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KTM 890 DUKE R The KTM 890 DUKE R delivers exactly what you’d expect from its R-rating. An aggressive, track-ready seating position, race-bred WP suspension and a blistering 121 hp compel you to slice through apexes with laser-like accuracy.
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MX
HONDA HAVING IT BACK? Tim Gajser placed one Fox glove on the 2020 MXGP world championship in Lommel and could be the first rider to successful defend a premier class title since Tony Cairoli re-stamped MXGP (then ‘MX1’) in 2014. The Sicilian is still in the game though ahead of the final triple header in Arco di Trento. Tantalisingly both riders have produced special and memorable performances across the hard-pack in recent years Photo by Ray Archer
WorldSBK
NEW REFERENCE The now annual obligatory photo for Jonathan Rea, who is rapidly running out of shelf space for the distinctive black WorldSBK trophy. Six championships and touching the total of 100 wins means Superbike has its own Hamilton, Everts, Carmichael or Agostini. Whether the 33 year old will really be able to absorb the depth of his feats and numbers is hard to ascertain but it is a benchmark made of oak Photo by GeeBee Images
MOTOGP
ALL IN A BLUR MotoGP dispenses with a triple header that produced three more different winners (the total is now eight from eleven rounds) and breathes quickly before launching into the last. Clouds of confinement, restrictions and Covid-19 worries are chasing the series like a Ducati in a slipstream but the championship is heading for a close and fascinating finale at a circuit where nobody has raced before. Photo by Polarity Photo
MXGP
GRANDS PRIX OF FLANDERS, LIMBURG, LOMMEL
OCTOBER 18th WINNERS
LOMMEL, BELGIUM
OCTOBER 25th WINNERS
MXGP: TIM GAJSER, HONDA MX2: TOM VIALLE, KTM
OCTOBER 21st WINNERS MXGP: JORGE PRADO, KTM MX2: TOM VIALLE, KTM
MXGP: TIM GAJSER, HONDA MX2: BEN WATSON, YAMAHA
MXGP LOMMEL
ELEMENTARY By Adam Wheeler
Photos by Ray Archer
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MXGP SBK BLOG BLOG
TITULAR TITULAR HERE, NOW, LATER... It was easy to think about the past, present and future at Lommel last week. Interviews with the likes of Gautier Paulin and Clement Desalle was a reminder of how MXGP and sport continues to move and is how these riders who are/were the reference of the category for the best part of ten years are trailing away. Then there was Tony Cairoli who seemed to labour across a track where he was formerly so quick and so powerful; the Sicilian admitted that his collection of 9th, 3rd and 5th results mean he had “throw away the championship”. Tim Gajser (1st, 2nd and 1st), Romain Febvre, Jeremy Seewer and Jorge Prado showed (in a depleted MXGP field) how rampantly fast MXGP currently is. Watching riders like Tom Vialle, Isak Gifting, Thibault Benistant and Roan Van de Moosdijk barrel across the sand gave a pleasant window to some future names of the scene.
Off the track there were other reminders. The tough Belgian venue and the presence of people like Joel Smets, Marnicq Bervoets and Marc de Reuver guiding three of the moto winners was a throwback to how motocross likes to feed off its past heroes, knowledge and heritage. The locked Lommel gates and empty spectator banks were stark sign of the present-day times, and the eerie and disheartening silence that surrounded the racing as the bikes worked their way through the sand around the back end of the site was a forceful mark of where we stand in 2020. Positive Covid-19 tests, headlines of national lockdowns and restrictions (as governments decide that people cannot think for themselves and to-hell with constitutional freedom of movement) created worries about completing the season with the last triple header in Italy were all pressing issues of the present.
For the future of MXGP, questions started to bubble about 2021. There were rumours of more triples. It would be very optimistic to assume Grand Prix racing will be back to normal in the space of just six months, which is not only very concerning for the promoters and circuits but for the sport as a whole. 2020 became a salvage operation, forced when the season had already started. 2021 could scratch new lines in the cement. There are other industries hard-hit by the need for public participation but the shape of MXGP as we’ve come to know it over the years could shift drastically in terms of less events, less track time, less international scope and potentially less investment as the show shrinks accordingly. Frustratingly, promoters are now back to working on a week-by-week, month-bymonth basis with the looming
CREATED THANKS TO BY ADAM WHEELER
BY ADAM WHEELER threat of more lockdowns and limitations. Who knows what ramifications a passable vaccine and legal process of disclaimers might have for professional sport and attendances in 2021? Watching Ben Watson take his first Grand Prix win was another symbol of that past, present and future. Watson joined the British duo of Shaun Simpson and Max Anstie to taste success on the hardest motocross track of them all and delivered the UK’s first MX2 win for four years. Watson was originally the next ‘wonderkid’ to follow three-times world championship runner-up Tommy Searle. He won his very first EMX250 European Championship appearance in 2014 after blazing a trail as a hyped junior together with brother Nathan. He ages-out of MX2 this year and the fire and form he showed at Lommel to go 3rd, 2nd and 1st in the three meetings was overdue after losing most of 2016
and 2019 to injury problems. Watson added to Britain’s track record at Lommel, showed he is currently the brightest light of the country’s very few remaining GP racers (there were just seven Brits competing at Lommel, only one in EMX125) and filters nicely into Yamaha’s factory MXGP Grand Prix structure for 2021 where his large frame and technique could help towards a few surprises for what will be a learning campaign in the premier class.
“IT FEELS LIKE THE SCREW HAS TURNED A FEW MORE NOTCHES. BRITAIN HAS A STRONG AND PROUD MOTOCROSS PAST, A SMALL BUT ENCOURAGING PRESENT BUT IS THE FUTURE A WORRY? The location of Watson’s achievement and his
nationality also prompted thoughts of motocross’ place and time. Should Britain be concerned that there are no other promising youngsters emerging to follow his example and the still half-dormant potential of the talented Conrad Mewse? 2020 could be said to be an unreliable gauge for the health of the sport because of the logistical, economical and health complications involved to compete in Grand Prix and European Championship feeder/development series (Yamaha cancelled their YZ bLU cRU Cup for example) but, then again, perhaps those who have made it to paddocks in Latvia, Italy, Spain and Belgium are showing exactly the kind of resolve that is necessary to ‘make it’. The quest for affordable racing has been a priority for years. But it feels like the screw has turned a few more notches. Britain has a strong and proud motocross past, a small but
MXGP SBKBLOG BLOG
encouraging present but is the future a worry? Maybe not. “We have some really fast kids in the UK and these kids are investing quite a lot in academies and training schools,” says the UK’s best dirt bike tester, writer, former racer and two-stroke festival organiser Dave Willet. “The ACU don’t have an academy anymore but still help some kids…although getting some of them into Europe is proving tricky. Without always banging on about the price of the bikes and the lack of tracks it’s more about a lack of structure and people ‘passing the buck’ in my opinion.” Watch this space then. Watson’s victory came at Lommel; one of less than half a dozen established tracks in the whole of Belgium. In MX2 and the EMX250 competitions combined there were only six native riders while Jago Geerts’ young shoulders carry a lot of expectation of a nation that were spoilt for choice for GP winners and personalities less than ten years ago.
Back to the interview with Paulin, which appeared on the RacerX website after ‘Lommel 2’. It was comforting to hear him talk of how the French Federation’s proactivity has been a welcome rod of iron for the sport. The French are still the most powerful nation in motocross outside the US and have yet more athletes flowing through the pyramid thanks to shrewd talent identification, sensible support and preservation of tracks and places where kids can ride and learn. Renowned French journalist Pascal Haudiquert presented me with a quite wonderful picture/historical book he took great effort in producing in conjunction with the Federation, describing and commemorating 48 tracks that have hosted a French Grand Prix. He believes around 38 still remain. Does anybody else celebrate the sport in this way? They might soon have to if they want the benefits of community, revenue, excitement and a following that it gives. It’s not all doom-and-gloom however.
Taking the current European classes as an indicator then it’s clear that countries such as the Nordics and Eastern Europe are producing kids that are hoping to make the grade. As in any generational shift when the big names and the big memories are eased to one side, there is small void where a lot more stories are waiting to be written by names that could become heroes as well.
PRODUCTS
MXGP ALBUM 2020 The quintessential MXGP photo yearbook is back in 2020 for a twelfth edition. The trimmed calendar means the publishers are including a retrospective look at the famous 1986 Grand Prix season (Vimond vs Rinaldi) as well as a going behind the scenes by visiting some of the best team MXGP workshops. Of course there is also the full wrap of the
MXGP and MX2 campaigns with Stan Leroux’s artistic eye meaning some great imagery. If you pre-order the book before the end of October then you can receive it at a discounted 39.90 euros instead of 44.90 and delivered by early December. There are two cover choices as well. Head to www.mxgpalbum.com to make the purchase
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HUGE SALE ON YOKO AND FOX RACING GEAR AND THOUSANDS MORE PRODUCTS IN STOCK F R E E
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Cudby
ZACH OSBORNE BRINGS IT HOME! Cudby
2020 has been a roller-coaster year for everyone, including Zach Osborne. After a mixed start to the supercross season, he sustained serious injuries in a practice crash. Two weeks later, the series would be postponed for nearly 3 months in response the ongoing pandemic. With time to recover, Zach returned for seven rounds in Salt Lake City, Utah, claiming his first 450 supercross win at the final event. At the opening outdoor motocross round in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, he took his first 450 overall win, grabbed the red plate, and never let go. Zach’s strong work ethic and never-say-die attitude embody the spirit of a true champion, and we’re proud to have supported his efforts in 2020. Congratulations on a triumphant year, Zach, and here’s to many more!
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P R O T A P E R . C O M
HANDLEBARS > FUZION
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ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING
ZACH OSBORNE
FEATURE
BRAND: HOLESHOT! By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer/KTM
MXGP NETHERLANDS
H
e is 19 years of age. He has almost four seasons of FIM World Championship racing experience and already two world titles. His technique is practically flawless. He is already the most successful rider ever from his country. All this, and yet Jorge Prado is a total master of one other aspect of motocross: starts.
It is also inexplicably consistent. In this age of MXGP where the smallest differences are helping riders to differentiate between a podium place and a top ten finish, it is a fiercely effective weapon. The Spaniard’s proficiency is almost unfair. Since 2017 Prado has totalled 79 holeshots (stat credit to Paul Malin), 16 alone in his first term in MXGP this year.
Three words: How. And. Why?
There are other sharp starters in MXGP. Any racer who has reached the narrowing peak of the world championship is not shabby when it comes to drilling a 450 machine from the metal grill with a high rate of skill and reaction time.
250, 450, even a 125; Jorge Prado’s tendency to holeshot on whatever motorcycle and against any competition is freakish.
FEATURE Even if getting out if the gate is a weakness then paid professionals will be spend hours finding a routine, mindset or solution to make this aspect of their performance better. Max Nagl (as well as Tony Cairoli) was the perhaps the most renowned race starter in the last ten-fifteen years and the German finetuned a process (positioning and habit) to enact his craft. His mechanic for most of his time in the premier class was Bart Dirkx. The Belgian was temporarily Jorge Prado’s KTM spanner-man for his KTM 85 SX as a junior (when Nagl was out for seven months with a back injury) and the 50-year old has been fulltime with #61 for the last three years. “I had a lot of info with Max and his starts and we spoke about that with Jorge. We used that experience to prepare the bike…but Jorge’s starts are all down to him. There are many things coming together: the tyre, the clutch, the RPM, the reaction. With the metal grill it is not the same as when you had to make your ruts in the dirt gate. Max would take twenty minutes to prepare his space if he had a good qualifying result. There is not much preparation now, and it comes down to feeling and Jorge knows he has it. And he’s confident.
He’s often a bike length and a half ahead very quickly. He already had ‘it’ at 12-years old, taking holeshot after holeshot.” Prado undoubtedly prepares and there is a technical procedure to set up the KTM 450 SX-F (“we also have a very strong engine at KTM,” says Dirkx) but the rider and the people around him – even his rivals put his uncanny skill down to feeling. “You need to have the feeling, the control, and to know at which RPM the engine has the most torque,” Dirkx adds. “Most riders these days have the RPM guide lights but if I take that guide away from Jorge’s bike he still makes the same starts; we know that because we’ve measured them with and without the lights and we’re talking small fractions of a second. He knows the right moment. To release the clutch and have that feeling? I don’t think you can ‘learn’ this. You can work, train and improve your starts – and of course we work, as does everyone, but there is something inexplicable there.” How did Prado find this sensitivity? His father Jesús has a theory, and it has nothing to do with a motocross machine. “I think a lot of it comes with the feeling he had with the Trial bike as a kid where the action with the clutch is fundamental. When it’s slippery then you
JORGE PRADO’S STARTS play with the clutch so the rear is not sliding around. He rode many, many hours with the Trial bike when he was small and I think he developed that acute feeling with the clutch. I don’t know if that’s the key. On supercross sections and when there are rollers on the track he is clearly making a difference and I think that is down to the trial also because he has a lot of precision. With Trial you need to
place the bike in an exact point, not one inch to the left or the right. The rear wheel needs to be right where you want it and perhaps that brings an advantage in motocross. He knows how to manoeuvre and correct the bike. He also rode a lot of trial bicycle – even while he was getting over his femur injury this year - and has a good level.” “Prado’s feeling for the start must be really special,” opines Monster Energy Yamaha rival Jeremy Seewer, himself no slouch out of the gate. “I can start well…but his consistency is quite incredible.” Jorge cites the role of psychology and explains that some of his initial launches in the MXGP class this were a little ‘off’ as he battled to regain bike time missed during the winter after breaking his leg. “I’m getting to 100% now because it was difficult in the beginning of the year to start well,” the 450 ‘rookie’ says. “Starts have to be made with confidence. It is something that begins in your head. When you are feeling fit and you have trust in your body that once the gate drops that you can fight for the win, that’s when the good starts come.”
FEATURE Jesús Prado claims that the trait is “hard to explain, honestly, because we did not train or practice for it. In fact, he didn’t want to practice much at all because he didn’t want to mess with that natural feeling. He didn’t want a ‘system’ that might not work as well. He always started well, even from the 65 and 85 days. If he didn’t then there was always some reason, whether it was technical or he was hit by a ride alongside him.” Prado could still be considered a relatively ‘new’ professional but he is one nonetheless. He is also operating from the confines of the most decorated race team in the sport. This means there is a degree of systematic application amongst all the art and craft. “From my side as a mechanic there are five-six points that have to be set for a perfect start,” Dirkx says coyly. “I will check those, and this means the feeling for Jorge when it comes to the gate drop is always the same no matter where we are. An example of a point? Well, the height of the start clip...” “He’ll only do practice starts now to verify that the bike will make it; that the clutch is on-point and the bike is technically ready for a holeshot,” offers Prado Snr. “That’s all he does.” “Practice? Now we hardly ever do them,” Dirkx claims. “Once the set-up is done and everything is ready then he knows the rest is down to him.” Prado accumulated 66 holeshots from 118 motos in his three-year tenure in MX2. The torque and power of the KTM 250 SX-F has been arguably the best motorcycle to have for race starts in the category. The closest competitor for the last five years has been the Husqvarna FC 250 ‘sister’ model. In 2020 some Kawasaki green and Yamaha blue have been matching Tom Vialle’s speed as the
SEEWER: “JORGE HAS BEEN THE ‘START MASTER’ THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER FOR SOME REASON. WE PRACTICE HUNDREDS OF STARTS, TONY DOES, EVERYBODY DOES, BUT PRADO SEEMS TO BE JUST THAT BIT MORE SPECIAL...”
“I remember when we were training in the United States a few years ago” he continues, “we were doing starts with Jessy Nelson at the supercross test track, who was also pretty good out of the gate, and Jorge was roasting him as well as Justin Hill with a standard bike. He was also matching Ryan Dungey on the 450. He does it well and has the confidence that he will be first every time.” Finding the same rate on the 450 has been a test of patience but, at the time of writing, he still has made 16 holeshots from 28 in 2020, four times more than the next nearest rider. “It’s totally different compared to the 250,” Jorge says. “In the 450 class it seems that everybody has a lot of technology. Let’s say that it’s ‘easy’ for everyone to start good because the bike does a lot of the work. We keep it very simple at KTM. Once I have the feeling with the right RPM then I can do the starts. The 250 is 100% about feeling but the electronics come into play with the 450 and that’s why it is a bit trickier.” “In MX2 he used to start with two bike lengths advantage every moto but this doesn’t happen so much now,” says Seewer, who raced against the GP rookie in 2017. “It shows that the level around him is higher. He also struggles sometimes, which is good to see because if he was brilliant all the time then we’d be frustrated!” Seewer admits it would be unconscientious not to analyse exactly how Prado is constructing his advantage. “Of course we try to copy each other. If we see somebody doing something special and good then I’ll try it and see if works,” he reveals. “Everybody has a different style. Last year I had many good starts and holeshots and this season I see teams are even copying me! The level is always creeping up. For example, I use a start ‘block’ and I was one of the first guys to have both
JORGE PRADO’S STARTS
Japanese brands finally did their homework in the winter. The Frenchman still has over 16 holeshots though. Prado’s excellence in MXGP so far proves that his capacity for holeshots was not simply because of the KTM 250 and the teenager’s slight frame. Jesus Prado almost scoffs at the notion. “It makes me laugh, the idea that it was only down to the 250 and he wouldn’t be able to do it on the 450,” he says. “In the Spanish MX2 series he’d still holeshot with a 125! And then he’d be part of the Elite Superfinal and still do it on the 125 against the 450s!”
FEATURE feet on the pegs before the rear wheel had even left the start gate. Last year everyone still started with their feet down and pulled them up after shifting. Stuff like this, these kinds of details. Even someone like AJ [Arminas Jasikonis] is using the same start blocks and he’s the tallest guy in the gate! But, you know, Jorge has been the ‘Start Master’ throughout his career for some reason. We practice hundreds of starts, Tony does, everybody does, but Prado seems to be just that bit more special.” For all his supremacy, is there part of Prado’s method that is touching the limit? The sheer rate of success against failure would indicate otherwise, but as a race start involves reactions measured in hundredths of a second there is always
a narrow margin for getting it just right. “I’ve never seen him hit the gate so he is not on the limit or taking chances,” assures Dirkx. “He’s comfortable and never nervous before a start. He’ll talk about his running times only a few minutes before entering the gate and at moments when I think ‘what are you on about?! You should be focussing on this!’ The ability to focus for those few precious seconds to the first corner has multiplied in value over the last few years and as Grand Prix winners have poured into the MXGP class. A holeshot is more than a FOX Racing black number plate award and a cheesy photo moment to a camera; it’s a sought-after fast-track to the podium.
“The field is more packed,” says Seewer. “You know, the tracks have been the same way for a few years and in the past there was more difference in between the riders. In MX2 we still see that. It’s how the bikes develop, how the riders cope with each other and all are at a similar level. When I came to MXGP in 2018 I felt that the races were crazy from the beginning but now it feels normal! It’s harder to pass on the narrower tracks but without a start now then you’re facing a big uphill job.”
JORGE PRADO’S STARTS
“Why is a start important now? You don’t need to turn it around too many times to know: if a group has the same speed, they are similar physically and the bikes are close then the guy that is first is going to have more advantage compared to the one in fourth,” Prado reasons. “In the past there might have been more difference between the riders. Now I think there are lots – more and more – at a really high level, physically as well. You have to be very fit and try to find the differences on track to make things work. It’s not always 100% about the start but of course it helps. If you are strong then you can still come back to the front. If Jeffrey [Herlings] started in 20th on a track like Lommel then I don’t think he will stay in 20th the whole moto.”
FEATURE
LEARNING NO
JEREMY SEEWER IS LEADING THE LARGE YAMAHA ASSAU BECOMING THE FIRST SWISS TO WIN GRANDS
OT TO BE NICE
ULT ON MXGP AND HAS AGAIN MADE PROGRESS IN 2020 S PRIX IN BOTH CATEGORIES. WE ASKED HOW.
By Adam Wheeler
Photos by Ray Archer
FEATURE MX2: 10th, 5th, 2nd, 2nd MXGP: 8th, 2nd (first podiums) and now currently 3rd (first wins). FIM World Championship racing has been one long series of positive evolution for 26-year old Jeremy Seewer who has yet to miss a Grand Prix through injury in more than seven years of entering either an MX2 or MXGP start gate for both Suzuki and Yamaha. Improving from his premier class rookie season in 2018 to finish as MXGP runner-up in 2019 was already a vast move, especially as he obtained six podium trophies on the way. In the Covid-conditioned 2020 campaign he graduated to be a moto and Grand Prix winner and cemented his position as leader of the Monster Energy Yamaha crew. 2020 brought some turbulent times both personally and professionally – he pushed Yamaha for clarification on their working processes in the first year of the former Wilvo team being the factory effort but with large technical input from Michele Rinaldi’s technical crew. But he showed extra ‘teeth’ to prove he can ride and race with the very best at the peak of the sport. The triple header at Faenza in Italy this summer not only delivered his first chequered flag but also let him showcase that loose, vivid
and watchable riding style to marvellous effect. Open, friendly and always accessible, has Jeremy started to develop a darker side to make this change? It’s debatable. On one hand through his aggression with the YZ450FM and straight talking with Yamaha he’s shown that he will not waver from his goal. Away from the saddle and he’s still the same intelligent (a fully qualified engineer having completed his studies during two years of MX2 racing) and amiable character; inviting us around to his Belgian home for socially-distanced tea and coffee before taking some photographs… You’ve always enjoyed progression in your career but how did you go from being a podium contender in 2019 to a winner in 2020? A number of ways. It wasn’t just one thing, like conditioning or the mentality, although I think the biggest part of it was psychological. If you are mentally not able to believe in yourself enough to make that next step and ‘know’ you can win then it will never be possible. Another thing is the combination between you and the bike. I clearly struggled a bit with the bike in the first year I came to the 450s because everything was new. I could change it last year and go in a good direction…but it
still took time to get that level of comfort and confidence. Now, in my third year, I really feel I have things under control like my suspension and knowing how to react. Everything comes to a higher level, and I know that won’t keep happening as the years go on. The fitness is another part. Three years ago in MX2 I felt I was at my strongest and could push like I wanted for 35-minutes but then moving to MXGP you get the feeling that you are missing some strength and you struggle sometimes. The body begins to adapt again, you learn more and you change. This happened last year too. for example, I could keep my pace better until the end of the races but another guy would have a bit more and go that bit faster; I’d go from 2nd to 3rd in the last two laps or I wouldn’t be able to do a much about it. So putting my fitness on another level was another part of it for 2020. I only went Pro five years ago so my body is not on the limitlimit. I think others that started to train hard when they were sixteen or very young carry quite a difference. Do you think a slower approach and not being a full-on Pro at 15-16 might help you have some longevity? Hmmm, honestly, I feel like I lost two years! Maybe I could have been at the top in MX2
JEREMY SEEWER
“LAST YEAR AND FINISHING 2ND IN MXGP: HOW DO YOU IMMEDIATELY IMPROVE FROM THAT?! IT’S NOT EASY AND YOU WON’T FIND AN ANSWER LAYING ON A TABLE. I KEPT WORKING, KEPT BELIEVING, KEPT PUSHING FOR BETTER THINGS AROUND ME.”
FEATURE earlier and had another shot at being world champion because I kinda ran out of time. But, I still feel I am growing and I feel I have something ‘extra’ to come. There are improvements to be made. I am fresh and have the energy to keep pushing. Maybe I’ve won that from the late start. You don’t have the wins or the stats of others but those continual marks of progression can be deemed another form of success. Are you proud of that? It’s nice to see but I cannot say I’m proud of it. At the end of the day I want to win, you know? But it seems like my career has been going up-and-up since I started. When people have asked why I seem to make a
small step forwards every year then I struggle to answer. It’s just how I work. It’s like last year and finishing 2nd in MXGP: how do you immediately improve from that?! It’s not easy and you won’t find an answer laying on a table. I kept working, kept believing, kept pushing for better things around me. Somehow this year I ended up making that step without really knowing how it happened! It’s weird. Timing means so much. Jeffrey Herlings had the perfect year in 2018 but look what’s happened since. You’ve been evolving in a positive way all the time and that must be confidence-boosting or reassuring…
I agree. It is already a huge ‘win’. Especially with where I come from and the results I’ve had in the past. I remember Tony [Cairoli] being one of my heroes. I would go to the Starcross International at Mantova as a kid with my eyes wide open and now I’m racing against him and if I don’t beat him I’m angry! What is ‘winning’? As a Swiss we haven’t had GP winners and guys who are consistently near the top. It is a huge thing but also at the same time, when you are living it, it’s becomes normal. You want that medal; not just the progress and the podiums and the moto wins. You keep looking for more. That’s just how a sportsman works... for some reason.
last title. It feels good. But there is a part of you that just focuses on your own situation. I don’t mind what’s going on around me. My energy goes only on myself. My teammates now are also super-fast and can finish in front of me each GP but to have that position is really nice and now things are going to change a bit for the future. I had something similar at Suzuki. I started at the bottom next to better guys and a couple of years later I was the main guy that they trusted to win the title. I didn’t even have a teammate at one stage. Once you reach this point then it is a lot of pressure of course but it also feels really good. I enjoy life under pressure. All the motos, the sweat and the blood
have all been worth it to have a crew like that fully behind you. In MXGP now it is another level again. It’s really nice. You last fought for a championship in 2017. Are you a different rider now? I think so, quite a lot. After being second the year before and then Jeffrey moving up to MXGP I wanted to win MX2 really badly. Suzuki were also working for that, so the pressure was right there from the beginning of the first moto of the year. To be in that situation for the first time I had some difficulties handling it. You start to ride tight sometimes and you don’t know why. You are the fastest guy on the track but you start to ride like
JEREMY SEEWER
How about helming the big Yamaha operation now? Arguably Gautier Paulin has held that position for the last two years. Do you look around and think ‘everyone must want to be where I am now’? Yes and no. Somehow, we started with team Wilvo in 2018 and I was like the ‘third wheel’. It was like ‘Jeremy is free and he has no contract, we’ll take him and see what happens’. Then I got the offer to be a factory guy next to Romain [Febvre], a former world champion for 2019. If I think about it then I was continually ‘in the shadow’ and they didn’t put their money on me, but last year I managed to earn that spot, and against a guy that had won Yamaha’s
FEATURE
JEREMY SEEWER “AS A SWISS WE HAVEN’T HAD GP WINNERS AND GUYS WHO ARE CONSISTENTLY NEAR THE TOP. IT IS A HUGE THING BUT ALSO AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN YOU ARE LIVING IT, IT’S BECOMES NORMAL. YOU WANT THAT MEDAL; NOT JUST THE PROGRESS AND THE PODIUMS AND THE MOTO WINS. YOU KEEP LOOKING FOR MORE.”
FEATURE
a goon because you are tense and there is that extra pressure. I could deal with it well sometimes and I won GPs but then sometimes not so much. It wasn’t easy to handle that ‘you have to be world champion’ expectation. You didn’t really have the best bike though in 2017. So, was that a lesson to push for the right equipment in the future? Yes, absolutely. Even though I had some struggles as a rider in 2017 the bike was also a factor because I had to fight that much more. I knew after that season if I wanted to make any success in MXGP I’d need the good tools. Luckily, I’m a situation now where it is not about the equipment anymore. In MXGP other brands are really near the top and are pretty equal. 2017 was my last chance in MX2 to be world champion and at the time I had no idea if I could be a success in MXGP and if I could ride a 450 well enough to compete against guys like [Tim] Gajser, Febvre, Cairoli, whoever. At that stage they were still another step higher. Now I am here I take it completely differently. I am more relaxed. I want to be world champion but I don’t have to
be right now, like I did in 2017. I have some years in front of me. I’ve learned some lessons about not looking at the calendar. Journalists and questions are always there and point out I can be a world champion but it feels different compared to the past. Arminas Jasikonis is a good friend of yours. How do you deal with news of an accident like that? Injuries like this, especially when it happens to somebody next to you, makes you realise it can happen to you as well. It is always in your mind somewhere. I’m not scared… but I have a lot of respect that these kinds of things can happen. It’s a sad part of this sport. You need to put your thoughts on a good level: if you think about it too much then you get scared and you won’t go back out on the bike, but to have some awareness that you are not unbreakable then this is a good thing because it warns your body at the right time before it’s too late. I don’t’ know. I’m not sure how it works. But that kind of thing is always in your mind. It’s normal, I think.
You’re universally known as a nice guy in the paddock but do you have some dark, demanding moments? Times when you’re not a good person to be around? [smiles] I’m hard on myself… and I’m never really happy with things but I can also be quite harsh and straight to people nowadays that work with me because I want the best. I’m at the stage now in my career where I am giving 200% and I want everyone around me doing the same because that’s what it takes to reach the goal. From last year to this year there were many changes made by Yamaha and I signed for two years because I trusted in them. I had to be quite a ‘dark’ guy and push a lot with the energy I had to move things in the way I wanted. I still struggled to do that this year. It took a bit longer but it went through. I can say that I’m not an asshole…but I am straight with what I want. If you are a nice guy then you will not make it to the top in MXGP.
JEREMY SEEWER
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IN CONVERSATION:
JOELL SMETS JOE SMETS THE LARGER THAN LIFE BELGIAN AND ONE OF THE ALL-TIME MOTOCROSS GREATS (HE IS FOURTH ON THE LIST FOR GRAND PRIX WINS, PODIUMS AND JOINT-FOURTH FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS) TALKS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE… By Adam Wheeler Photos by Ray Archer
FEATURE
J
oel Smets sits down to talk about his career as one of Belgium’s great sporting icons and as a man who rivalled Stefan Everts for speed and popularity, lost to his rival for career stats but arguably outstripped him for character. An hour later and it feels like we have scratched just a little of the mud away from the boots. Smets is great company. An avid fan of his sport he is someone who can laugh and swear but mix both with pointed and strong opinions. The famous story about Smets is how he achieved everything so quickly, against the odds (hammering the unfancied Husaberg in the 500cc division and at an advancing age) and from humble beginnings, not even starting his racing career until he was seventeen. Just for some context his current protégé at Red Bull KTM where he is Racing Manager, Tom Vialle, is poised to become MX2 world champion at the age of nineteen. Smets has the numbers, the story, the association with a hot stage of Belgian motocross where his country were world leaders, the distinctive ‘flame-haired’ looks and the obvious passion for what he does that means he is such an identifiable figure in the paddock and one who enjoyed rich periods of success
The other day I saw a stat saying you were fourth on the all-time list for Grand Prix podium appearances. It reminded me of your career figures and achievements.
No, I don’t think they do. People think of Stefan Everts and they think of those records and perhaps that riding style. What do you think your legacy is...? I think the fans, especially the ones that knew me in Belgium, probably remember me as that ‘Flemish Lion’ let’s say. I had that name because I never gave up, I was physically strong and – I guess most people know now – I started racing with very limited means. A bit of a self-made
“AS A RACER INTIMIDATION NEVER WORKED WITH ME. WHATEVER THEY SAID, I’D BE LIKE ‘GUY, WHEN I PUT MY HELMET ON, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU! WHAT’S THE STORY?!’ I ALWAYS USED TO LAUGH AT IT...” I also seem to recall that equalling Joel Robert’s total of fifty victories was a big milestone for you… That was in Teutschenthal [Germany, 2003]. I remember because my fans made a big deal of it that day. But, yeah, the podiums. I won five championships…but I was also runner-up four times and three times I was 3rd! That’s a long span. How do you think people remember you as a racer? Perhaps they don’t remember the numbers…
man. Some will probably remember me as a crazy guy who decided to race a Husaberg! But then suddenly won many GPs and titles with it. I liked the lion nickname and it described me quite well. Post-racing and working with riders like Kevin Strijbos, Glenn Coldenhoff, Jeffrey Herlings, Tom Vialle and more, does it ever make you stop and think about your own career and what you achieved? Yes, it does. A lot. Now much
IN CONVERSATION: JOEL SMETS
both with KTM and Suzuki as a rider and then Suzuki and back to KTM as a rider mentor/coach and advisor. His work with Vialle has produced staggering results: taking a middling European Championship rider in 2018 to a world championship leader just eighteen months later.
FEATURE
Is it frustrating then that people might say someone like Jeffrey is the best ever? No, not at all. I have my story and I’m proud of what I have done and how I did it. Even if I didn’t have many choices, I feel that I made the right ones at each stage of my career. Greg was born in 1996 so he was ten by the time I stopped and remembers some of the success. Eileen, my daughter is younger and didn’t. Now, when people talk to her about her Dad then it gets quite funny. It can get be tricky for Greg because he’ll have people saying ‘your Dad was a tough boy’ as if to say he isn’t. My daughter won’t get that comparison but some of her friends told her recently that I was a ‘hero’. She came home and said “Papa, apparently you are a hero”. What could I say?! I think every athlete at the top level has a bit of an ego. To hear things like that from kids that were not even born when I was racing – that it has gone into the next generation – what is that called? A legacy? YeahI had that with Joel Robert. I’ve known and seen Roger [De Coster] race and win championships when I was young which meant I was also aware of when he was losing them against Heikki Mikkola. I have a very clear image of Roger and I don’t of Joel, but I got so much from my parents
that I can make a picture in my head of him riding. There are not many videos of that time around. I have that the impression that he is a hero. So, it’s funny to see it happen again when it comes to me. Jago [Geerts] is part of our federation project and I’m working with Tom to win the championship this year. It will be an achievement for either of them but, when I look, then they are still far from what I managed to do and there are only a couple – Stefan, Tony, Jeffrey – from recent times who are up there. If I look at Clement [Desalle], Kevin [Strijbos] and Jere [Van Horebeek] who are getting closer to retirement then you think ‘they had good careers’ but none of them won a championship. They had good money, factory bikes… And yet they are miles away. [Romain] Febvre won a championship, [David] Philippaerts won a championship… Gajser? I judge him differently. He has three titles already and two in the main class. He’s a star and with his personality he brings extra value to the sport. Talking of personality is there a big difference between ‘Smets the racer and the multi world champion’ and the ‘Smets who is working in the paddock now’? You were dedicated and pretty intense!
IN CONVERSATION: JOEL SMETS
more than the first five years after I retired. It’s weird and it’s nice. Somehow, I think I am more proud of it now than I was ten years ago. For example, the statistics. Now and again they will come up and I’ll look at them and think ‘that’s actually pretty impressive’! I also relate it to howand-when I started racing and it makes it more so. My son Greg is racing now and he is not a bad rider, he has some good skills but if I look at how far away he is from what I achieved – and I will never change my respect for him regardless – but it makes you think I did something pretty good. And Greg has the bikes, and the wheels, and the tyres. He has everything that I didn’t. I don’t feel I have the need to stand up and say: ‘guys, look at me and what I did’ but I wonder what people would think if they knew the entire story. I’m not the only one; if you look at Tony [Cairoli] then he came from a similar position and low economic background. I got my first motorcycle when I was seventeen. Every time that I talk about it and then see the numbers then it’s a good reminder. I’ll talk to Jeffrey Herlings and say ‘you won three championships in the baby class! Just one in the main class!’ I have five!’ He still has some way to go and he’s the ‘star’ together with Tony.
FEATURE
What would you think of the Smets from 2001 if he came in a sat down here now? I don’t feel there is that much of a difference. My mother has always told me I need to think of myself more! She used to say: ‘one day you will give your own pants away’. Even during my career I was always happy to help people. I was like that as a kid, I think as a racer and hopefully still now. The only thing that is different is that I’m more relaxed now and that obviously comes from that fact that I’m not a racer anymore and I’m older! I’ll see that now when I’m in a traffic jam; I’ll be like ‘OK, let’s put the music on’. You learn
that getting stressed and angry is not going to make the traffic jam any better. Life lessons. When I was younger I was very focused on racing and having everything just right. When it wasn’t right then I’d go red. Even if I couldn’t have an influence on things then I still would have stressed. Would you be impressed by the Smets racing attitude? Yes! Or would you be tempted to say “relax, be more open minded”? No! Helmet on, all-in! No friends, only enemies. Al-
though off the track, and this is something I am also proud of, I think I only had friends. I cannot think of any ‘enemies’ during my career. It’s a small world and sometimes I’m even quite philosophical about it: don’t make problems bigger than they are. I even say that inside the team sometimes. It’s better to turn the other cheek than to strike back. Stay calm. You’ll have more effect that way.
off all week, if I don’t win today then I don’t win’. Maybe I should have done it to other guys. Maybe it would have destabilised them…but since it had no effect on me I didn’t do it to nobody else. I never felt like I had weaknesses. OK, on one track you might be stronger and on another you are less, but at the end of the day if you give your ‘all’ then you get what you deserve. I believe in that a lot and it is also my approach in coaching. I worked on that with Glenn,
Kevin and tried with Jeffrey but I was a bit too late coming into his career and just wish I could help him push his confidence up more. Tom came in and we have the same kind of mentality. When I explain that it is a waste of energy to worry about things that you cannot change – and it is better to put it somewhere else, in the ‘positive bottle’ – then Tom gets that. We had a good example this year at the first round in Faenza when he tangled with [Mathys] Boisrame a few times. Everybody was pretty angry with the close racing and some of the moves but I felt that it could have been Joel Smets there on the Kawasaki! I said to the guys ‘this isn’t tennis, it’s motocross’. He was defending his place. I thought it was fair and I said ‘we are not going to focus our energy on that. It was the last moto, we look to the next and I don’t even want to hear the name Boisrame anymore’. Ten-fifteen minutes after the race Tom actually said it was his fault because if he hadn’t have crashed then he would have been out-front and away. I said: ‘thank you very much Tom, that’s the way to go’. Then we worked on the second moto with a positive energy. That was my approach as a rider as well, although in growing older I could handle it even better: putting the energy where it’s f**king needed and when it’s f**king needed.
IN CONVERSATION: JOEL SMETS
As a racer intimidation never worked with me. Whatever they said I’d be like ‘guy, when I put my helmet on, I’m going to kill you! What’s the story?!’ I always used to laugh at it. I only became stronger. I knew that somebody who tries to intimidate me was showing his weakness. It’s part of the sport but I think if somebody does it then they have a lack of confidence: otherwise he doesn’t need to do it. I would walk to the gate and say to myself ‘I’ve worked my nuts
FEATURE If somebody asked me about you as a racer then I’d describe you as ‘a character’. Your press conferences were always entertaining and enlightening. You had a confidence in your own opinions and beliefs and didn’t mind expressing them! That doesn’t happen too much nowadays... For sure if I had an opinion then you had to be f**king strong to convince me otherwise! I’m still like that now. I had an opinion, but I think also with some respect for the opinions of others. Was that part of the game for getting press coverage at a time when Belgium had so many good riders? Hmm, I didn’t need to play a role because I was quite extroverted and social. I liked to talk to people, especially when it was about my little baby which was motocross. I can talk for ages about my sport. For me that side came naturally. But for some of the guys now, they even seem to play a role to be the opposite! As a person I imagine they are open but then they come to the sport and clam-up. That has pissed me off a few times. These guys think they are the big star but our sport is already so small: try to make it bigger! Like Clement. He’s a really good person and such a big family man but I know the press in Belgium started to
look at other riders – like Tony – because after the era with Stefan, Marnicq [Bervoets] and myself they couldn’t get anything from the next generation. It frustrates me that these guys don’t understand it. I know it’s not easy to have the weight on your shoulders of the previous generation but even if you cannot win then try to create exposure. Someone like Dean Wilson might not bring wins or championships now but sees the value on the other side… Yes, he justifies it and still get the deal! OK, there have been a lot of injuries and his name might not be first on the list but he’s there and I’m happy for him. We need guys like that. Deano also mixes it with those special moments on the track and the raw speed he sometimes has. We miss riders like him, especially in Belgium. I hope Jago is going to win a few championships but, well…you cannot blame him for the way he is or change a character. Steve Ramon the same… Yes, Steve would struggle to talk, and it’s the same now! Was going to Suzuki at the end of 2003 ahead of the first year of ‘MX1’ in 2004 – when the Japanese were bringing the RM-Z450 for the first time - a wrong direction?
Was it because the contract was much bigger than what you had at KTM then? No regrets. I had three proposals on the table. I’d been to Hawkstone Park to test Yoshi Atsuta’s HRC Honda. Since I started my career with CR500s I always liked ‘80s HRC and respected and admired what they brought. I tested the bike and was quite impressed with it. At KTM, I had a great relationship with everybody, but we didn’t have the right bike anymore. I had been riding the same one since ’98 when Shayne King and Peter Johansson had developed it. We rode a 570 at the beginning and in 2003 the same bike had become a 450; it had to be in order to fit in the class but the same construction for the 570 didn’t fit that 450. They were working on a new engine but they were also working on a road race project! The balance was a bit off. Ben [Townley] proved it in 2005 that the bike still wasn’t quite ready and they were struggling. Financially the proposals were even. Making the choice to go to Suzuki was not a mistake…but the mistake I made came at the pre-season race at Mantova. I should never had made it. Why? I haven’t told many people this actually. Well, the truth was that the Suzuki wasn’t even ready when I signed.
IN CONVERSATION: JOEL SMETS
‘IN MY MIND I WAS NOT READY TO DEVELOP A BIKE. I AGREED TO SYLVAIN’S PLAN BUT I WALKED AWAY THINKING ‘I’M GOING TO DEVELOP...BUT I’M ALSO GOING TO WIN!’. WOW, THAT WAS A BIG MISTAKE & IT HURT! IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE END.
FEATURE The bike was in Japan and Sylvain [Geboers, then Team Principal] couldn’t even show me a photo. I’d ridden the Honda and Iiked it quite a bit but Sylvain was also one of my heroes and he had a great team structure. I was really unsure, but he said to me “Joel, if the Japanese do something then they do it good”. He then said it would take some time to get the bike on-point. I was 33 and they offered me a good two-year deal on the understanding that the bike, Suzuki’s first four-stroke, would need development. So, Sylvain asked if I would agree to develop the first year – maybe we’d win some races, maybe we’d lose – and then the second year we’d go for the championship. I thought it was a good deal. I signed. But it was not a good deal because in my mind I was not ready to develop a bike. I knew I didn’t have many years left but I still had the power and the skills to win a championship. I agreed to Sylvain’s plan but I walked away thinking ‘I’m going to develop but I’m also going to win!’. Wow, that was a big mistake and it hurt! It was the beginning of the end. So, the Suzuki was not what you believed it would be? It was what I had in mind. I did not expect to have the best-of-the-best bikes. I was realistic enough. But I thought with my desire and my fitness and my skills and the team and the whole package I could compensate: if the bike was 80% then I would make up the rest and more and we’d still win. That was wrong. The very first race was at Mantova and I smashed into the face of a jump. I was not being realistic. I tell the riders I coach “hey guys, if you have a problem with the bike then you have to compensate, adapt to the bike and still try to
2005. Physically and speedwise I was ready. But with the accident in Italy and then infection and spending time intensive care it went away. The dislocated knee in Gaildorf was grim in 2005. It finished your career. Was it the worst injury? I was 35 by then. That was the end. Somehow, I think it was meant-to-be, to protect me from worse. I was a hospital for a month in 2004 and during that time a lot goes through your mind about your life and your career. When I got healthy again I was ready to do everything 100% to again prove that I could win. That desire was very strong still. I won the pre-season at Hawkstone and a few motos
early on but then I had this growing feeling that I had proven my point. When I won my first championship in my twenties I knew I’d have up until about 30 to be strong. After 30 then physically it might go down. I always kept that in mind and was prepared that I would go ‘down the ramp’. But I remember being at Sun City in South Africa waiting in the gate in 2005 and I thought ‘what the f**k am I still doing here?’ I did not recognise myself. How was this possible? I always thought my mind would be stronger than my body but it was the other way around and I wasn’t prepared for that. Somehow the accident in Germany then helped me. And in a smooth way because
IN CONVERSATION: JOEL SMETS
get the maximum from what you have” but I wanted more out of that Suzuki than was technically possible. There is nobody to blame but myself. I had a brilliant career but that was because I always put very realistic goals. So, to make a mistake against my own ‘law’…wow. Even now with all the kids I tell them that goalsetting is #1. If you fail to plan then your plan fails. Sylvain was right: I should have taken that first year to develop. And I got it wrong the very first race! It still frustrates me now because if I could have taken 2004 as a development year and taken results for what they were when the bike either felt better or worse on different track then I’m 100% sure I could have won in
FEATURE I did it at 10kmph! OK, it bent my knee around but there was something that was a relief about it. In 2005 the bike was ready to win, but suddenly I wasn’t anymore! It was so weird. I had to look at myself in the mirror and say: ‘is this me?’ You didn’t take much time off… Hmm, I had a farewell race at my hometown in 2006 and planned to take a year off and spend it at home. We planned a holiday to the U.S. to visit Ben – because we’d always been quite good buddies and trained together – so we stayed in Florida with the family and I remember being at the Carmichael Farm and I
had a call from BMW. My year off was barely a month old! When BMW invest in making a bike then you have to think ‘it might be interesting’. That lasted 2007-2008-2009 and I also started managing Team Belgian at the Nations. 2007 at Budds Creek was my first one. At the end of 2008 I went through the back door and got some money from the government to establish that youth project for the Federation. So I was visiting the GPs again from 2009. Belgium last won the MXoN at Teutschenthal, of all places… Teutschenthal is very special to me. As we said, I won my 50th there. But also, my first one! It was in 1993. I think the 50th was in 2003. Then we had the Nations win. And you wanted to burn down the noisy beer tent near the living area in 2003… That also! Haha. I got a penalty there. Dave Nicoll [former FIM Race Director] was not happy. His son was the team manager and his rider got a bit out of control. It was a memorable press conference but in many of those at the time you were repeatedly saying that you were worried about the future of the sport with all the track closures in Belgium. Is it how you envisaged back then?
IN CONVERSATION: JOEL SMETS
No, it’s even worse. I thought we would have been able to stop it a little bit but tracks like Namur and Valkenswaard won’t be back any more. It’s a sad story. The noise is still an issue. Twenty years ago when I was trying to defend our tracks and our sport I was saying that we - and the industry – were working really hard to bring the noise levels down, but, being honest, the industry hasn’t done a lot. If you stand behind the gate then you don’t want to be there! We have to face the facts and I’m disappointed about that. It’s not only in Belgium…even if in Holland it is a bit better organised. We didn’t do so well in Belgium but we have a higher population so maybe that’s part of it. We still have empty spaces and in the south of the country…there are things that can be done.
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THE HARD BLACK LINE... After the first MotoGP race of this weird 2020 season most of the media and fans were enthralled by the spectacle of Fabio Quartararo taking a convincing first win and Marc Márquez crashing out. A lot of self-styled smart pundits (mea culpa) were then declaring that Andrea Dovizioso was now the favourite to win the title. Dovizioso had finished on the podium at Jerez, a track where both he and Ducati had struggled in the past, and with Márquez’ injury proving to be serious, the combination of Ducati’s speed and Dovizioso’s experience surely made him the man to beat. A weaker weekend at Jerez 2 and a proper slump at Brno followed, but Dovizioso was still fourth. With two races at the Red Bull Ring coming up, followed by a double header at Misano, one of Ducati’s main test tracks,
the championship looked to be swinging Dovizioso’s way. A win at Austria 1 seemed to confirm that, catapulting the Italian to second in the standings, just 11 points behind Fabio Quartararo. The smart money was now surely on Ducati for the 2020 crown.
championship leader Mir has racked up 77 points. That is not a pace that Dovizioso can match.
Two races later, after the first round at Misano, and Andrea Dovizioso was leading the championship. And yet the narrative was starting to shift. Not least from Dovizioso himself. His consistency and experience had brought him so far, Dovizioso said, but it would not last. “This is my approach, and it works for the championship. But this will not be enough, because with this speed, we will not be able to fight until the end of the championship. It’s something good to have, but it’s not enough.”
What went wrong for Ducati? The simple answer is a failure to adapt to the 2020 Michelin rear tyre. That rear construction has a lot more grip on the shoulder of the tyre, the section you use for drive grip on corner exit as you start to pick up. This favours bikes that can carry corner speed and get on the gas early, increasing exit speed.
Dovizioso was right, of course. Five races on, and the Italian is fifth in the table, 28 points behind the leader, Joan Mir, with three races to go. In those five races, Dovizioso has scored just 33 points, the equivalent of finishing ninth every time. By comparison,
Even fifth place flatters Dovizioso’s results. He is only 28 points behind because the others, with the exception of Mir, are erratic.
But it also affects braking. MotoGP bikes use far more than just the front brake to get them stopped. Much of the braking in a straight line is done with the front, but engine brake helps drag the rear tyre to slow the bike as well. Engine brake and rear brake becomes more important on corner entry, to slow the bike as it is turned in, and to start to slide the rear to help the bike turn. Having more grip disrupts the balance of
the bike in straight-line braking, and makes it harder to slide the rear while leant over. “This tyre is very different, and in the way I rode in the last three years it doesn’t work,” Dovizioso explained. “You have to ride in a completely different way. Normally the tyre from last year has really low grip, and we changed the setup a lot over the last three years, and we were able to stop the bike more with the front than the rear. With this tyre, it’s completely the opposite, because the rear has a lot more grip, especially in the braking.” Unlearning years of ingrained instinct is hard, though. “On the data the difference is quite clear, but it’s so difficult to do,” Dovizioso said. “It’s the opposite to your instinct. Because normally I am a hard braker, and to be a hard braker now is really bad, because every time you brake a bit more, you put the bike in a bad position to stop the bike.” The braking issue is affecting everyone in Ducati. At some tracks, in some conditions, someone might figure something out. Pecco Bag-
naia was outstanding at Misano, Danilo Petrucci won a soaking Le Mans, Johann Zarco finished a respectable fifth at Aragon 2. But what worked once rarely worked a second time, meaning consistency was nowhere to be found. “At the end, look at the championship,” Dovizioso said after Aragon 2. “Pecco did something crazy in some races, Jack the same, Zarco the same, Danilo the same, and at the end, a lot of up and down.” But these are all just outliers, occasional bursts of success, rather than a permanent improvement in performance. “All the Ducatis are where they are, and in the championship, you can see the numbers. If somebody found a way to be faster, then they would be much more in front of me in the championship,” Dovizioso said. The 2020 MotoGP season has been a cruel one, for all involved. But it has been especially cruel to Andrea Dovizioso, shattering his dreams of a MotoGP title. Who to blame? Michelin make the same tyres for everyone, so it is up to the riders and manufacturers to adjust. Dovizioso is to blame for
not being able to adapt his riding style to consistently get the best from the new tyre. But Ducati must also take a big part of the blame. Gigi Dall’Igna and his engineers have still not found a way to make their bike work with these tyres. If they had, Andrea Dovizioso wouldn’t have three Yamahas and a Suzuki ahead of him in the championship.
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TAKA CRACKS! It wasn’t supposed to end this way. The inaugural Teruel Grand Prix was perfectly set up for Takaaki Nakagami to step up to the next level. Moving from dependable point scorer to possible race winner and contender for one of the most unlikely championship contenders in the modern era was only 23 laps away as the 28-year old lined up at lunchtime on Sunday. It was all in place. Fresh from sealing a two-year contract extension with HRC and a promise to be riding Honda’s latest RC213V from next season, Nakagami took to free practice like a man filled with belief that, from 25 points back, he could still play a real part in this title race. His pace on Friday was “unreal” according to Andrea Dovizioso. It’s safe to say team-mate Cal Crutchlow isn’t his biggest fan. But even the Briton was taken aback by his speed. “He’ll win the race by eleven seconds,” he said.
The action on Saturday did little to dispel the feeling that this race was Nakagami’s for the taking. His FP4 pace coupled with pole position – the first for a Japanese rider in the premier class for 16 years – signalled his arrival as a big-time player. But it was around the time of Saturday’s press conference when he took his seat in the middle of the room when the magnitude of his situation started to hit home.
crashed. It was (such a) stupid mistake, like I don’t know why at that moment I did like this and I can say only one thing, that I was too fast and I couldn’t control the speed, also braking pressure. And I was out of control so that’s it.”
“It was a nice feeling (to be) on pole position,” he said in a revealing exchange with the press on Sunday. “Such an amazing feeling. But on the other hand it was incredible pressure, I mean I don’t know why. I tried to avoid the questions and also tried to be calm, but it was the first time for me and first time leading the race – only maybe 10 seconds!”
Top marks for honesty. It’s rare to hear riders openly admitting to this kind of thing, that it all became too much. It’s worth bearing in mind Nakagami has never faced this kind of scrutiny since stepping up to MotoGP in 2018. Having never hit the heights of his contemporaries in Moto2, little was expected of the two-time race winner, who has always been competing on yearold equipment. That has rarely changed, even in 2020, when he had racked up ten straight top ten finishes.
We all know how it ended. Nakagami slid out of the lead not yet five corners old. “I mean in that moment I couldn’t control in my mind, in the mentality, the braking was too sharp,” he revealed. “Then suddenly I locked the front. I lost the front and
Approaching a race as the underdog and the favourite are two very different things. Add in the fact Nakagami is a Japanese rider competing for a Japanese factory with a vast set of technical staff, and it’s easy to see why it got to him.
Thing is, every racer feels it. That pressure. That expectation. That sense you could let everyone down, including yourself. Temperament in critical moments is the mark of a champion as much as raw talent and speed. Anyone not used to it can find themselves overcome. Nakagami certainly wasn’t the first to be experience it. On the back of two sterling seasons in World Superbike, Simon Crafar had earned his dream move to race in the 500cc class, racing a Red Bull-backed Yamaha YZR500. In some respects, it was the fulfilment of a life-long dream. But the Kiwi remembers being weighed down during his first GPs. “It’s not fear, it’s anxiety. It’s just impossible to relax. Like adrenaline but less pleasant,” he recalls. “I was finally where I wanted to be,” remembers the Kiwi. “I so wanted to do well. I was thinking of the team’s two articulated trucks, the two bikes (costing two million dollars each) for me, everyone in the team, all the Japanese Yamaha staff, the Dunlop
staff, Ohlins and my parents that wanted me to do well. I was paid to do well and if I didn’t someone would take my job.” After a reasonable start to 1998, Crafar knew by that year’s Italian Grand Prix this anxiety had to be controlled. “The pressure, it’s actually from yourself,” he said. “The only way I could get it off me was to say to myself, ‘I’ve prepared well, I’m going to give my very best every lap. If they don’t like it there is nothing I can do about it.” Training like a maniac off the bike became his way of assuring himself that he had prepared as well as possible. “I had to believe I had prepared as well as possible for it to work. That’s why I trained so hard. I knew I’d trained harder than anyone else.... Except Mick (Doohan), my off-season training partner.” The results immediately picked up. Less than two months on and Crafar had won his first grand prix.
CREATED THANKS TO Moto3’S NEWEST RACING TEAM
BY NEIL MORRISON
MotoGP BLOG
But as distraught as Nakagami was on Sunday evening, it was right for him to listen to team boss Lucio Cecchinello and HRC Technical Manager Takeo Yokoyama. “I spoke with Lucio and Takeo, they are not talking about my mistake,” said the #30. “They are very proud of our performance all weekend. So this is a nice feeling.” They were right. Prior to the race, this was the best Nakagami has ever ridden. He has benefited from Marc Marquez’s absence, gaining extra attention from HRC technicians and adapting his riding style more to the demanding RC213V. There is reason to believe Nakagami is MotoGP’s most improved rider in 2020. With experience of how not to do it, who’s to say he won’t be in this kind of position again soon.
MotoGP TERUEL
MAKE YOUR DREAM COME TRUE RANGE 2020
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PLAYING ON THE OTHER WING HRC’S SANTI HERNANDEZ ON RACING WITHOUT #93 THERE HAS BEEN A RANGE OF DEBATE ON THE ABSENCE OF MARC MARQUEZ IN 2020 MotoGP. THE REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION MADE AN APPEARANCE LASTING JUST 21 LAPS THIS SEASON (BUT WHAT A SHOW IN THAT TIME IN JEREZ) AND HIS INJURY-ENFORCED DEPARTURE HAS SPARKED COMMENTS ON THE PERCEIVED ‘VALUE’ OF THE 2020 TITLE, THE OPENNESS THAT HAS ALLOWED EIGHT DIFFERENT WINNERS AND THE EVAPORATION OF ANY SOLID CHAMPIONSHIP METTLE FROM THE REST OF THE GRID. By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Polarity Photo/Repsol Honda
FEATURE The plan for 2020 went out of the window in seven days in southern Spain. How has it been to have another ‘job’? Marc’s injury was like a big punch you don’t expect. We knew he had a big problem in Jerez. Once we realised that he would lose most of the season then it was a situation where you feel powerless. With Stefan the approach and the goal was different but we are professional and we help him as much as we can for him to do his best. We understand that he is a test rider, and it is not easy for him also. If you are a racer
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or some inside the isolated and quiet MotoGP paddock, the removal of the #93 stickers on the front of the RCVs has had a more pronounced and immediate effect. For HRC Crew Chief Santi Hernandez and his squad the world of Grand Prix has changed drastically. The intense but softly-spoken bearded Catalan is seen far less on live TV coverage these days; not that the limelight matters, but it was a consequence of his work and efforts with Marquez continually coming into focus as the benchmark in the class. It had been that way since 2013. For the first time Hernandez has had to change his orientation in MotoGP as he moves to a different set of parameters with test rider Stefan Bradl. Was that easy to do?
who weren’t fighting for a title many times and the motivation was there. Of course, I want to work with Marc – and that’s not anything to do with Stefan – because Marc is our rider. However, our work with Stefan is important because with someone like Marc many times you cannot try things on a race weekend as you are fighting for the win. With Stefan there is nothing to lose
“THE MOTIVATION WITH MARC IS TO WIN THE TITLE. WITH STEFAN IT IS TRYING TO IMPROVE IN THE AREAS WHERE WE ARE SUFFERING WITH THE HONDA...” miss what you have then you really appreciate it even more. Now we are not winning or fighting for a title but it opens your mind about how you must enjoy your job. It’s like when you win a lot, people say ‘that must be easy’ but it’s not and you have to learn that.
and many times we can use some ‘exits’ to try things that we just wouldn’t do on a race weekend.
So technically it might be more interesting because there is more freedom? Well, for me it is more interesting to fight for the title! I’m Was there ever a moment not in the test team…but you when motivation was a need to find the motivation: I problem? Because the position like my job, I like the motorcyof your work goes to the other cle. It will be not fair if I comend of the grid? plain that Marc is not there, The motivation is not the same. and I have less influence. We I mean, it’s different. I’m still are lucky that we have a job working the same as I did and it’s one we really like. before but the motivation with Marc is to win the title. With Is it ‘nice’ to have break from Stefan it is trying to improve in the pressure of always having the areas where we are sufthe make the results? fering with the Honda. We are In my case no. I prefer to trying to understand things to have that pressure. That’s improve the bike. I enter the why we are here. If you like box in the same way every day. competition then it’s because I’ve been in the paddock since you want to feel pressure. It 1996 and worked with riders means you are fighting to win.
Now the approach is different but I prefer to have the pressure and the eyes on us about what we are doing on a race weekend. Marc had problems with his shoulders that he could fix in both off-seasons but – because of the way he rides - did you almost expect an injury like this could come along one day? Of course, we are talking a risky sport and we don’t want to think or talk about a rider getting an injury but Marc took eight titles with his riding style so to think that his approach is not the way because he might get injured would not make sense. At Honda we want to have a bike that is more comfortable for the rider, for Marc also because even when he was winning he was struggling. If we get that then we will see Marc riding a different way. I can’t say that I think ‘when will Marc get injured..?’ because that doesn’t explain what has happened all the way from 2011 until Jerez. The sport is dangerous and we see riders crashing and being injured but the problem this year is the consecutive races. In a normal championship you might have three weeks to recover and you only miss one GP. If you need three weeks now then you might miss three races! This year is something special. In the end, I don’t think Marc has to change something. Every year he is learning. He gets experience and that’s important.
SANTE HERNANDEZ: HRC
preparing for a full season then your mentality and your fitness, everything changes. As a test rider your mentality is different. You can step-in to replace another rider for one race but if you are told one morning that you need to do most of the championship then it is not easy! For us it’s tough. I’ve been with Marc since 2011. But I like to take the positive things out of a situation. When you
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THE TU
E URNING WHEEL SOME OF GRAND PRIX’S MOST NOTICEABLE OF NEW TECH EXPLAINED Moto otoGP GP INNOVATION By Adam Wheeler
Photos by CormacGP
Ducati
Gigi Dall’Inga and his Bologna boffins have come up three of the latest ideas and additions to MotoGP bikes in the last decade and are partly responsible for the motorcycles resembling angled and awkward constructions of bendy height, wheelie-less contraptions. Beauty is in the eye of the behold of course but there is no doubt that the aspect of a MotoGP ‘weapon’ is evidently more functional in 2020. Asking riders, Crew Chiefs and technicians (who are not always the most forthcoming on their discoveries for obvious reasons) we listed the
four most obvious innovations to arrive in the FIM World Championship and have weathered a phase that saw electronics standardised, tyres levelled and aerodynamics wedged into a cookie-cutter ‘outline’ that all bikes must pass.
WINGS Appearing in 2016 and changing the face of the Desmosedici for good, wings were criticised as dangerous by a section of riders for their ‘sharp’ profile and propensity to dig into others during close contact or snap off, the wings were altered into encased winglet sculptures…
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Racing Team: The wings was something I didn’t like in the beginning - and I still don’t really - but they brought more positive than negative, especially in braking. Sante Hernandez, Repsol Honda Crew Chief for Marc Marquez: Aerodynamics made a step with the winglets. Before it looked like nobody cared about it or was thinking how that area could be improved until one manufacturer came with that item. We saw many positive things – and some negative – but it provided a step. We had problems in Qatar until we tried a different aerodynamic package and we found solutions. I think
MotoGP INNOVATIONS it is one area that you must look carefully and care deeply about it. It is difficult to understand because you need to know what you need and how it affects the bike: it can work well at one circuit but then have the opposite effect in the other and the homologation rules mean you have to choose one and keep it until the end. You have to find the compromise. They are changing it all the time in F1, but we cannot on the bike, so it’s complicated.
Bradley Smith, Aprilia Racing: Wings meant we didn’t need to have wheelie as a limiting factor. This boosted one-off lap-times as well as over a race because if the rear tyre would drop-off and spin and you were dealing with wheelie then you’d have to roll off and lose acceleration. Those devices make things repeatable time and time again, even when the tyre drops you can keep that repeatable performance.
Gigi Dall’Inga Ducati Racing Team: For sure the winglets were our idea. Everybody followed us from the aerodynamics point of view and I’m really proud of that. Aerodynamics are an important thing but it’s not so important like in car racing. For many reasons. The force you can create with aerodynamics is really small, so with the proper set up, you can compensate the winglet behaviour. For sure, they are something that can help you, and I’m sure that
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the bike with winglets is faster than a bike without winglets, but the difference is really small. Pol Espargaro, Red Bull KTM: Wings are time and money-demanding for the manufacturers with hours in the wind tunnel and a lot of designs and a lot of laps on the track. They can make the bike fast on the straight, slow on the straight, more turning, less turning. It is a headache for us the riders as well as the manufacturers but it is clear that the MotoGP category is going to this level where every small things counts. The aero packs now are a big part of this game and every time we need to play with it I am super-careful because it can make improvements for the horsepower and the downforce. It can be very good but also destroy the full package of the bike with one small wing.
Sebastian Risse, KTM Technical Co-ordinator: This year’s aerodynamics were quite a step forward. We spent a lot of time in Sepang and Doha on it because of the
MotoGP INNOVATIONS homologation and how it was different to 2019. Aerodynamics is a strange mix of relying on your research and your theoretic numbers but you also have to rely heavily on the stuff you cannot measure on the dyno when it comes to rideability. The downforce itself you can see in the data and it is something quite physical that you can relate to on track but the speed on track…usually the small changes you make one-by-one has such a small effect and you cannot measure them because they get lost in the scatter. So, you have to go back to the numbers that you achieved in the simulations and the wind tunnels and so on. To put these two together in the right way takes a lot of experience.
Bradley Smith, Aprilia: One thing that we’ve been trying to improve this year quite a lot with the Aprilia is basically downforce. There’s no hiding that our front wing this year is quite a radical change. Basically we brought in a new guy and he threw his first initial concepts out there and we have to lock in for one season. I think for the future we’re going to look at improving that a little bit more. Sebastian Risse, KTM Technical Co-ordinator: There is design work involved so that means simulations, which means work with KTM Technologies, then wind tunnel work. The people that are doing this are really dedicated to this area. It is not the case that a chassis designer is working on a wing. There are special people on aerodynamics. Like everything, it starts with one person and then you grasp the complexity and it has to grow and adjust.
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Sante Hernandez, Repsol Honda Crew Chief for Marc Marquez: You don’t see much difference with the winglets now because people are not allowed to change but next year many manufacturers will bring some new things. They are not stopping. They believe they have potential to improve. Sebastian Risse, KTM Technical Co-ordinator: Some things can still change next year. Each year you have two aerodynamic homologations: one base line and one update. For 2020 the update had been cancelled but we’ll have one update for either the start of 2021 or during the season. They have to be spot-on be-
cause you have no second try. So, 2021 will look quite conservative but you can imagine that development goes on. You might not see it rightaway on the bikes but behind the scenes work continues and when this phase of the Covid-influenced rules stops then those changes will come forward.
HOLESHOT & RIDE HEIGHT Ducati apparently asked Jack Miller to experiment with a ‘holeshot’ device as early as the autumn of 2018 in Japan. It was more commonplace by the 2019 pre-season tests and now each manufacturer has one as well as mobilising the concept to alter ride height. The holeshot system and its manipulation of the suspension and compression of the motorcycle has its roots in motocross where fork clips and rear shock catches have assisted traction and stability for well over a decade… Sebastian Risse, KTM Technical Co-ordinator: I can tell you that it is mainly about moving the wheelie limit and that is defined by the centre of gravity; how high it is and where it is in the longitude direction – forward or backward. Whenever you can put the centre of gravity lower
MotoGP INNOVATIONS
and more forward then this helps you in the race start. The big challenge is then how you manage this situation to disengage. To drop a bike then its weight will help you but at some point it needs to come back to normal. If a low bike was the best for the track then they’d all be low anyway without the device. So, you need to bring it back up to achieve handling, turning and so on and this is where the knowledge starts. You need to find the right way and I don’t know if each manufacturer does it the same way. Valentino Rossi, Monster Energy Yamaha: We have the start device that pulls down the rear of the bike. We tried to use it also during the lap to improve the acceleration, and there’s less wheelie. The feeling is not so bad in some places, but it’s difficult. It’s not easy to manage, because it’s one more thing to do. At the beginning, it’s a bit strange, you need some kilometres and some experience but it can be a good idea for the future. Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Tech3: All four KTMs have them now and we’ve been testing them. They seem to work quite OK. From now on we should be using it no problem. It is weird because the electronic guys still have to manage the right amount
of power and wheelie control to set it up and extract the maximum out of it. But the first impression is that we can go much faster. Christophe Bourguignon, LCR Honda Crew Chief for Cal Crutchlow: When you have twenty guys in the space of one second then the start device is the thing you need to have. The day you start behind one guy who is a one or two tenths slower then you cannot pass them. I think it’s key. Joan Mir is the only guy recently who has been able to make moves in the pack. There are not many guys who are four tenths faster than the other until the tyre drops.
Sebastian Risse, KTM Technical Co-ordinator: We made a nice solution what works really well but it’s obvious that we are not the first to use it in MotoGP. KTM has roughly had this device for a long time but hasn’t used it because out race starts were not bad when we didn’t have one. Also, it’s not something that only brings positives; it is a package and you have to work with it to the point where you are sure it only brings positive and doesn’t make a mess. Now we have brought it to a level where it is very useful and you will see it more.
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THE SCOOP Ducati again, with a secretive rear scoop that appeared in the 2019 Qatar test and was subsequently victim to a (unsuccessful) protest by four other teams. Now every bike in MotoGP uses one although the role and effectiveness is apparently under debate…
Christophe Bourguignon, LCR Honda Crew Chief for Cal Crutchlow: It has some little benefits at some circuits and in some places. It was borderline for us to homologate or not. We could see that we might have some little negatives on some sectors and some little positives. It was not a big improvement.
Sebastian Risse, KTM Technical Co-ordinator: Frankly speaking it was a project started by Ducati and it was something in the grey zone of the rules that they sold as a cooling device because ‘cooling’ was allowed as an exception. From our data it can affect – and have more of an effect – on the downforce. We tested it quite open-mindedly because we wanted to see how it affects each area. It has a clear influence on bike behaviour and on braking and entry but we can’t quite quantify why. So, it’s still a bit of a trial-and-error thing.
Alex Marquez, Repsol Honda: Compared to Moto2, life is easier in regards to the gearbox. You don’t feel a lot of cuts from the engine power, so it’s much nicer. It’s amazing to feel the seamless and to feel the power when you are shifting.
SEAMLESS GEARBOX A delightful HRC progression first used at the beginning of the decade and adopted by other manufacturers since. Complex, with far more moving parts compared to a more traditional six-speed unit, the ‘seamless’ is another mysterious and closely guarded part of the motorcycle that has vastly improved racing capabilities for the riders…
Johnny Eyre, KTM mechanic for Brad Binder: It made a big difference. I remember when we got it at HRC with Dani [Pedrosa] nobody really knew about it until the end of the year and we had it at Brno. It was kept very secret. Jack Miller, Pramac Racing: The first year I rode In MotoGP I didn’t have one. I was on pretty much a street bike! As soon as I rode the HRC bike at the end of 2015 it was a massive improvement. When you hit the gears it almost threw you off the back of the bike. That’s some groundbreaking tech that we had. To be able to shift on the angle rather than pick the bike up;
you do not even bat an eye. If you get back on a street bike or superbike you feel it massively. I did the Suzuka 8 Hour, going back to the old one, and your head hits the screen. There is a lot of difference. Valentino Rossi, Monster Energy Yamaha: The seamless gearbox, I agree, was a big step. Something that you feel a lot during the lap when you shift up and also when you shift down. Also I think there is a big difference between the bikes because it is not just ‘seamless yes, seamless no’ in MotoGP in the last seven-eight years the manufacturers work very much in the development of the seamless and if you go to see MotoGP at the track it is very different from one bike to the other. Some bikes are more developed. It is a very important part of MotoGP racing and all manufacturers push a lot on seamless technology. And when you ride it is good because you have less movement, less pushing when you change gear. Sebastian Risse, KTM Technical Co-ordinator: We have a leading engineer at the track who supervises it and we have a technician for each rider to work who have a deep knowledge of the gearbox and the clutch. It is one of the most complex things on the
MotoGP INNOVATIONS
Bradley Smith, Aprilia: The number one innovation for me is the seamless gearbox. I think that took braking to a whole new level; the fact that you did not need to use the clutch and could keep that constant back torque all the way into the corner. It really helped the rider and the laptimes as well over race distance.
FEATURE bike. There are many interesting things on an engine but it is normally sealed and doneand-dusted when it arrives here whereas the gearbox is something that needs to be worked on a daily basis. Stefan Bradl, Repsol Honda & HRC test rider: Not only Honda but I think all the manufacturers are working on the gearbox, we have been on the seamless for many years and you are able to improve the shift time between the gear, especially the downshift is something that can make the bike unstable. It is important to have smooth shifting. I think that Honda has one of the best. I’m not complaining about anything related to the gearbox. It’s working very nice. I don’t remember how much it has changed in the last three years but it has always worked well for me. Takaaki Nakagami, LCR Honda: I moved up to MotoGP in 2018 and this is my third year but the seamless gearbox is something I did not feel any big difference or improvements in that time. Of course nothing is negative. It is really stable. Christophe Bourguignon, LCR Honda Crew Chief for Cal Crutchlow: The seamless gearbox allowed us to make an improvement wherever we went. We all put it on and
said ‘wow, what a difference’. I speak for Honda when I say it is probably the most expensive part on the bike. We’re still ‘out’ of the loop with it. We’re not allowed to touch it. We have one technician who looks after and maintains the gearbox. We know everybody has it but in the beginning Honda were the first. We had the upshift seamless and then the downshift seamless. Sebastian Risse, KTM Technical Co-ordinator: When we decided to go racing MotoGP it was pointless not to go seamless, so we never had a comparison. But we have different generations and concepts. It is more about how seamless it can be, how easy, in what conditions can you shift, how much do you need the electronics to interact to make it possible to shift or how much freedom you have on the electronics to do what you want while you are shifting. It is quite a wide field and goes hand-in-hand with the electronics side. At the moment we have a package that works quite well. We still see how our bike is moving from the shifting because the inertia is still there. In one instant you are just dropping the RPM from one gear to another and this energy has to go somewhere. You have to think how you distribute it in that time and how you manage to make it as smooth as possible.
Johnny Eyre, KTM mechanic for Brad Binder: It was all under cover at HRC. We had a special guy coming in to deal with it. It’s the same now with us at KTM; just one person. I have seen it and how it works but I’ve not put one together. I would say it is one of the most crucial parts on the bike… but…you need a complete package. It’s alright having a seamless but if you don’t have the electronics… Christophe Bourguignon, LCR Honda Crew Chief for Cal Crutchlow: I think it is hard to make a big difference with it now technically but they are still working on what I would say is ‘reliability’. It was high maintenance in the beginning: checking, adjusting and things like that, and Honda have just been improving, improving, improving every year. I don’t know what they change because we are not allowed to see but things like surface treatment and working on little weak points.
MOVING ON…& RADIOS Bradley Smith, Aprilia: The little tricks and bits and pieces might help on a couple of corners - and the holeshot device off the start - but the aerodynamics and the gearbox are advantages that you can keep from the beginning until the end of the race. From a rid-
ing point of view those are the things that have helped the racing time decrease so much over the last few years. Christophe Bourguignon, LCR Honda Crew Chief for Cal Crutchlow: In the last few years Ducati have been the most innovative manufacturer: the wings, the start device and
the scoop. Some carbon bits and this-and-that as well as the aerodynamics around the wheels. When they test with [Michele] Pirro there are bits all over the bike. They have been proactive. Honda last did it with the seamless. It is really hard to think what could be the new innovation…
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Racing Team: I tried in the first run at Misano but it was a standard headset and on the last lap one headset fell out! So, it is difficult but I think it’s strange to have the radio. We had, I think, every 20-30 seconds like a robot speaking, but I hope we will not have communication with the team [in the future]. This is the only thing that is positive let’s say, for the safety. Takaaki Nakagami, LCR Honda: When I took off the helmet the earplug was out. It was not comfortable.
MotoGP INNOVATIONS
Sante Hernandez, Repsol Honda Crew Chief for Marc Marquez: They tried the radios a long time ago but it was difficult for the riders to find the right balance. Now it looks as though it is more positive, but it really depends on how much it disturbs the rider. When something is new it is not easy, you must adapt and develop the system. If they start to do it for safety and then in the future we can do it to get in contact with the rider then it will be interesting.
FEATURE But they say this is just the first step. I can hear it during riding – not only on the straight - because every three minutes they said ‘red flag, green flag, Misano test, 1-23’ and I can hear everything. I was not disturbed. Before I thought ‘this is impossible when riding’ but it was good. Jack Miller, Pramac Racing: I think it can come in handy. I didn’t find the earplugs too bad, but the system is still in very early stages and I’m sure there’s some much better stuff out there on the market. Christophe Bourguignon, LCR Honda Crew Chief for Cal Crutchlow: I cannot see us talking to riders through
radios…but for safety and informing the rider then why not? You can be prepared to inform them about danger on the track or spilt oil or a red flag. It could be good. But just to say ‘change this map’ or ‘this guy is catching you’ then personally, I’m unsure. Although if it comes then we’ll use it, like we do now when we send text message to the dash. Davide Brivio, Team Principal, Ecstar Suzuki: The advancing technology is what makes MotoGP interesting I think. It would be nice to have even more evolution that is beneficial for our products, our production bikes because this is one of the reasons we
are racing. We cannot use seamless in production but the wings are coming through. Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM: The world is turning quickly. That’s racing, everything evolves, so let’s see what the new thing will be.
MotoGP INNOVATIONS
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DEEPENING THE BLUE By Adam Wheeler
Photos by Polarity Photo
Davide Brivio marshalled the Valentino Rossi/Yamaha era and then turned his expertise towards Suzuki’s competitive re-birth in MotoGP from 2015 after spending a year testing and establishing the new base of the GSX-RR. The Italian is now enjoying the fruits of his crew’s labours more than half a decade later with some fresh milestones for the Japanese brand arriving in 2020, such as leading the premier class for the first time in the four-stroke era. Suzuki is one of just two manufacturers in MotoGP reliant on solely a pair of bikes on the grid but their combination of motorcycle, the engineering to make the most of the ’20 Michelins, maturing raw talent of riders Joan Mir and Alex Rins and the resolute attitude of the team means Suzuki are closer than ever to the big prize twenty years after last earning the winner’s garland. We asked Davide to explain some of the make-up that led to the achievement in an unusual, tricky but rewarding campaign so far…
FEATURE The demands of 2020… In a normal championship we would have been quite stressed to have this quantity of consecutive races but we know that this year is exceptional. During the lockdown when we were at home waiting-and-waiting we were saying that we’d do anything to get back racing to save the championship. In this special year it is a big effort…but I’d say that nobody can complain because it’s what we can do to have races. At the moment we can manage! Managing the team means more scrutiny… When we arrive to the circuit then we have to stay in this ‘bubble’ and do only what is necessary but then when we travel home it is hard to get back to ‘normal’ life because you have to be careful. Everyone knows the Coronavirus is everywhere and it is not difficult to get
infected. If you end up in the wrong place or the wrong situation then you miss a race or even two. It creates tension and you always have to be careful. It’s not ‘normal’ life and won’t be that way until the end of the championship. The triples are the end will be hard. Bringing a team together and watching it develop is never easy… At the beginning of this project we tried to select people that are passionate for the job and who wanted to achieve something. It wasn’t a conscious thing but, in the end, we chose people who had perhaps not won so much. Some of the guys came from Moto2 or a private team; people that were happy to be part of factory Suzuki, not some who had no other place to go. People who thought that coming to us was a step-up or a new challenge. Of course, there were some who were already in a factory team also and came across. If people come here and think it is like ‘an achievement’ then this also creates motivation and passion to do a good job. We were lucky to make that happen because you don’t always know if it will work in the beginning but I’m really happy with what we have because there is a good atmosphere and good co-operation. I learned a lot from Valentino… When he arrived in Yamaha he brought the winning mentality. It is very different if the target is either to win the championship or if it is just to race and do the best you can. It’s a completely different job. When Valentino arrived he wanted to win a title. I remember from those years that - a few times – second position was a disaster. Depending on the second position – if a battle was lost with somebody - everybody was sad on Sunday night. Or, as a contrast, winning a race meant being happy for one hour and then you start to worry about
winning the next one. It made me think a lot about this different approach. Working with Yamaha it also gave me experience with Japanese companies and people. I think I used this a lot in my work with Suzuki. Raising the level of the team we wanted to continue with the same people because we kinda grew up together… The team was new and we had rookie riders also. Of course, we gained experience together and sometimes that means mistakes. That maturing spirit gives energy and motivation to people, because it is not like we changed the team a lot. We made the step together and we saw improvement of professional skills and abilities in almost each individual position. Integration of the test team was another step… We only had a domestic test team before, testing in Japan with Japanese riders. Then we created a test team that was half-and-half with Tom O’Kane and some European mechanics and riders like Sylvain Guintoli. This has been also very appreciated by the Japanese staff.
FEATURE Sylvain is very precise with his job and sensitive with his feeling on the bike and clear with his comments. He’s quite fast as well! The Japanese could get good feedback. Now when we have an important part Sylvain can already make a good selection. The final judgement is down to the factory rider but very often his comments are similar. To have a satellite team also involves a change of mentality… I don’t like to call it a ‘satellite’ team, it’s more like a ‘partnership’. It is more of a co-operation between a factory team and an independent team: we need to find the right name! I don’t like ‘independent’ either because it is connected. Maybe a ‘branch’ team. Overall the relationship with a team where you provide their bikes is changing. Nobody wants a ‘customer’ team. We have no interest to lease the bike because there is no profit and if there is then it’s small. It’s a big effort without any business or financial advantage. But there are technical advantages. In our case it would be to balance the cost and provide bikes to have more information and more feedback, for example testing tyres through a weekend when the weather is critical and you have only one or two sessions. With four bikes you can test all options, with two you cannot reach that target. Four bikes on the track means if one has a problem then you have more time to analyse it before the same thing might affect the others. There is more time to make development, especially if one rider is not having a good time. Look at this year: quite often the second team is making better results than the first team. This also gives the first team riders something to think about when it comes to their strategy with the bike. Having four means changing the mentality so you don’t mind so much which bike winsHaving competition between our riders was the target when we started this project… With Alex and Joan we wanted two strong
“LOOK AT THIS YEAR: QUITE OFTEN THE SECOND TEAM IS MAKING BETTER RESULTS THAN THE FIRST TEAM. THIS ALSO GIVES THE FIRST TEAM RIDERS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR STRATEGY WITH THE BIKE...”
could have competed for very high results. The injury was in the wrong moment and the problem influenced the first three-four races. Jerez was very tough for us because of Alex’s injury and Joan’s crash: we came out of there with zero points! While Alex was trying to manage his problem Joan grew up. The competition has come. It’s an unusual situation. Usually there is always one rider that is a little bit ahead… I think they feel the competition from each other but from the team and Suzuki’s point of view what we do is give our full maximum support to both of them in the same way and we wish the best to be in front. We have to handle the competition…but it is something we wanted to create inside the team and we’d all benefit from it.
DAVIDE BRIVIO: SUZUKI
riders that could be inside the top group and could challenge for the podium. I think we are getting there. Alex has won races, Joan has taken podiums and is ready to win. We have achieved that target. What we also wanted was two strong riders that could stimulate each and it’s clear when you take this road that you also have to deal with the internal competition that comes. No doubt. Sometimes when you are behind the others you think ‘that will be a nice problem to have!’ and when you actually have it you think ‘oh, this is a big problem!’ But this is what we wanted: reactions and improvement. This year I think Alex has been unlucky because he was very strong in Jerez and
PRODUCTS
HUSQVARNA In September Husqvarna showed off their latest work with Shot and unveiled the Factory Replica riding kit: jersey, pants, gloves. Firstly, someone again has to praise Husky’s designer for apparel because the style (once more) hits a very distinctive tone between coolness and elegance. The collaboration with French firm Shot means using the company’s experience of almost twenty years. This is reflected in the resistance, ventilation, weight and stretch of the fabrics and panels as well as all the small details such as precurved form, stitching, construction, cuffs and protective elements (such as the knee sections). Hit the link on any image to go to the Husqvarna website, find a local dealer and check out the gear for yourself.
www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com
HAND OF THE KING
FEATURE
CARLOS EZPELETA, MD OF DORNA SPORTS AND ONE OF THE MOVEMAKERS IN THE MotoGP PADDOCK, TALKS COLLABORATION WITH HIS FATHER, GUIDING GRAND PRIX TOWARDS THE FUTURE AND PUTTING TOGETHER THE MOST COMPLICATED WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON FOR SEVERAL GENERATIONS… By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Rob Gray/Polarity Photo
FEATURE
C
arlos Ezpeleta wanders into view, radio in hand, distinctive Dorna management white shirt neatly pressed. The ‘Madridleno’s English is impeccable; part of a string of traits schooled by his family and a lifetime presence in an international arena. The ability to view ‘a bigger picture’, exercise diplomacy and harbour knowledge of a motorsport environment (he raced cars, winning a Spanish Endurance championship in 2012) are other capacities that the 29-year old will have absorbed from being weaned on a paddock life. Like David Luongo in MXGP, Carlos carries the burden of being ‘the son’. Like Luongo, Ezpeleta walked his own path (studying engineering and business in the Spanish capital while his counterpart was a professional footballer) before deciding that his love of MotoGP was where he wanted to dedicate his vocation. The connection and the privilege were clear advantages but the need to prove his worth and credentials meant his task was perhaps tougher than for any other Dorna employee. He was plugged into various aspects of how Dorna run MotoGP for ideal 360 degree knowledge, essentially being groomed for a management role and he was part of the sporting department since 2017 prior to his promotion for 2020. Now he’s helping to move the chess pieces, so it was timely to find out how he sees the track ahead… Talk about your role in MotoGP as MD and the change this year because you were more focused on the sporting side… At the start of the year – thankfully to the board and the shareholders – I was voted
HE [CARMELO] IS CONSTANTLY SPEAKING ABOUT THE BUSINESS SO YOU GET A CLEAR IDEA ABOUT THE DIRECTION. HE’S VERY CAPTIVATING WITH HIS IDEAS. IT’S NOT DIFFICULT AT ALL TO WORK WITH HIM....”
CARMELO ON CARLOS
CormacGP
“
Carlos brings a lot to Dorna, principally because he knows the philosophy of the company since he was small. When he had his summer holidays we’d have him working in the championship so he’d get to know all the areas, the communication and the sporting decisions made around the races. Afterwards, when he finished his engineering and business studies he was able to bring his experience of car racing both on the asphalt and the ice to MotoGP and into the management role that he has today. From my point of view Carlos’ work and commitment fits very well with the people and the way to work we’ve had in Dorna since 1991.”
now. Since I was very small I’ve been in the paddock. I’ve been learning very slowly and this year my work here hasn’t really changed in terms of the relationship with the teams and IRTA – which is probably the part of my job that I like the most and I’m most familiar with – but I’m more involved internally in the company itself and managing certain departments. I’m very happy.
CARLOS EZPELETA: DORNA
to the role of MD of the sporting department. It has been a difficult year to debut I’d say! It was a few weeks before the Covid explosion. When I was promoted to Director of the Sporting department that was in 2017 in Qatar when we had the flood; they might think twice if I’m in the running for any more promotions! Obviously I’ve been close to the championship and the company for a long time
FEATURE Is it true the further up you go, the less contact you might have on the ground? Erm, not necessarily. In Dorna the managing directors and the CEO have always had a close contact with the employees and it continues to be like that. It’s a very ‘particular’ job and contrary to a normal office 9-6. Here you travel, work and eat together – well, not so much this year – but there is a close contact because of that mobile aspect. But as you grow in the company you are in touch with other departments and picking up a lot of knowledge and experience from them. I wouldn’t say it has changed much in terms of the relationships?
“2020 WAS A LOT OF HARD WORK BUT WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO PUT THE SHOW TOGETHER AND THE RESULT IS SOMETHING AS GOOD AS IT HAS BEEN THIS YEAR – WHICH IS PARTLY COINCIDENTAL IN TERMS OF THE SPORTING SIDE – THEN THIS PAYS OFF AND IS A RELIEF...” How about the learning curve to get to MD? Are you in the middle? Was it a steep path? I think many people will tell you that as soon as you feel you know quite a lot about something then you look back a few years and think ‘wow, I was pretty ignorant!’ and then six years later you think ‘I thought I knew a lot then’. On the learning curve I would think and hope I am nowhere close to the middle there is still a lot of learning around the business, the sport and the championship and it is always changing. Especially in the times we are in now. I hope that curve continues.
Can you give some insight into how it was to make 2020 actually happen? We got locked down so fast in Madrid and the whole of Spain. Bascially it started a period of a lot of phone calls, not much sleep, a girlfriend not happy with the constant calls and commitments! I think, though, that one of the great things about Dorna when it comes to the sport is that we put everything we have onto the table and every single person makes a huge effort physically. I would say the first two months after Qatar were very negative. There was a lot of cancellations, which is not good because that’s when people start wondering if there would be a season in 2020 or 2021. There are constant calls with the teams and the manufacturers and partners asking for information and there is really not much you can say. There was some light at the end of the tunnel when football – which is ‘the’ sport globally – starts to move and we moved fast and early and I made it clear that we had to start having conversations. We made a protocol and started racing in Spain because of our close contact with the Spanish government and the medical provision we had to make. We set up our management committee with three two-hour video call meetings a week. In a normal season that it once a week or two weeks at the most but it was important we all had the same information and it was transmitted vertically in the company. We got that extensive protocol made and it was 100 pages at one point. Outside of the management committee the other days were taken up with meetings and working groups with the other layers in Dorna about how we could make an event possible while minimising the risk travelling and testing. It was a lot of hard work but when you are able to put the show together and the result is something as good as it has been this year – which is partly coincidental in terms of the sporting side – then this pays off and is a relief.
You must have learned a lot about the politics involved as well an juggling people’s contrasting opinions… Yes, clearly each circuit has a different situation in terms of economics and national political connections. Some countries took different approaches [to the pandemic] influenced by the level of infection in their population. Some moved very fast, like Holland when they cancelled the national league. Others were a bit more patient, let’s say, but the relationship with all the promoters is really good and the fact that the racing has been so good helps us all. When you speak about politics then it is a different ‘game’. There are a lot of interests involved and you have to make the best of each situation you find. It can be a slippery slope. Which part of your job really drives you? The sporting side, the way to make the business work but then there is also the vision of where we are going. Those are the important ones and Dorna has grown a lot so it is crucial to make sure that the employees are happy about coming to work every day but, for myself personally, when the racing is as good as it has been this year with those last corner deciders then that’s when you go home happy. I always say I am very fortunate because I work alongside all these people who have been my idols since I was very small. Going to the Safety Commission every Friday puts a smile on my face because the atmosphere with all the riders is incredible. My responsibility in the job is to ensure that what the fans see on a Sunday is the best and tightest-run show possible. That’s what makes my heart beat.
FEATURE What’s the working relationship like with your father and how has that changed in the last couple of years? We are together a lot both on and off the track and, of course, I have complete respect for what Carmelo has done. I have taken this impression from people in MotoGP but also the sports [promotion] industry in four wheels and so on. It’s always hard to be next to him. We argue an incredible amount over a lot of things! The boss is the boss but sometimes you are able to change his decision on some things. I was lucky to have travelled with him since I was young because you get ‘the message’ all the time, each day, every dinner time. He is constantly speaking about the business so you get a clear idea about the direction you want to follow. He’s very captivating with his ideas. It’s not difficult at all to work with him.
Is there pressure on you? People are wondering what ideas or directions you might have for the future? Dorna is a big company and it’s not like a hand-picked thing where you are running the show. The important thing is that Carmelo will be here a long time and he is still young and strong. That’s point number one. Point number two is that if you prove you are worth it, especially in a paddock like this where everybody is proving their worth - team managers, mechanics, riders execs – then you will probably grow. There is constant murmur but you try to ignore it and focus on the championship, which this year has been quite a challenge. Thanks to the TV production and international spread how do you feel about the sport’s position as an entertainment brand like the Spanish football league or the NBA? Can MotoGP become bigger and more modern? Appeal to bigger markets? Yes, that is clearly the intention. To make it even more global. There is the intention to concentrate on key areas such as southeast Asia with our current promoters and events there. For example in Indonesia MotoGP is a solidified sport in all areas of the community but we are trying to reinvent ourselves to be present in all age groups and the digital output and social media networks are a key asset for us. Honestly I think we are quite good at that. Spreading the sport is the number one target of the company, always, but there are different ways to do that. Making the sport entertaining – like it has been this year and we have been fortunate in 2020 but it comes after years of technical regulations to make that quality on track – and also getting as many kids as possible on motorcy-
There is a big history and legacy and bike racing has such an avid following, but taking that and extending it to kids with their phones and hours on Fortnite or through Twitch streams must be a big challenge. Maybe it is something that a younger generation in Dorna can really push…? Yes, there are various areas you can touch: Kids that ride but then kids that have not had any contact with the sport, and you need to grab their attention. Fighting for a moment of attention on a teenager’s screen nowadays becomes more and more difficult and expensive. It is very challenging to make them watch something for an extended period of time. Like you said, it is challenging but it is the most important thing. We have to get a good show, and then get as many people as possible to watch it. Dorna have had an open mind to try something new: whether it was talks with a company like Leatt for possible neck brace protection, radios or experimental projects like MotoE and E-Sports. Is it important to maintain that attitude? Yes, very important. I have this constant attitude where I question why we do things how we’ve always done them. I got told-off in the beginning when I came into the company fulltime for trying to change everything on the first day! The attitude is important because that’s how you improve. Trying to touch on all bases on all bases of the business and seeing what can be improved is something that the manufacturers do. They expect that from us, as people who are running the show together with the FIM and IRTA – and the relationship is great – to try out new things and get better,
such as the Long Lap penalty, or other aspects that might make the sport better. Or improve MotoGP’s reach. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to improving MotoGP? Right now I’d say having some spectators! That’s too easy… During the past twenty years one of the key things we have improved has been safety for the riders which is vital to us. Of course it is a dangerous sport but I think we have highly improved. It has been one of the biggest targets for the sport for both Dorna and IRTA. On the commercial side of the business then solidifying our tradition and current viewing numbers and increasing those in the younger generation – which we have – but widening the spread of MotoGP is massive for us.
CARLOS EZPELETA: DORNA
cles and enjoy racing as cheaply as possible is another key part. Growing brand awareness for MotoGP but also the sport is vital but you mustn’t lose sight that Sunday racing is the important sell point.
PRODUCTS
Moto 2.5 SubZero
Moto 2.5 Windblock
LEATT Two more eye-catching products from the 2021 Leatt catalogue: the 5.5 FlexLock Enduro boot and two glove models to tackle the end of the Autumn and the dip into winter. The new footwear from Leatt is three years in the making. As well as focusing on comfort (even for wide feet they say) the South Africans have applied their usual safety design thinking and innovation. Leatt claim the FlexLock system ‘reduces forces to the ankle by up to 37% and the knee by up to 35% by locking out ankle movement when over flexed and giving you that feeling of security.’ The boot is fully CE tested and certified and has a creative ‘SlideLock system: an auto-locking one way sliding closure for great seal at top of boot.’ There are also ‘forged aluminum buckles with an over-lock system and a stainless steel base.’ Other small details include the low toe ‘box’ and grips on the sole for effective grip when walking or ‘dabbing’. The Moto 2.5 Windblock has special FormFit finger construction to ensure that the glove will provide the best grip and feel. The upper part of the garment is made from ‘windblock’ material to help against the cold but the whole item is still slim and light. A MicronGrip palm helps with resistance and the microinjected 3D Brush Guard gives reinforcements across the top of the fingers. It is also pre-curved and seamless. The ‘touch screen’ function is a no-brainer. Along the same lines the Moto 2.5 SubZero packs insulation into the upper hand to further combat low temperatures but keeping the
www.leatt.com
same narrow and sporty aspect has been a priority. There are some pretty cool colours and designs as well for both the boots and the gloves.
ULTIMATE PROTECTIO
COMFORT AND STYL
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When you’re riding an off-road circuit, head protection is crucial. You need to focus on the next jump, or that sharp Leatt®’s hot, NEW 2021 models, the 9.5 and 8.5 helmets were designed with performance, stability and lightness in choices when it comes to the latest brain injury reduction technology and the sharpest looks.
THE SCIENCE OF THRILL
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L E AT T. C O M
MX BLOG
WHAT NEXT FOR SX? The 2021 Monster Energy Supercross series is trying, like all live events, to stage a successful season and so, just like 2020, we’re going to have to adjust and get ready for a new norm. As much as we would’ve liked to have seen it, the COVID-19 virus hasn’t been contained anywhere near the way many thought it would be by now. The promoters, Feld Entertainment, are forging ahead with a calendar visiting states here in America that allow for a certain percentage of people to buy tickets. Yes, there’s TV money for the sport but a massive part of the business is having people in the stands. Simply put, if you live in a state that doesn’t allow mass gatherings of people, your chances of seeing supercross in 2021 are pretty slim. As of the deadline for this column, the official schedule had not come out but we’ve obtained a copy that we believe is or pretty close to what you’re likely to see:
Jan 16th, 19th, 23rd Houston (250SX east)
Then again, if there’s not, the series will head to friendlier places for crowds.
Jan 30, Feb 2nd Indy (east) Feb 20th, 23rd, 27th Glendale (west) March 6th Daytona (east) March 20th, 23rd, 27th Dallas (west) Rounds 13, 14, 15, 16–TBA May 1st or 8th Salt Lake City So there’s plenty that is still not finalized and it’s understandable, anyone who has followed this pandemic realizes that things can and have changed quickly. I would think that those four dates that are ‘TBA’ there have a chance of being back in Southern California if there’s a vaccine out for COVID-19 by then.
The championship will again, like they did to wrap up the 2020 season, make multiple rounds in one city so that should be interesting for the teams and riders. When we were in SLC, there were a couple of spots where the riders could get out and practice but I’m thinking that Indianapolis in late January could be kind of hard! This will again make it a premium for the riders and teams to have everything working together well, if there’s an issue with bike set-up then the lack of ability to have a good place (or any place) to test will come back to bite you in a schedile that has three rounds in a week.
CREATED THANKS TO BY ADAM WHEELER
BY STEVE MATTHES I know that at every one of these rounds there will, as mentioned, have a percentage of fans allowed and that Feld is planning on having a pit party at every event but what’s unknown as I type is whether there will be open pits or some sort of fan interaction with the riders. I wouldn’t bet on that happening…but things could change later in the year as everyone adapts.
of round 17. Or take Easter off and run into that May 8th date. And like I said, they would probably love for them to be in Anaheim, San Diego and say, Oakland in a perfect world.
It’s good to see Daytona back on the schedule, some sort of normalcy will be appreciated for sure.
So let’s exhale and understand that it’s a great thing we’re having SX back for 2021 and yeah, it’s going to be a bit different again but the ins-and-outs of how everything is going to work are far from settled.
Looking at the calendar, there are four weeks between May 1st where it’s possible to have the final round in Salt Lake City and the last scheduled round in Dallas, and there are four weeks that are TBA. So the series is hoping, I would imagine, to just go back to regular Saturday nights and lead right into that May 1st date
That’s the best case scenario I suppose and the worst case would be going back to one or two cities and having multiple rounds in one or both of them.
Kind of like how we’re all living now.
PRODUCTS
YCF Some Limited Editions models from YCF ahead of the winter/Christmas market and we’ve focused on two bigger bikes at the end of the pitbike line. The Start 125 Yellow (1349 euros) is very much in the ‘Suzuki’ mould with a raft of aesthetic touches to make it easy on the eye, such as red triple clamp, axle block and shock, disc guard, coated forks and new yellow/ white plastics and graphics. The Pilot 150 White (1749) is for a more advanced rider but will be a draw to racers thanks to the cool black exhaust silencer, exclusive graphics, yellow shock and black rim as well as a frame decal kit. As ever YCF mix fun, affordable and highly customisable products to appealing effect.
www.ycf-riding.com
PRODUCTS
ALPINESTARS Alpinestars’ Oscar collection is always enticing thanks to the company’s stylistic interpretation of their 57-year heritage and ability to weave the latest forms of protection into a modern and fashionbased look. The Italians recently launched three new jackets: the Bomber, the SixtyThree leather and Trucker. Shoulders and elbows for two of the garments benefit from Nucleon Flex Plus armour, abrasion resistance and fleece liners are other features of what are clearly garments that will take biking gear into more of a mainstream look. Our pick is the Bomber (bottom left) with 600 Denier and priorities for comfort fit. No word on pricing but expect a considerable massage to the wallet.
www.alpinestars.com
TEST
By Roland Brown Photos by Husqvarna
SALIVATING OVER THE 701s 701s?
WHITE(?) NOISE
TEST
H
usqvarna has been best known for off-road competition bikes through much of a trophy-laden 117year history that has seen its home move from Sweden via Italy to Austria. Dirtbikes remain Husky’s focus but since the Pierer Mobility Group took over in 2013 the brand has been growing its streetbike range, aiming to establish an edgy, upmarket image aimed at urban hipsters and hardcore hedonists. Two contrasting models, both powered by the Mattighofen factory’s proven 693cc singlecylinder engine, highlight this approach. The Svartpilen 701 – “Black Arrow” in Husqvarna’s once-native Swedish – is a stylish naked roadster. The 701 Supermoto is a more aggressive sports machine created to bash handlebars on street or multisurfaced racetrack. If the Svartpilen looks familiar that’s perhaps because it is closely related to the Vitpilen 701, the White Arrow caféracer launched two years ago. The Svartpilen has a raised, one-piece handlebar instead of clip-ons but shares many streetsmart styling touches, blending futurism and retro cool with its metallic-and-black finish and the way its dummy petrol tank (fuel lives under the seat) merges with the seat and sidepanels.
“MORE TO THE POINT THE HUSQVARNA SVARTPILEN 701 IS AS ENTERTAINING AS IT’S DISTINCTIVE, AND WILL RARELY FAIL TO PUT A SMILE ON ITS RIDER’S FACE....” There’s a hint of flat-track racer about the Svartpilen, whose wire-spoked wheels wear distinctively patterned Pirelli MT60 tyres. And the sohc, four-valve LC4 powerplant packs sufficient punch to back it up. The 74bhp, liquidcooled single provides pleasingly lively performance to a bike that weighs just 161kg, enabling effortless 80mph cruising and a top speed of about 120mph.
Handling is excellent, thanks to the Svartpilen’s blend of rigid tubular steel frame and high-quality WP suspension. The wide bars and light weight mean you can flick it around effortlessly despite the 18in front wheel. Although those Pirellis are quite narrow there’s sufficient grip and ground clearance for plenty of cornering fun, backed up by sharp braking from the single front disc and Brembo caliper.
HUSQVARNA 701s
The Svartpilen gets there enjoyably rapidly, especially when revved enthusiastically with the help of the gearbox’s slick two-way quick-shifter. Twin balancer shafts keep vibration to a minimum, though the mirrors blur at speed and there’s some juddering below 3500rpm. And you’ll need to turn off the Bosch traction control before living up to the urban hooligan look by pulling a wheelie.
TEST
HUSQVARNA 701s
TEST The roomy, upright riding position is more wind-blown than the Vitpilen’s at high speed but works better the rest of the time, making this the more practical ’Pilen. The fairly slim, low seat helps aids manoeuvrability, if not comfort; the under-seat tank holds just 11.2 litres but the economical single is still good for over 100 miles. More to the point it’s as entertaining as it’s distinctive, and will rarely fail to put a smile on its rider’s face. That’s also true of the 701 Supermoto, although its competition-inspired design, complete with large white sidepanels seemingly waiting for the application of racing numbers, confirms a more serious character. Like the KTM 690 SMC R whose engine and many other parts it shares, the Supermoto would be perfectly happy being skidded into a turn then broadsided out amid a pack of angry racers, but it’s equally at home being caned down a bumpy back-road. In contrast to the Svartpilen, the focus is not on street style but on agility and control at high cornering speeds. Instead of a shapely dummy fuel tank there’s a slim seat extension that allows the rider to shift forward in turns, inside leg thrust out in supermoto style. In the absence of a handy circuit, my attempts at
mastering this technique on a local roundabout probably didn’t impress the hi-vis wearing workers who emerged from their van to spectate before I got giddy and cleared off, but the bike can’t be blamed for that. When ridden with both feet on the pegs the 701 was huge fun on twisty roads, where its typical supermoto blend of long-travel but well-controlled WP suspension, sticky Conti tyres and light weight made it arguably as quick as a sports bike, despite the slightly less precise feeling through the bars. The Husky adds a sophisticated traction control system, plus cornering ABS to complement the powerful braking from a big front disc and chunky Brembo caliper.
At £9799 in the UK, the 701 Supermoto currently costs £1500 more than the SMC R, while the Svartpilen 701, at £7999 (not including accessory Akrapovic silencer), is more expensive than the outstanding KTM 790 Duke parallel twin. You’d need to value Husky’s sense of exclusivity or distinctive style highly for that to make financial sense. For those who do, the 701s are unlikely to disappoint.
HUSQVARNA 701s
Straight-line performance is near-identical to the Svartpilen’s, although the taller seat makes the Supermoto more windblown at speed, as well as less manageable in town for the short of leg. Basic instrumentation is a legacy of its enduro bike roots, and this 701 doesn’t even have the option of carrying a pillion. But for urban or back-road blasts, few bikes are either quicker or more rewarding.
WorldSBK BLOG
CLIMBING THE GREEN PERCH... If you asked me in April if we would get a WorldSBK season completed this year, and that Jonathan Rea would make it six titles in a row, I would probably have said “no”. It’s now the last week in October and here we are, eight rounds and 24 races done and more history written by Mr Rea and Kawasaki Racing Team. When WorldSBK did come back in July I still didn’t think we would get to the end of the season. Other world championships were being run under strict regulations that formed a nonCovid bubble for that event with absolutely everyone being tested before and after each race. In WorldSBK there were temperature checks each day as you arrived at the track, and various protocols to be adhered to, but it was up to each team and individual to decide whether they wanted to form a tested ‘bubble’ or not. Jamie Morris and myself work with main manufacturer teams
in WorldSBK so we were obliged to submit to their PCR testing regime before each race, to allow us access to the pit box and to work with the riders. Outside of the WorldSBK manufacturer teams no-one else had such a routine that I know of and I really thought we would have a major Covid outbreak and the season would screech to a self-isolating halt. I guess, however, in a Trumpian kind of way if you don’t test you won’t have any positive results. No one that I know of got sick in the end and the season reached a dramatic conclusion at Estoril last weekend. With JR needing only three points from the final weekend to secure the title it looked like a shoe-in before we even got to Portugal but
Scott Redding kept telling people ‘anything can happen’. Could it be that that anything was going to happen? Things never go quite to plan and I was completely stunned when both Rea and Redding crashed, almost at the same time, but on separate parts of the track, in Superpole qualifying on Saturday. It was interesting when Rea came back to the pit box after his Superpole crash, the mechanics took one look at the bike and said ‘no – it’s finished’. I don’t know the extent of the damage to the ZX-10RR but JR got out of his leathers and the team calmly set about preparing the spare bike for the afternoon’s race. A couple of doors down in the Ducati box it was all hands to the pump. Those boys earned their
BY ADAM WHEELER
BY GRAEME BROWN corn in the space of 20 minutes as they stripped the front end of Redding’s bike, got it back together and got him out in the dying minutes of Superpole. It was all to no avail though as Redding didn’t make it around before the chequered flag and never posted a time, placing him at the back of the grid. I was super impressed by the speed, skill and efficiency of the Ducati boys though. At one point I stopped taking pictures and just watched them work. It was really quite something and a real shame that it didn’t quite pay off for them. The championship was decided once and for all when Redding retired in race one with a mechanical issue but was it ever really in doubt? When the season restarted in Jerez in July and Redding dominated the weekend I came away thinking maybe this is it for JR, maybe the run has come to an end.
Redding had a 24-point lead and Alex Lowes and Toprak Razgatlioglu were only a handful of points behind Rea. A week later in Portimao and I was doubting my own assessment as Rea stormed to a triple victory on what is becoming a favourite track for him. What did surprise me was that Redding seemed to struggle and his championship lead disappeared in the space of a weekend. I mentioned a couple of blogs ago that consistency is the key to Rea’s success and that is where it was won again this year. This has undoubtedly been the most open WorldSBK season we have had for a number of years. We have seen seven different winners across the eight rounds but with nine wins and six other podiums Rea was always there or thereabouts. It wasn’t until race two in Estoril that we saw a mistake from him when he crashed and
finished 14th, but of course by then the main prize had already been awarded. Trying to analyse why others fell by the wayside and couldn’t sustain a challenge is really difficult but Ducati have now had three challengers on their Panigale V4R that haven’t got the better of Rea and something in the ‘package’ just isn’t quite right. For sure they have given JR and Kawasaki their toughest test over the last two years but they still haven’t come out on top. Some see it as only a two horse race and but in the last two years it has turned into more of a three way fight and maybe that has allowed Kawasaki to maintain their advantage. Yamaha have really upped their game this year with both Razgatlioglu and VD Mark winning and privateers Loris Baz and Garrett Gerloff both finding the podium in the second half of the year. For
WorldSBK BLOG
me that is what played into Rea’s hands. Whilst he was winning, Ducati and Yamaha were taking points off each other. Then, at Motorland Aragon in the Tereul round, we saw Michael Ruben Rinaldi, on the privateer GoEleven Ducati, win a race and out perform his factory stablemates. A point not lost on Redding who lamented the fact that Ducati had let a privateer take points away from his championship challenge. However, when JR couldn’t win he was more or less always still on the podium consistently posting high scoring finishes. It does look as though the 2021 season won’t start until late April and probably with a first round in Assen. After that there will be a ‘normal’ European season before the prospect of a series of flyaway races in October and November to finish the term. It would seem that between them WorldSBK/Dorna and the teams are happy to run the two race format across all categories again next year and there has also been a desire to see back to back races similar to Jerez/Portimao and Aragon/Teruel this year,
especially if fan attendance and overall travel movement is still restricted. It seems that the season ending fly-away races may only be Argentina and Australia. As far as I know the contract with Losail in Qatar has come to an end and there is little desire within the paddock to renew it and the new track in Indonesia is still not expected to be finished in time. We may see some new venues appear like Estoril this year but there is no indication of that at the moment. It is also likely to be a few weeks, even months before a calendar is announced. The WorldSBK organization have a desire to issue a calendar that they are confident will be fulfilled, taking into account any local travel restrictions that may come up, and so avoid a similar situation to this year where races were postponed, moved in the calendar and eventually cancelled. There are still a couple of tests to be completed in 2020 next month and we will get to see how Michael VD Mark fairs on the BMW but at the moment one name will be missing from the timesheets, Chaz Davies.
It is such a shame that Chaz hasn’t found a place for next year. It’s been written about a lot in the last week but I am sure Ducati feel justified in their reasons for letting him go. I also have a huge amount of admiration for Chaz’s own belief that he deserves a championship winning bike, and I have to agree with him. Last weekend in Estoril showed that he is more than capable of winning bike races. It will be a huge loss to the series if he doesn’t line up on the grid next year but at this late stage I can’t see where he will get the level of machinery and support that he will need. I have a few days left of my current self-isolation after Estoril and can’t wait to get out riding for myself. It has been incredibly frustrating to come home after every weekend since July and have to sit in the house until the next time I go away but on the other hand I am grateful to have been able to photograph some motorcycle racing this year and earn some money. Like many people I have my fingers crossed that 2021 will be a bit more ‘normal’.
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Photo: R. Schedl
693 cc 75 hp 158 kg
The best lines happen offline. Just like surfing the web has nothing to do with the ocean, you will never Feel the thrill of twisting the throttle from behind a desk.
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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 Wednesday 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 James Lissimore AMA SX Photographer Cormac Ryan-Meenan MotoGP Photographer www.cormacgp.com Rob Gray MotoGP Photographer David Emmett MotoGP Blogger Neil Morrison MotoGP Blogger & Feature writer Graeme Brown WSB Blogger and Photographer Roland Brown Tester/Columnist Núria Garcia Cover Design Gabi Álvarez Web developer Hosting FireThumb7 - www.firethumb7.co.uk Thanks to www.mototribu.com for the share PHOTO CREDITS Ray Archer, CormacGP, Polarity Photo, Simon Cudby, Husqvarna Cover shot: Zach Osborne by Simon Cudby/Husqvarna 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’.