On Track Off Road No. 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.12…but 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 Défense 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

PREVIEW 

MotoGP 

VALENCIA TEST 

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

VALENCIA IRTA TEST 

RICARDO TORMO CIRCUIT · NOVEMBER 19-20

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. 

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. 

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. 

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 



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? 

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 

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. 

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 collarbone, 

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

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FEATURE 

JOAN MIR 

By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Polarity photo 

3 STEPS TO MotoGP

FEATURE 

MotoGP 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

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. 

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. 

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 

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…”

FEATURE 

“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...” 

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 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

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. 

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 season. 

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

FEATURE

“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...” 

JOAN MIR

FEATURE

the track then yes – I’m serious 

when I should be. You 

have to be focussed here and 

on what you need to do. 

JOAN MIR 

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 

When I was injured it was 

difficult: I don’t like to watch 

races on TV! I don’t like it! I 

hate it! 

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.

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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.” 

choices is crucial when it comes 

to career openings with the best 

equipment and structures in the 

sport. 

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

PRODUCTS 

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 

www.gatsbyglobal.com 

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.

FEATURE 

makin 

By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Ray Archer 

mxgp

g

FEATURE 

THE World 

2019 FIM 

Motocross 

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

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.” 

“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

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

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. 

“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

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

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.” 

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 publicity 

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. 

I think it is easy to see just in 

the paddock alone.” 

CATERING FOR THE CAST 

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. 

“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

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. 

“I still think we can improve 

the organisation with the 

teams: using one bike per rider 

would be better for everyone 

but some people don’t want 

that,” Doriot opines. “Otherwise 

we have a good, timely 

system. A team like KTM could 

use something like seven 

crates. There were famous 

problems in the past when 

teams would put food inside 

the crate or other products 

and we’d have trouble at cus- 

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. 

Circuits have had to update 

flooring and areas to cope with 

the amount of semi articulated 

trucks and rigs. 

In 2020 the technical and 

homely ‘hub’ of Grand Prix could 

shape-shift once more. “I think 

it will, because one factory team 

has an idea and I think it will 

change the face of the paddock,” 

Doriot says. “If it can happen 

technically then I think people 

will want to follow. The factory

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.” 

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

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

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.” 

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

FEATURE 

THE FOLD OF AN

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer 

MXGP PILLAR 

(AND WHY MICHELE RINALDI RULED THE GRAND PRIX ROOST) 

Michele 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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.” 

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

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 

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…. 

Bob Moore: I remember it like 

it was yesterday. I had an offer 

to stay with KTM for 1992 but 

I’d just finished second again 

in the [125cc] championship. 

I was hoping to win it and I’d 

dislocated my shoulder that 

year and lost to Stefan Everts 

by seven points, so I was close 

but, whatever. I thought ‘I’ve 

got to change, I’ve got to do 

something’ and I’d always 

been a fan of Michele, his 

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 

a chance, give me a shot. I’ll 

ride for free to prove it, just 

give me bonus money” and he 

was very taken back by that 

because during that time – 

the early ‘90s – there was still 

quite a bit of money around 

in the paddock. I really like to 

work with good people. I did 

not know Michele that much 

but I followed his racing career 

and I knew everyone in 

Italy loved him and that I just 

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 

Photo by Max Zanzani

ace for you’. Normally there 

is a lot of negotiation and pull 

and push with the money…but 

Bob just said: ‘up to you’. 

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 10- 

15 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

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

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. 

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 

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. 

MICHELE RINALDI

PRODUCTS 

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scott sports 

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waterproof, breathable and resistant 

wares possible: maximum versatility. For 

this reason Adventure products are not 

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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 

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As well as a staunch windproof and 

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The pants are mainly forged from polyamide 

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Dive into the on-road section of the 

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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! 

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! 

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

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

TESTED: 

ARA-GONE 

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 

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. 

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

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 extra 

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

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? 

TESTED 

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. 

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 

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. 

KTM REAR BAG 

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.

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. 

TESTED

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 

www.motocrossgpalbum.com 

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.

LEATT.COM/NEXTSTEP 

THE SCIENCE OF THRILL

next 

step 

LEATT.COM

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WORLDSBK POR 

WORLDSBK TEST

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SBK 

BLOG 

TESTING TIMES... 



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. 

some speed for another year. 

Then, and only then will 2020 have 

started. 

‘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

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

Cranking 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. 

ARCH KRGT-1 

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 Harley- 

Davidson. 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

“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...” 

ARCH KRGT-1 

WORLDSBK POR

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 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. 

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.

“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...” 

ARCH KRGT-1

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 throttle of his factory Repsol Honda around the first 

a bright and hot Friday October morning 2019 MotoGP 

World Champion-to-be Marc Marquez feathered the 

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. 

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 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

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.” 

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 PROB- 

LEMS 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

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

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 

XXXXXXXX TV, XXXXXXXX TATA & MotoGP XXXXXX SPEED XXXXX 

‘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.”

THE SPEED – “YOU BAT AN 

EYELID AND THE DATA HAS TO 

GO” 

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 milliseconds,” 

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- 


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.”

THE FUTURE – “HAVE THE 

FOUNDATION IN PLACE” 

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.” 


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’.

On Track Off Road No. 193

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