What is wrong with motorcycle racing?
Why are they current crop not liked?
Why is Rossi such a huge entity?
This is purely my thought, having spent the last 25 years watching motorcycle racing from National Superbikes to 500GP to MotoGP, from racing, and getting to know plenty of top crop racers.
What is missing?
I feel that the biggest issue in motorcycle racing (not just MotoGP) these days is all the professionalism. Everyone seems to have a ****ing stick up their ***....and those who seem carefree and fun are harped on for it.
The Danis, Jorges, Dovis, etc....all are tremendous racers. But are always the "Villians"...why? Because they are boring. When they talk it is exactly what the camera wants to hear, as if they are reading off a script.
What makes guys like Iannone, Rossi, Crutchlow all fun and have legions of fans? They are the "common man" they shoot from the hip and have no regrets about what they say.
And its the Rossi's and Crutchlows that are slowly evaporating from the sport. New talent is groomed to be perfect, and camera ready (look at marquez)...
Rossi and crutchlow grew up in the days Of Schwantz, Rainey, gardner...The Sennas, Hunts, Sheenes....Racers with personalities.
I first started to notice this at a national Superbike race. Guys like Art Robbins, and Rueban McMurter, Lang Hindle were all known for the parties and the fantastic interviews, and showmanship (wheelies, brakies, throwing the leathers into the crowed etc...)...Jeff Williams jumped into the pool at corner 4 at mosport a few years back, Old Jordan Szoke once landed a flippin helicopter on the front straight! Now a days the Jodi Christies, "New" Jordan Szokes, Riedmans etc... have all stopped. No more crowed pleasing burn outs, no more hilarious off the cuff interviews (Steve Crevier and Pascal Picotte were hilarious on the stand). No free auto graphs or mingling with fans.
And all the people who do those things are called "bad for the sport" Guys like the Trevor Daleys are fantastic, they bring the girls, the energy drinks, the couch in pit lane. Dude had a personality and was wild out on the track as well. But he was labelled off the collar, and a "wild man" why? He isnt partying nearly as much as Art, or Steve did.
So then things started to get boring. Sure the racing was good, but the rider v rider paddock battles are gone.
Whether people like to admit it, the drama/fun sells tickets (look at Sepang 2015) and bigger turn outs mean that more money comes into the sport. Which leads to bigger races (Frack Canada had GPs and WSBK at some points when we had lots of talent and charismatic riders)
I think a lot of riders these days need to remove the sticks from their butts, and have a little more fun. Yes its a job, so you have to be professional, but dont be a ****ing robot, sign some auto graphs in the pits, talk to the people, be approachable.
This of course is just 1 mans opinion.
Why are they current crop not liked?
Why is Rossi such a huge entity?
This is purely my thought, having spent the last 25 years watching motorcycle racing from National Superbikes to 500GP to MotoGP, from racing, and getting to know plenty of top crop racers.
What is missing?
I feel that the biggest issue in motorcycle racing (not just MotoGP) these days is all the professionalism. Everyone seems to have a ****ing stick up their ***....and those who seem carefree and fun are harped on for it.
The Danis, Jorges, Dovis, etc....all are tremendous racers. But are always the "Villians"...why? Because they are boring. When they talk it is exactly what the camera wants to hear, as if they are reading off a script.
What makes guys like Iannone, Rossi, Crutchlow all fun and have legions of fans? They are the "common man" they shoot from the hip and have no regrets about what they say.
And its the Rossi's and Crutchlows that are slowly evaporating from the sport. New talent is groomed to be perfect, and camera ready (look at marquez)...
Rossi and crutchlow grew up in the days Of Schwantz, Rainey, gardner...The Sennas, Hunts, Sheenes....Racers with personalities.
I first started to notice this at a national Superbike race. Guys like Art Robbins, and Rueban McMurter, Lang Hindle were all known for the parties and the fantastic interviews, and showmanship (wheelies, brakies, throwing the leathers into the crowed etc...)...Jeff Williams jumped into the pool at corner 4 at mosport a few years back, Old Jordan Szoke once landed a flippin helicopter on the front straight! Now a days the Jodi Christies, "New" Jordan Szokes, Riedmans etc... have all stopped. No more crowed pleasing burn outs, no more hilarious off the cuff interviews (Steve Crevier and Pascal Picotte were hilarious on the stand). No free auto graphs or mingling with fans.
And all the people who do those things are called "bad for the sport" Guys like the Trevor Daleys are fantastic, they bring the girls, the energy drinks, the couch in pit lane. Dude had a personality and was wild out on the track as well. But he was labelled off the collar, and a "wild man" why? He isnt partying nearly as much as Art, or Steve did.
So then things started to get boring. Sure the racing was good, but the rider v rider paddock battles are gone.
Whether people like to admit it, the drama/fun sells tickets (look at Sepang 2015) and bigger turn outs mean that more money comes into the sport. Which leads to bigger races (Frack Canada had GPs and WSBK at some points when we had lots of talent and charismatic riders)
I think a lot of riders these days need to remove the sticks from their butts, and have a little more fun. Yes its a job, so you have to be professional, but dont be a ****ing robot, sign some auto graphs in the pits, talk to the people, be approachable.
This of course is just 1 mans opinion.