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SBK<br />
BLOG<br />
a round at Sepang in Malaysia. I<br />
know that most manufacturers are<br />
keen to have a round in east Asia<br />
as sport bike sales are relatively<br />
strong there and they also have<br />
manufacturing plants in countries<br />
like Thailand and Malaysia so they<br />
feel it is important to visit those<br />
territories. However, I recall from<br />
the last visit to Sepang that the<br />
races were very poorly attended<br />
and the local promoter had little<br />
interest in hosting a WorldSBK<br />
race. <strong>No</strong>thing much has changed<br />
to suggest it will be different this<br />
time around but Sepang is a<br />
circuit I like so you won’t hear any<br />
grumbles from me if it appears on<br />
the 2020 calendar.<br />
We also saw the first of the 2020<br />
bikes at Laguna Seca when Yamaha<br />
unveiled their R1 and R1M. For<br />
me it was something of a disappointment<br />
to be honest as there<br />
was very little difference between<br />
the new and existing models. It<br />
really comprised of some minor<br />
updates to the production bike<br />
that would appear to have come<br />
directly from the development of<br />
the race bike and, as is customary<br />
with all things in life now, a smart<br />
phone app to control the electronics<br />
for the bike. It would suggest<br />
that despite Yamaha’s current on<br />
track progression, 2020 will be<br />
more of the same.<br />
For me this month has been particularly<br />
hectic. I am among those<br />
that have travelled from the UK to<br />
California – Donington to Laguna<br />
Seca - turning around, heading<br />
back home and then setting off<br />
again in the other direction for<br />
Japan and the Suzuka 8hr race.<br />
I had a quick check and within a<br />
week we will have crossed 16 time<br />
zones and travelled something<br />
like18,000kms. The night before<br />
we left the US was the best nights<br />
sleep I had had since arriving and<br />
I guess I will have just won the<br />
battle with jet lag at home before I<br />
head to Nagoya and on to Suzuka.<br />
I am only wandering around taking<br />
some ‘snaps’, I can’t imagine<br />
what it will be like for the Yamaha<br />
and Kawasaki boys who have just<br />
finished a hot dry race weekend<br />
in the US before tackling the heat<br />
and humidity of summer in Japan,<br />
and in particular an endurance<br />
race. The physical toll on there<br />
bodies must be quite significant.<br />
Then again they are not an aging<br />
bag of old bones like me. To put<br />
it into perspective the riders will<br />
have completed around four hours<br />
of riding in a typical WorldSBK<br />
weekend. In Suzuka they will most<br />
likely do that in one race, having<br />
already tested, taken Free Practice<br />
and qualifying sessions form<br />
Wednesday onwards. It’s exhausting<br />
just thinking about it.<br />
I am looking forward to Suzuka. It’s<br />
a really unique event to cover and<br />
different from my normal weekend<br />
of work. As a photographer it’s<br />
great to have a shoot that is different<br />
from the norm and challenges<br />
you to deliver the goods. So if I get<br />
tired and emotional with jet lag in<br />
the next week just remind me that<br />
I am travelling around the world<br />
photographing one of the coolest<br />
motorcycle fixtures on the calendar.
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