of it now and the top ones get paid a lot.

While I agree with you in principle, the reality is that it's all about big money now... really really big money. Honda outspends everyone and they get the results. Imagine where Yamaha would be without Jorge, bumbling round in fourth or fifth with Valentino and Cal as their star riders? You'd have to think the signing of Jorge was genius because few people would have guessed he could lift his game to such a high level.

The gifted amateur - the likes of Newcome, Molloy, Turner, etc has no place in the modern game, more's the pity. That's sort of what CRT could have become, but even those bikes are seriously expensive and no match at all for the prototypes. Newcome, Molloy, Turner (and others) were competitive, but the game has moved on and left that sort of person behind.

[husaberg]

While I agree with you in principle, the reality is that it's all about big money now... really really big money. Honda outspends everyone and they get the results. Imagine where Yamaha would be without Jorge, bumbling round in fourth or fifth with Valentino and Cal as their star riders? You'd have to think the signing of Jorge was genius because few people would have guessed he could lift his game to such a high level.

The gifted amateur - the likes of Newcome, Molloy, Turner, etc has no place in the modern game, more's the pity. That's sort of what CRT could have become, but even those bikes are seriously expensive and no match at all for the prototypes. Newcome, Molloy, Turner (and others) were competitive, but the game has moved on and left that sort of person behind.

i could be wrong but the last of the Grit and get there privateers was likely Wayne Gardner, Richard Scott got there to only for the carpet to be pulled out when Honda Britain collapsed..........long time ago.... could be wrong though.......

[Crasherfromwayback]

The gifted amateur - the likes of Newcome, Molloy, Turner, etc has no place in the modern game, more's the pity. That's sort of what CRT could have become, but even those bikes are seriously expensive and no match at all for the prototypes. Newcome, Molloy, Turner (and others) were competitive, but the game has moved on and left that sort of person behind.

That could be changed if we had the class full of TZ750's again. (The modern version of of course).

[Bender]

Funny you should say that CFWB because that's exactly what I was thinking when I wrote that last post. Hence my note about the CRT bikes. But I can't see how it would work. The gifted amateur is still going to need mega-millions to compete and even then they couldn't run with the hand-built factory specials.

World superbikes is sort of heading in that direction, with the new rules pushing (back) towards more production orientated bikes.

That would be where the gifted amateur would aim to compete because theoretically, you could buy a bike and bolt all the bits on, add some innovation and be up there. World superbikes could be a really exciting championship if managed properly. It's going to be interesting to see where Dorna takes it, and how it stacks up, in a few years time.