On-Track Offroad issue 201

#GETD SHARPER

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.

Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations!

The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipment available at additional cost.

DUKED Photo: R. Schedl

FEATURE MXGP

COMING TO KEGUMS MXGP was lucky enough to get two rounds in the books before the prohibitive effects of the pandemic struck. People are craving the restart in Latvia but who will be able to dislodge Jeffrey Herlings (winner of 5 of the last six MXGP motos) or Thomas Kjer Olsen in MX2: victor of two of the last three MX2 GPs? Bench racing has never felt better Photo by Ray Archer (Kegums 2018)

MotoGP

METRONOMIC Petronas Yamaha SRT wheeled out the stats for their latest star’s double turn in Jerez. Fabio Quartararo delivered his first win in just his twentieth MotoGP outing for the opening foray of 2020. The second youngest rider to then go back-toback in the premier class he also notched a ‘first’ for his country. How many more to come?

Photo by CormacGP

FEATURE WorldSBK

NOT JUST GREEN & RED Rile a WorldSBK follower by suggesting the rest of the 2020 will be a Rea/Redding duel. Any witnesses of the long-dispensed first round in Australia will correctly say there are several riders who could upstage the two reigning champions, but it is so tempting to narrow the bulk of the contest to the two ‘Rs’ after the Rea/ Bautista 2019 chase. Anything near a repeat would be tasty Photo by Ducati Corse press

MotoGP

NO QUATR GIVEN JEREZ JULY 19th & 26th

JULY 19th WINNERS

JULY 26th WINNERS

MotoGP: FABIO QUARTARARO, YAMAHA Moto2: ENEA BASTIANINI, KALEX Moto3: TATSUKI SUZUKI, HONDA

Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations!

The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipment available at additional cost.

MotoGP: FABIO QUARTARARO, YAMAHA Moto2: LUCA MARINI, KALEX Moto3: ALBERT ARENAS, KTM

#GETDUKED Photo: R. Schedl

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BEAST MODE ENGAGED 2020 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R

The NAKED rulebook has been re-written. The KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R is now leaner, meaner and even more menacing than ever before. Sporting an all-new chassis and suspension setup, the flagship LC8 V-Twin 1301 cc boasting brutal forward thrust, blinding acceleration and an advanced electronics package, the NEW BEAST is locked and loaded for battle.

MotoGP JEREZ

MotoGP

MotoGP JEREZ

MotoGP BLOG

THE FRAGILITY OF HOPE? Yamaha should be on top of the world. After three seasons in the wilderness, the factory from Iwata in Japan is back in dominant form.

At the beginning of the year, they bet on youth for the future of their MotoGP project, signing Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo to race for the factory team in 2021 and 2022. After the first two races of the pandemic-stricken 2020 MotoGP season, the riders are sitting one and two in the championship, Quartararo and Viñales finishing first and second in both races at Jerez. The future has arrived early.

There is so much more for Yamaha to be happy about. A year of experience has given Franco Morbidelli the competitiveness he showed in Moto2, but lost in his year on the Honda. With Morbidelli up to speed and in the Petronas Yamaha SRT team – without doubt the strongest satellite squad in MotoGP – Yamaha have

an extra weapon in the battle for the manufacturers championship.

And, of course, Valentino Rossi.

After 15 months off the podium, Yamaha finally let him go back to an old bike setup they had discarded, and it immediately gave the veteran warhorse the confidence in his M1 to be competitive again. With his new, old bike geometry, Rossi was back on the box once again, finishing third in the Gran Premio de Andalucia, the second race at Jerez. That gave Yamaha its first clean sweep of the podium since Phillip Island 2014, when Tech3’s Bradley Smith joined Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo on the rostrum.

It has been a remarkable turnaround. Yamaha entered a decline after the controversial 2015 season, when Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi took the championship down to the wire in Valencia.

The factory’s fortunes waned year on year, reaching a nadir in 2018, when MotoGP project leader Kouji Tsuya came to Valentino Rossi’s media debrief after qualifying in Austria to apologise to the riders for giving them an uncompetitive

bike. A massive reorganisation followed, with new engineers brought and Tsuya replaced. The start of the 2020 season is proof Yamaha have succeeded, with a much-redesigned bike winning the first two races in the hands of the most exciting youngster in MotoGP. So, Yamaha should be jubilant, right? Well, they are, but there is also much cause for concern.

During FP3 at the first round of the season, Maverick Viñales heard a strange noise from his engine at the end of the back straight and pulled straight into the pits. During the race, Valentino Rossi pulled over on the front straight after his dashboard lit up with red warning lights. A week later, in exactly the same place, Franco Morbidelli was forced to pull over when his M1 lost power and wouldn’t rev as he shifted into fourth gear on the front straight.

Viñales’ and Rossi’s engines were sent back to Japan for inspection, to try to understand the cause for the failure. It proved more difficult than feared, Yamaha being

forced to break the seals, which meant withdrawing them from the allocation. Instead of five engines for thirteen races, Rossi and Viñales were left with four engines for twelve races. Furthermore, Yamaha shelved the engines used by all four riders at the first race, giving them all new motors for the second race at Jerez. One of those motors then stopped working when Morbidelli pulled over.

With Brno’s famous Horsepower Hill coming up, followed by the Red Bull Ring, the fast track on the calendar, Yamaha could be in trouble. If the issue is a mechanical weakness, the stress imposed by being run at maximum load could cause more breakages at the next three races. Yamaha’s dominance of the standings could evaporate as quickly as engine coolant in Jerez’ insane heat.

Is Yamaha’s issue mechanical, though? There are signs it might not be. Three Yamahas may have suffered problems, but none of them did so in an obviously mechanical way. There

was no smoke from the back of the bike like happened to Pecco Bagnaia’s Ducati GP20. And only Rossi’s bike actually cut out: the engines on both Viñales and Morbidelli’s kept running, though the power was gone.

That points to an internal sensor failing, forcing the ECU to intervene to stop the engine from going bang. On the one hand, that is good news, as it means the engine is basically sound.

On the other, if it is internal and behind the seals, then they won’t be allowed to change it without the blessing of the other manufacturers.

All this must weigh on the Yamaha riders’ minds. Franco Morbidelli denied that it did, telling us after the race, “I just worry about the things I can control. This is a thing I cannot control.” But if Fabio Quartararo finds himself at the bottom of Horsepower Hill at Brno with the Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso breathing down his neck, will he nervously glance at his dashboard and fear seeing the flash of a warning light?

For the first time since 2015, Yamaha are finally back at the top of the MotoGP championship. But the engine allocation lists make their position look worryingly precarious. We have endless admiration for the athletes in MotoGP. But it remains a mechanical sport.

CREATED THANKS TO Moto3’S NEWEST RACING TEAM

BY DAVID EMMETT

MotoGP

MotoGP JEREZ

MotoGP BLOG

THE LOVELY EDGE Fabio Quartararo’s freakily faultless performances in Jerez rightfully gained the headlines but Marc Marquez’s astonishing ability was again showcased: when an athlete like this really stretches the cable then it is remarkable to see the outcome.

Of course, the world champion was not present for the race at ‘Jerez 2’. The 27-year old dipped into pace-setting lap-times during practice with a fractured and plated upper right arm (complete with a spectacular image of the Honda rider dragging his right elbow on the frying asphalt) before the repercussions of the injury caught up.

Marquez will be sitting at home looking at a points table that will show a surprising ‘0’ next to his name for the first time in

MotoGP, and his principal rival Quartararo guarding a full 50 with two of the thirteen rounds now chequered-flagged. The risk versus reward of his captivating charge on the first Sunday of the season veered far too close to risk, and the anaesthesia was readied.

Quartararo led 42 of the 50 laps run in track temperatures that reached 60 degrees (“for me it was way-worse than Malaysia or Thailand,” said Red Bull KTM’s Pol Espargaro. “I’ve actually never felt anything so bad and so hot as this race. I’ve never felt my hands burning like they were here. I was trying to take air on the straight because I couldn’t breathe.”) and Marquez fronted the pack for two circulations before his latest showpiece began with a trademark jaw-dropping ‘save’ and demonstration of motocross skill through the gravel. He dropped to 16th. Then, across seventeen stupendous laps, worked his way to 3rd place by clocking mid-to-low 38s times; faster than the race leader.

He drifted past two factory Yamahas, four factory Ducati’s

and was back on the podium.

“I arrived there, and I was already behind Viñales,” he later reflected. “I thought ‘the job is done, I will just follow him and overtake in the end’. It is there where I fly.”

MotoGP is no stranger to thrilling recoveries but – similar to his outing at the 2018 Argentinian Grand Prix (but without the controversial collisions) – this was the starkest example of Marquez’s brilliance to extract every ounce of a stubborn motorcycle and make his decorated peers look ordinary.

Even his brother, a man who knows him better than anyone was shocked: “If you take Marc’s data from today, every rider would be destroyed…because he’s unbelievable.”

This level of performance can be rare. Ask any motorcycle racer and they will admit to trying to win as slowly as possible. Minimising the chances of things going wrong is a crucial part of the job, especially for any longevity. Clinching a Grand Prix or championship at 90-80 or

70% of full mental and physical capacity is the sign of a winner.

Adversity can push the ‘revs up’ however and that’s when fans can witness a treat; something that’s precious and special beyond the usual levels of superlatively that already brings so many fans to sports like MotoGP, MXGP, Supercross and WorldSBK. MotoGP riders are normally calculating and measured by the time they have earned a spot in the premier class. Just look at some of the rash decisions and calamities of Moto3 for a contrast.

But what prompts the genesis of real genius?

“Fighting with a rival is always pretty good; someone you dislike, there is a personal thing involved,” reasons Aprilia’s Bradley Smith, forever a thoughtful student of his craft. “Spikes of adrenaline tend to help us: if something goes wrong, when you put yourself in trouble.

Marc had done this by tucking the front and running into the gravel, he suddenly woke up a little bit.

It is almost like we need a kick up the arse sometimes. [After] So many years of doing the same

thing it can be hard to find that ‘extra little bit’ every time. That bit of adrenaline seems to help us. I don’t know if we have got used to it so much that we need extra? It definitely gets a performance out of some guys.”

One of the riders behind Marquez was Brad Binder. The 2016 Moto3 world champion caught the eye across both Jerez weekend’s although he showed his lack of experience in MotoGP with incidents in the two races. For the first outing he ran off track but lapped largely alone with chronos that would have tucked him into the top five.

“When you know you need to do something special and accomplish something that you normally shouldn’t have to, that really gets you excited and super-motivated,” the South African commented.

“Those days where you expect to start at the front and you start at the back or you have great pace all weekend but then make a mistake in qualifying: it makes you superhungry to try and get the result you are more than capable of.”

CREATED THANKS TO Moto3’S NEWEST RACING TEAM

BY ADAM WHEELER

MotoGP BLOG

Catching, passing, gaining ground and chomping distance must require another level of concentration, especially when you consider these guys are already operating in outer regions of grip, traction and feeling. But, perhaps not. “When you are leading at the front then it can be easy to focus because you have a clear track and no distractions,” reveals Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes, a man who dominated the Moto2 race at Jerez in 2016 and almost made both podiums last week. “You just watch your pitboard, and normally if you are at the front then you are feeling good. For Marc I don’t think extra focus was an issue because he was attacking the next guy on the next lap. It is one of those where you look at the pitboard and see that there are only four laps left and you think ‘where did the race go?!’ At the front it can be different; I think I heard Fabio say that those last ten laps were the longest of his career but focuswise you just look for things to concentrate on.”

Quartararo’s display involved largely undisturbed Lorenzo-like regularity that was remarkable in its own way, if somewhat less watchable than Marquez’s doomed trek. Thanks to the conditions it may have meant a similar degree of excellence, and, after all, he won. “When it was half-race I looked how many laps were remaining and it was 12: 12 laps was really long to keep focused,” he explained of last Sunday’s feat. “Sometimes when you have quite a lot of advantage over the second rider you want to say ‘I slow down’ but it’s this kind of moment when you can do mistakes. You are not riding like you want. You try to manage. I think it’s this kind of moment where you need to be really focused. I think it’s something from last year that I could manage a bit better to stay more focused. That’s why I’m really happy about my race today.”

Many questioned the wisdom of Marquez’s onslaught. When asked about it seven days later the Catalan was able to smile.

“Last Sunday I enjoyed it a lot on the bike. You cannot imagine how much I enjoyed,” he says.

“Of course, after the big save it was a strange race but I was really enjoying it and it felt really good. The mistake arrived when I said ‘OK, the job is done’.”

Many more then questioned the sanity of his return for the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía.

He wheeled out on the Saturday after the insertion of a titanium plate and twelve screws on Tuesday in Barcelona. The TV images of #93 doing press-ups shortly after surgery on MotoGP. com are startling. “I’ve always been a person to follow my own mentality and my ideas and my instincts,” he rationalised. “When you have a passion for something then you are able to lift the limit of suffering a little.”

Marquez himself credits the power of positivity and focus. “The mind does a lot,” he mused. “When I said to myself [in Jerez on Saturday] ‘I can’t...’ then the pain multiplied 2-3 times! But the mind also has to know the body very well and

how far you can go. The body also has nerves, and I have experience of this already from pre-season. When mentally ‘you can’ but physically ‘you cannot’ – and you might put yourself in danger – then that’s when you have to know your time is up. I kept this with me and kept being realistic.”

If the HRC man can summon this kind of resolve away from the heat of competition then you can only imagine the lengths he can reach when in full, coruscating flow. A special guy in an already special breed across the grid.

MotoGP

MotoGP JEREZ

MotoGP BLOG

BAD TIMING Riders always want more. Take Andrea Dovizioso for instance...

Had the Italian been told soon after the motocross crash that fractured his left collarbone on the 28th of June that he’d leave the MotoGP double-header in Andalusia with a 26-point over the reigning world champion, he’d have pointed you down the corridor toward the psychiatry ward in the Policlinico di Modena.

All things considered it was a pretty good couple of weekends for Dovizioso. Jerez has rarely been kind to him or Ducati in the post-990cc era. Yet he emerged from race one with third, a first podium at this track since 2007, his final year riding a 250cc.

Sixth in race two wasn’t bad considering his starting position (14th) and Marc Marquez’s absence. All done while that collarbone is still healing and the mood in the Ducati box is strained at best.

But that’s never enough. That continual striving for perfection is what has driven these men to the top of their sport. What you or I may consider a job well done is often quickly forgotten with the shortcomings pored over in the subsequent weeks. That much was clear from Dovizioso’s comments on Sunday evening. “Sixth is OK to be in Jerez,” he offered, “but not happy with the feeling I had.”

Injuries aside, Dovizioso has yet to feel comfortable aboard Michelin’s new rear tyre construction for 2020. The secret to his breakthrough in 2017 was understanding how to slide the rear on corner entry in a way that alleviated part of the bike’s turning deficiencies. “If you slide a little bit you can go into the corner with a different position of the bike,” said crew chief Alberto Giribuola. But the new rubber has altered that. On Sunday he lacked any feel when turning into Jerez’s 13 bends. “When I released the brake, I couldn’t carry on the speed and I couldn’t push.”

Perhaps more concerning for the three-time runner-up than his own inabilities to get the best from his set-up was the speed of Ducati’s satellite machines, and Francesco Bagnaia in particular. The former Moto2 world champion rode an inspired race, disposing of his team-mate Jack Miller and the factory Yamahas in short order to sit second, running the same pace as the leader. This was a glimpse of where the GP20 – roundly praised by Bagnaia and Miller – could be.

And perhaps it offered a shot of the factory’s future.

The Ducati-Dovizioso negotiations for a 2021-’22 contract reach an impasse long before Jerez. But prior to MotoGP kicking off, the Bologna factory’s best hope of winning races and, possibly, a world title beyond 2020 was signing up Dovizioso for another two years. In turn Dovizioso’s best hope of winning races and, possibly, a world title beyond 2020 was signing an extension with Ducati. The common thought was both parties would soon see sense, settle on a figure, and shake hands on a

relationship that has yielded 13 victories and 39 podiums over eight years.

The second outing in Andalusia may make CEO Claudio Domenicali and factory management think twice. On Sunday team boss Davide Tardozzi told Italian media, “The result was decidedly negative. We expected more from Dovi.” A decision on Miller’s 2021 team-mate won’t be made until the end of August. And Bagnaia’s recent performance gives Ducati an extra option to consider. Suddenly they have a viable replacement that ticks many boxes, should negotiations with Dovizioso break down once more.

It’s quite a turnaround for a rider that massively underperformed last year. A Moto2 champion in 2018 who displayed devastating consistency on occasion and a willingness to scrap and brawl on others, I personally tipped Bagnaia to be running at the front a handful of races into his debut MotoGP campaign. He’d be stepping onto the GP18 ridden to three victories the year before by Jorge Lorenzo.

He’d be working in an Italian team. And he had crew chief Crisitian Gabarrini – once trusted confidant of Casey Stoner before working with Marquez and Lorenzo – by his side.

But it never materialised. A surprise fourth at Phillip Island aside, it was a poor year. It took time to come to terms with Michelin’s front tyre and for a rider that counted late-braking ability as his main strength in Moto2, it was puzzling to hear him talk of the difficulties he had acclimatising to Brembo’s carbon brakes. The 14 crashes he suffered across the year was confidence sapping for a rider who strung 30 point-scoring finishes together in 2018-’19.

The talent was there. But Bagnaia wasn’t riding as freely as his leathers would have you believe.

“Sometimes he is too demanding with himself,” team-mate Miller told Sky Sports Italia in June. “He has the word ‘Go Free’ written on his leathers, be free, but I don’t see a free person.

I see that he works a lot, he is determined, a very talented rider.

CREATED THANKS TO Moto3’S NEWEST RACING TEAM

BY NEIL MORRISON

MotoGP BLOG

But every day after the session he sits in front of the computer and watches the telemetry for hours. He has to relax, maybe as he once did.”

There were clear signs of that at the Andalusian Grand Prix. At first Bagnaia looked loose and desperate, overeager to get by his team-mate. But once he did it was clear why: he was confident he could go with the escaping Quartararo. Here he was doing things the other Ducatis couldn’t. His body language indicated he was more than just “a little bit sad” about the engine failure that curtailed his race, but in terms of the bigger picture, he could have just ridden toward the top of Dovizioso alternatives.

Having a GP20 has helped.

But post-race comments suggested he has worked a lot on his weakness from 2019 to turn his form around. “Last year one problem was the braking for me, and I worked a lot to be stronger

in the braking. Last race I was strong, but I was very wide so many times. So, this weekend we have worked well, and I was stopping the bike more in the first part of the braking.” Even Dovizioso acknowledged, “Pecco is riding in a better way than us, because he is using the rear brake and sliding differently.” He appears a calmer presence in the garage according to one pit lane observer compared to a figure that veered on the petulant last season.

One performance doesn’t win a factory contract. But should the Pramac rider carry his Jerez form to the Czech Republic and Austria, Dovizioso will be sweating. His bosses’ opinions on his misgivings have been apparent for a while now. And what they were willing to pay him falls some way short of his own demands. For Andrea, Bagnaia showing this kind of form has come at the worst possible time.

FEATURE

FROM WASHED UP TEENAGER IN Moto2 TO THE MAN MOST LIKELY TO DEPOSE MARC MARQUEZ, FABIO QUARTARARO’S STORY HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE TURNAROUNDS IN RECENT YEARS. WE A LOOK AT WHAT MAKES FABIO SO FAST.

By Neil Morrison Photos by CormacGP

the real deal

I

f last season hinted at it, the past fortnight confirmed it: this guy is for real. 2019 saw Fabio Quartararo (Petronas SRT Yamaha) repeatedly run into the immovable force that was Marc Marquez. But at the first ever Grand Prix of Andalusia at Jerez, the Frenchman showed he is only too happy to step up and take centre stage in the reigning World Champion’s absence.

again on Thursday. He was good to his word, snatching pole position on Saturday, leading the race from start to finish on Sunday, and setting the fastest lap along the way.

Recent performances at Jerez were domination of the Marquez variety. Fresh from becoming the eighth youngest rider in history to win a premier class race a week ago, Quartararo smiled, shrugged and vowed to attempt it all

AND THERE MORE STRINGS TO FABIO’S BOW: NAMELY A NEWFOUND MENTAL TOUGHNESS THAT ALLOWED HIM TO IMMEDIATELY BOUNCE BACK FROM DISAPPOINTMENTS IN 2019...

Never mind having his face on the front page of France’s major sports daily L’Equipe twice in eight days or receiving congratulations from football star Kylian Mbappe, his country’s most prominent

athlete. Quartararo’s focus is such that the 50 points next to his name in the championship table is all that matters.

Marquez, watching on during his first non-start since 2011, will rightly be worried.

It’s been one of the most remarkable transitions in recent racing history. Quartararo found only occasional joy in the three years that followed a strong opening to life as a

FABIO QUARTARARO world championship rider in 2015. Poor management and lousy guidance led to him leaving the title winning Estrella Galicia team at the end of that year, then switch classes after a disastrous season in 2016. From a washed-up rider lost at sea in Moto2 at the age of 18, his rise to become France’s most successful ever premier class rider and MotoGP championship leader has caught us all off guard.

Sito Pons, Fabio’s team boss during a largely disappointing Moto2 campaign in 2017, can be included in that regard.

“It’s surprising me how well he is doing, going so fast,” said the ex-250cc champ.

“Three races before he went to MotoGP he finished 10th in Australia. I mean, come on!

Three races before he was nowhere and then he exploded like this?! This is something crazy.”

Crazy indeed. Having scored just one win, four podiums and three pole positions before his 20th birthday, Quartararo’s racked up two premier class wins, seven further top threes and eight poles in the 15 months since. And while Pons was almost at a loss to explain the Frenchman’s radical change of fortune, those who are working closely with him feel it’s a matter of maturity and finding the right environment (and bike) to showcase his talent.

FEATURE

“MORBIDELLI, WHO CAN VIEW HIS TEAMMATE’S DATA AT ANY TIME, ATTESTED. “FROM HIS WEAK POINT THE BRAKING BECAME HIS STRONG POINT. HE MANAGED TO GET IT RIGHT QUITE SOON. THIS SHOWS THAT HE’S A GREAT RIDER...”

As current team boss Wilco Zeelenberg explained, “When you’re 13 or 14 you don’t think about anything; you just give gas. Then when you’re 15 the hormones are getting involved and [the press] have put you on the moon because you’re supposed to be the next Marc Marquez. He lost the plot a little bit.” Confidence drained and he often looked lost. At the start of 2018 ‘Quartararo’ was something of a byword

for the cautionary tale told to younger riders who had started believing their own hype.

But once a premier class rider, he immediately settled in the highly professional Petronas Yamaha SRT outfit. Zeelenberg has been a savvy coach unafraid of telling a few home truths and desperate to keep Fabio’s feet on the ground.

The rider quickly learnt the secrets of Yamaha’s rookie-

friendly M1. His smooth style was a natural fit, yes. But he had done his homework, too, studying the technique of Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha’s last premier class champion, over the winter months. “This bike suits him very well and he’s very clever,” said Torleif Hartelman, rider coach for the SRT squad. “He learned and saw many videos of Lorenzo –how he positions himself on the bike with his back and his

FABIO QUARTARARO helmet. Also the speed that he uses in the middle of the corner, the lines [are similar]. He’s smooth. Very smooth.”

There were echoes of that at the Andalusian Grand Prix, as Quartararo led from the first corner and began running the wide, arching lines that made Zeelenberg again: “If you see the Majorcan such a formidahim riding, [then] you see Jorge ble force aboard the M1. But riding from seven or eight years the belief that he has simply ago. He’s able to carry so much replicated Lorenzo’s languid corner speed without needing movements doesn’t tell the full the acceleration of the rear tyre. story. Crew chief Diego GubelHe basically overrides the grip lini explained, “His riding style level, keeps the bike turning so is quite clean, quite round. he never puts it in trouble.”

But it’s not really the same as

Lorenzo’s. For example Fabio is stronger in braking.”

And so to one of the Frenchman’s great strengths: at 2019’s first test at Sepang, Quartararo had gathered braking was where he could make greatest strides. By Jerez he had it nailed, as Morbidelli, who can view his team-mate’s data at any time, attested. “From his weak point the braking became his strong point.

FEATURE He managed to get it right quite soon. This shows that he’s a great rider.”

The thumb-operated rear brake has also been a secret weapon. A number of his crew were recruited from Marc VDS’ MotoGP team that dissolved at the close of 2018.

One of them was Gubellini.

“This was a key point with the Honda to be fast, but it can be

helpful with every bike” said the Italian. “So we pushed from the beginning with him to learn how to use the rear brake. Now it’s one more instrument he has to be fast and be consistent.” So much so that Valentino Rossi adopted a thumb-operated rear brake from Austria last year to attempt to replicate

Quartararo’s style and Viñales spent part of his offseason working on his own braking technique – a pup teaching the older dogs new tricks.

146 grand prix wins between them.

Quartararo has became something of a reference for Yamaha, a factory now back on its perch thanks, in part, to his speed. Little wonder the top management decided the time was right to demote

Tyre conservation has also stood out in those awesome last lap duels with Marquez at Misano and the Chang, especially as Rossi struggled.

“He’s very impressive,” said Michelin’s head of two-wheel motorsport Pierro Taramasso at the end of 2019. ”He understands how the tyres work

Rossi to free up space in the factory squad from 2021. “[Fabio] showed with this bike it’s possible to do amazing things, to be unbelievably fast. It gave the right motivation to all the Yamaha riders,” said Morbidelli last year. Incidentally, the ‘Yamaha riders’ to whom he was referring have just the eleven world titles and

very quickly. So he is able to manage, he knows when he needs to push and when he doesn’t. After one race he told me he was short shifting just to not abuse the [rear] tyre, so that was very impressive from a rookie. Another thing that is very impressive is his vocabulary and his capacity to analyse.

Off the bike Quartararo has remained grounded, friendly and approachable. Son of Etienne, a French national racing champion in 1981, he moved to Spain with his father aged seven to further his racing prospects. “Every weekend

was at least more than 1,200 kilometers to make training, to make races. So you can imagine how difficult it was. From 7 to 15, I had been traveling a lot,” the 21-year old explained after scoring two from two at Jerez.

“When I was in the 50cc in France, honestly, there were

four riders in the championship. When I arrive to Catalunya for the first time there were 50 riders. We needed to make two races because the track was too small. Actually it’s like now but in a different level. When you have someone pushing yourself, you want to push also. My dad was clever because even if I was faster, it’s not like now where you have all the time

“He helps the other riders in the team and they all love him, because they are very few MotoGP riders who help others,” said Zeelenberg. In public he displays an almost carefree approach that has won him many admirers.

Former 500cc star Randy Mamola recalled a moment at Assen last June, when he had notched up another pole.

“I saw his personal assistant

on the screen. He said, “This guy goes five tenths faster than you.” I was pushing like hell to improve. At the end my dad helped me a lot to push me to the limit.”

Perhaps that early hardship is one reason why he has been every bit the team player in Petronas’ operation that spans all three classes.

Tom [Maubant] and Fabio were on the grid and just laughing. They were probably saying, ‘How the hell did we get here? They’re all behind me! This is awesome!’ That’s what young people bring, that freedom and honesty.”

Scarily for his rivals, he’s maturing at a rapid rate.

FABIO QUARTARARO

He tells you with not many words, but the right terms and this is exactly what happened.”

FEATURE

And there more strings to Fabio’s bow: namely a newfound mental toughness that allowed him to immediately bounce back from disappointments (Jerez) and injury (Barcelona, Phillip Island) last year. Perhaps most impressive of all was his handling of Marquez’s continued efforts to put a halt to the Quartararo-shaped freight train. Whenever the attempts to unsettle him came (think qualifying at Sepang last November), the Frenchman behaved impeccably, flashing that trademark grin, brushing it off and finding him again on track.

This will surely be tested like never before when the reigning champion returns to full fitness, swinging to make up a 50-point deficit. But more so than any rider we’ve seen during the past five years, Quartararo has all the necessary attributes. Marquez may have finally met his match.

FABIO QUARTARARO

At 21 Quartararo’s already seeing the bigger picture in practice, putting those urges to top every session to one side to work on set-up and rhythm. “Last year I was too obsessed with finishing first in each session,” he said last weekend. “You need to change your way of thinking because it’s never great to finish (so far off) in the overall (classification) but you know the potential is there.” On Sunday his focus never relented in punishing conditions. And he’s proved he can adapt to the subtle changes in track conditions at the start of a race better than most.

Viñales, for instance, is still learning this in his sixth year in MotoGP.

PRODUCTS

KTM Curious duo this. Even if the 2020 KTM RC16 looks very much like the best MotoGP racer yet to come out of the factory the 2019 version marked a significant step forward for the company and was the first model to benefit from some observations and knowledge instilled by test rider Dani Pedrosa. As with the 2018 model, KTM have two editions of the bike to sell as part of a pack that includes a set of Pol Espargaro’s race gear, a signed helmet and a MotoGP VIP Experience for any single event. The whole deal will hit the bank balance of any collector or avid trackdayer for a cool 288,000 euros.

Serious enquiries can be sent to rc16@ktm.com In a different racing arena, the 2021 KTM Rally Replica has just been released.

This limited-edition motorcycle is a direct derivative of the 450cc factory bike used by Red Bull KTM Dakar winning triumvirate Toby Price, Sam Sunderland and Matthias Walkner. Only 85 units have been produced and apparently many have already been snapped-up before the September shipping date. This new incarnation of the decorated competition machine features a new PANKL gearbox and ratio setting and the latest advanced WP Suspension.

The price is 25,900 euros.

PRODUCTS:

www.ktm.com

FEATURE

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By Adam Wheeler Photos by CormacGP & Polarity Photo ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETAENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA

THE HOTSEAT

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer/KTM

TURNING THE HEAT UP FOR 2021?

FEATURE

T

he build-up to the delayed 2020 MotoGP season saw triple World Champions HRC & Repsol Honda in control again. This time it was the editorial. Firstly there was the ‘will-he-won’the’ rumours surrounding Pol Espargaro for 2021, then the narrative around Alex Marquez and supposedly the swift rejection of the Moto2 world champion’s prospects alongside his older brother. Finally, there was the speculation around the state-of-mind of Marc Marquez; a man who’d recently signed a lucrative fouryear deal to remain with the team he joined at the end of 2012 and had so far delivered six titles in seven years.

The older Marquez publicly backed the strategy by Honda to transfer Alex to the satellite LCR Honda team and on full HRC technical support – the package that the outgoing Cal Crutchlow currently inhabits.

Although what he privately thinks of the arrangement, and of the incoming Pol Espargaro, a rider who whom he battled fiercely in the 2010 125cc world championship and allegedly there is little amiability between the pair, is another issue.

“I always respect Honda’s decisions because they try to choose the best position for the team and for the riders,” he said at Jerez and for the first round of the series

recently. “After the special situation with Jorge [Lorenzo, and his 2019 retirement] in Valencia, Honda was looking to the best rider available. It was the world champion of Moto2, it was Alex. This year he is in the Repsol Honda team and next year in LCR and I think that is a very good move for him because I feel the Repsol Honda team means ‘be on the podium’. For a normal rookie the normal step is to start with a team like LCR and it is good that he will have all the support from HRC.” The eighteen month spell that involved Dani Pedrosa’s departure and withdrawal from MotoGP racing, Lorenzo’s tilt to HRC, Alex Marquez’s sticky contract absolution with Marc VDS for 2020 to join the most decorated team of the decade and then confirmation of Espargaro’s entry for 2021 represents a tumultuous time for the other side of Marquez’s pit box. He hinted as much with his comment: “Of course next year I will have a different teammate…last year I had a different teammate!”

The incomings-and-outgoings is an unusual situation for Repsol Honda. It’s partially forced by circumstance and the retirement of two racers in two years. Lorenzo, at 32 years of age, and Pedrosa, 33, both bashed and battered by the exertions of developing the

RCV and trying to keep-up with Marquez. HRC are normally very rigid with their largest motorcycling investment. In fact, since Valentino Rossi’s tenure in 2002 and the birth of the current MotoGP fourstroke era only eleven racers have won in that distinctive orange, blue and red livery on a full-time basis. From 2013 until 2018 – half a decade - Marquez and Dani Pedrosa formed the line-up; Pedrosa marking his best season and MotoGP classification (runner-up) the year before Marquez joined from Moto2. He only entered the top three on one other occasion but the Catalan’s subsequent delicate touch as a test rider and expertise has helped accelerate the KTM factory’s rate of learning in MotoGP, the main beneficiary of which has been Pol Espargaro, who has had a few fingers on the development tiller since the Austrians joined the grid at the end of 2016.

When asked what HRC see in the 29-year old former Moto2 world champion to sign him to a two-season deal and permit access to some of the largest resources in the paddock but with the caveat that a saddle next to Marquez is one of the hardest positions to fill, Team Manager Alberto Puig declined to comment; the intricacies of 2021 falling down in the priority list compared to the temporary make-up of the 2020 project perhaps.

THE HRC HOTSEAT 2021

‘IT’S THE RAGGED, LIMIT-PUSHING MENTALITY THAT HONDA COULD BE DRAWN TO WITH ESPARGARO. HE SHOULD BE A DIFFERENT PROSPECT COMPARED TO DIMINUTIVE PEDROSA, FLOWING LORENZO AND THE ROOKIE MARQUEZ JNR...”

FEATURE Cal Crutchlow has been toiling for HRC for six years now and is their third most successful racer in that time. The Brit seemed aggrieved at being passed over for the Repsol seat – even if he was making noises about retirement as well in 2019 – and was more forthcoming on the Espargaro appointment. “I was surprised at who they chose [and] that’s not being disrespectful,” he said in Jerez. “The reality is if they chose someone like Dovi [Andrea Dovizioso] I think it would be a different feeling for me. But they chose a guy who has had one podium in MotoGP in nine years. Then they moved Alex, which is a bad situation for him to be moved out straight away.

But there are no hard feelings.

I’ve had five great years, this being the sixth. We’ve made a lot of memories together; we’ve had three wins and twelve podiums.”

Regardless of his credentials, Espargaro himself was in a bind. The Catalan is widely liked and admired at KTM. He was the second rider to sign up for the fledgling project, following then-Tech3 teammate Bradley Smith during the summer of 2016. Espargaro had grown frustrated with three years of satellite Yamaha status with little chance of dislodging the Rossi-Lorenzo axis in the works squad. While he recognised that joining a new team and racing a brand-new motorcycle

would potentially remove his chances of silverware, he was pining for the ‘factory team’ treatment. Espargaro was two seconds off the pace in his first Grand Prix in Qatar in 2017.

He used the unstable climate of the 2018 Valencian Grand Prix to expertly gather his, and KTM’s, first podium and then set lap-times and showed competitiveness with the 2020 version of the RC16 at Jerez to run with the leaders and reveal the fantastic progress made in just four seasons. The story is impressive. So, from an entrenched position with Europe’s best-selling motorcycle manufacturer and with acute knowledge of just how rapidly the RC16 is evolving, Espargaro was torn about

“Lot of decisions with big emotions in between but to ride against, or with, the best rider on the grid it is difficult to say no,” he admitted. “Also, to a world championship winning team and manufacturer: it was a tricky decision because it was four amazing years with KTM. We came from the deepest situation in Qatar and now we are in place where we can start to enjoy the racing. So, it is very sad from my side but I am also 29-years old and, like the rest of the guys, I want the maximum in MotoGP. I want to meet these goals by moving into this factory and it will be super-exciting.”

Brothers, everywhere. Pol’s older sibling, Aleix Espargaro remains in the position of ‘plucky racer directing the efforts of a smaller factory’ and signed up for two more years of being the vanguard for Aprilia.

Asked about how he felt - or how he could relate - to the dilemma Pol faced, the 30-year old was also clear on the perceived weight of the golden ticket. “On the one side I feel that I’m a romantic: the way that he has worked with KTM has been unbelievable and he’s done a great job to fight with the KTM at the front,” he offered. “On the other hand, it’s the best team in the world and Pol will join them with the best opportunity of his life. You might only get this chance once.”

KTM themselves learned a hard lesson of recruitment when they hired Johann Zarco at the tail end of 2018. They believed they were contracting a rider on Espargaro’s level. A racer who could be world champion. What they discovered was a rider who could have been a ‘Yamaha world champion’ and a disillusioned athlete, mentally at odds with the dual challenge – racing and research – that made the KTM gig busy but (ultimately) rewarding, as it turns out. They changed their philosophy with Brad Binder and promoted from within for 2021 with Miguel Oliveira; something Honda have not done since Dovizioso’s promotion from a satellite berth in 2009 (having spurned the chance with Jack Miller when

THE HRC HOTSEAT 2021

whether to jump off the orange bandwagon at a crucial and exciting moment.

FEATURE

Honda handed him a controversial three-year contract while still in Moto3 back in 2014).

Even though Marquez and Espargaro both rank as strong professionals there is some curiosity about how the ex-rivals will bond. “I’m happy to share the team with Pol next year,” Marquez stated to the cameras while also reminding his countryman of the pressure-cooker that awaits. “It will be kind of interesting to see the level of KTM and where is the level of Honda. Like I said, being in the Repsol Honda team means being on the podium, if not then it’s a disaster. I’m happy with the situation.”

Espargaro was complimentary about his future teammate but also middling with his assessment after Marquez launched himself out of the Gran Premio Red Bull de España and maybe the 2020 championship picture. “Yes, he was very, very strong but the risk of crashing was very high. We were all taking it a bit slower and he was very close to crashing in the first laps and did it in the middle-end of race.

You can improve your lap by some tenths by risking more but there is a price you need

to pay. As this championship is very short you need to think about it sometimes and take less risk. We know that Marc is always going on the limit and this is his personality. Marc is like this. Those that are saying now that he took too much risk don’t know so much about motorbikes and his results in the past.”

It’s the ragged, limit-pushing mentality that Honda could be drawn to with Espargaro. He should be a different prospect compared to dominative Pedrosa, flowing Lorenzo and the rookie Marquez Jnr. “Repsol Honda signing Pol Espargaro may have come as a surprise to the outside world, but from a purely riding perspective, it makes a huge amount of sense,” opines Motomatters. com owner and editor David Emmett. “Marc Marquez (and to a slightly lesser extent, Cal Crutchlow) has proved that the only way to be competitive on the Honda is to override the thing all the time, to physically dominate the bike. If there is another rider on the MotoGP grid with that same attitude, it is Pol Espargaro. KTM staff will tell you he gives 100% effort 100% of the time. He wants a bike that responds to that effort, a bike that he feels he

can go faster with by pushing harder and seeking out the limit. The reason he was rather unimpressive with Yamaha is because the M1 is the polar opposite, you had to let the bike do the work, and “ride like a pussy”, as Espargaro puts it.

He hates riding like a pussy.”

“In a way Cal Crutchlow is right. It isn’t every day Repsol Honda decides on signing a rider with just one podium finish after more than six years in motorcycle racing’s premier class,” says OTOR writer and Moto2/Moto3 commentator Neil Morrison. “But to view the move in such a way overlooks Pol’s sterling work at KTM. His enthusiasm and high personal standards have driven the project forward from wide-eyed rookies to podium challengers in three and a half years. “If you look at his data, his riding style and his performance, we could not ask for a better rider in the project that Pol,” Pit Beirer told me last year.

“Seeing the riding style required to extract the maximum from the RC16 is similar to what’s needed on the Honda, Pol’s aggression on the bike could be the perfect fit for Honda’s wayward RC213V.

THE HRC HOTSEAT 2021

FEATURE And what has been overlooked is the bravery on his part; a personal ambition to measure himself against the world champion on the same machinery requires stellar levels of self-belief. Pol has that in spades. For the first time in the Michelin era, Repsol Honda may well have struck gold on its number two.”

“Espargaro is a World Champion: a man that has spent his life learning his craft and honing his ability. Why wouldn’t he want to test his life’s work against the greatest rider that’s ever lived?” suggests journalist Steve English. “Where we see challenges Espargaro will see opportunities. He’s raced against Marquez all his life and has had enough success in their junior battles to think that maybe, just maybe, he can beat him.”

And what about Alex Marquez?

Those sniffy about his abilities and the wafts of nepotism are enacting a disservice to a 24-year old who has two titles in two categories and twelve Grand Prix victories; a racewinning total equal-or-better than twelve other riders on the MotoGP grid.

Marc Marquez’s place in Repsol Honda as a rookie was never really in doubt. Pedrosa, Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso were also cast in the same debutant role. Even though he was world champion

“Even I had some doubts in the pre-season when he started in Valencia,” he said. “I was also a little bit scared because I don’t want to be thinking a lot of what’s going on in the other side of my box. I already see - and I already feel - that when I’m there in the box fully concentrated on the bike and with my team [it’s not a problem].”

“I have my career and he has his career,” Marc added. “We have different targets. I have the target or the pressure to win races and fight for the championship and he just has the target to learn and to improve lap by lap.”

For now, the dynamic will last only for a few months. “The situation was difficult as Honda did not see me even ride one race,” Alex said to the media at Jerez about his ejection.

“It’s a difficult situation as I did not have the opportunity to show potential or to show how [I do] with a MotoGP bike.

“In the end the situation of Honda is never easy because

it’s a winning team and all the decisions will be delicate,” he added. “I am happy what is about to be: LCR is a professional team and from my side I was always open to speak to Honda and I have my target which was to sign for two years with factory material so I am happy for that, I cannot ask for more.”

REPSOL HONDA RIDERS 1995: Mick Doohan/Alex Criville/Schinichi Ito 1996: Mick Doohan/Alex Criville/Taddy Okada 1997: Mick Doohan/Alex Criville/T.Okada/T.Aoki 1998: Mick Doohan/Alex Criville/T.Okada/S.Gibernau 1999: Mick Doohan/Alex Criville/T.Okada/ S.Gibernau 2000: Alex Criville/Taddy Okada/S.Gibernau 2001: Alex Criville/Tohru Ukawa 2002: Valentino Rossi/Tohru Ukawa 2003: Valentino Rossi/Nicky Hayden 2004: Nicky Hayden/Alex Barros 2005: Nicky Hayden/Max Biaggi

THE HRC HOTSEAT 2021

and (like Espargaro) profiting from the opportunity presented to him through Lorenzo’s decision to walk away, Alex’s conscription still represented a major baptism. Marc Marquez was even facing questions of how his brother’s endeavours might distract from his own class-leading work.

2006: Nicky Hayden/Dani Pedrosa 2007: Nicky Hayden/Dani Pedrosa 2008: Nicky Hayden/Dani Pedrosa

Alex Marquez might be permitted the room to learn and evolve, similar to current riders Pecco Bagnaia, Franco Morbidelli, Fabio Quartararo, Joan Mir and Iker Lecuona with their respective factories.

Perhaps only Brad Binder carries anything like the same immediate factory team pressure on his shoulders as Marquez but then, for all their gains and exciting possibilities, KTM have a long way to chase Repsol Honda and their 16 rider championships; 10 since the start of the century.

Espargaro will be the seventh Spaniard to wear the Repsol colours in 26 years. With the HRC make-up to be stirred again, Marc Marquez’s brother, friend and housemate floating in the wings, and the world champion himself showing no signs of easing away from his spectacular style and win-rate for another four years, the Honda narrative in MotoGP could be putting the elbow down in a few more twisty turns yet.

2009: Dani Pedrosa/Andrea Dovizioso 2010: Dani Pedrosa/Andrea Dovizioso 2011: Casey Stoner/Dani Pedrosa/Andrea Dovizioso 2012: Casey Stoner/Dani Pedrosa 2013: Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa 2014: Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa 2015: Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa 2016: Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa 2017: Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa 2018: Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa 2019: Marc Marquez/Jorge Lorenzo 2020: Marc Marquez/Alex Marquez Wildcard/replacement riders: Hiroshi Aoyama/Jonathan Rea/ Stefan Bradl

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FEATURES • • • • • • •

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FEATURE

THRICE AS NICE

ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA MXGP STARS CAST THEIR ENTRADETA ENTRADETA VIEWS ON THE PROSPECT ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA OF THREE GRANDS PRIX IN ENTRADETAENTRADETA ENTRADETA

By Adam Wheeler ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA Photos ONE WEEK

by Ray Archer ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA ENTRADETA

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer/KTM

FEATURE

M

XGP has resisted major tinkering for quite some time now. The FIM world championship has lived with the MX2 23-age rule and Qualification Heats for more than ten years and the shortlived ‘Superfinal’ concept for flyaway Grands Prix was soon scrapped in 2013.

However, the ravaging effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a large mallet to the series as 2020 has become an exercise in hopeful salvation. One-day formats, limited venues, back-toback events at the same circuit and – perhaps the most radical – midweek races to squeeze the maximum number of rounds onto the championship points table.

The resumption of MXGP this season will be a case in point: Kegums will stage the Grands Prix of Latvia, Riga and Kegums on August 9th, 12th and 16th – Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday – with planned alterations to the loose, red soil by way of differentiation.

From a long campaign of twenty events and full weekends to a shorter, sharper experience where keeping injury-free might be just as much of a valuable commodity as outright speed, riders and team will now have to launch across a very different ‘rhythm section’. So we contacted a few of them to ask how they think it will be…

Jeremy Seewer, Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP: It’s a tricky one, especially because of the tracks we’ll have. Latvia and Lommel are already some of the most physical on the calendar. It will be tough, less time on the track and you have to put all your energy in one day.

Ben Watson, Monster Energy Yamaha MX2: It’s strange but it’s a situation everyone has to face. Now that the GPs are a one-day format I don’t think it will be as intense

SEEWER: “YOU NEED TO FIND YOUR BEST WAY TO PERFORM ON THOSE THREE DAYS. LET’S SEE WHO PUTS IT TOGETHER. YOU HAVE TO PLAN YOUR ENERGY. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW WE HANDLE IT.” Gautier Paulin, Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP: I’m enthusiastic to see a new calendar because at the end of March it looked like we wouldn’t be racing. Then we saw Supercross finish the championship and both F1 and MotoGP start. So, it’s good we have a calendar and, for sure, it will be a strange year in almost every aspect because of the smaller crowds and the social distancing when motocross is a close sport to the fans.

compared to a normal weekend. The strangest thing will be getting our heads around that one-day; it’s looking like it’s going to be 20 minutes of Free Practice and 25 minutes of Timed with 5 start practice.

It’s enough for everyone to get used to the track, to get into a rhythm and shake out the armpump.

Jorge Prado, Red Bull KTM: I don’t think three GPs in one week will be too bad because we have some time to recover

MXGP: 3 GPs IN A WEEK

Pauls Jonass, Rockstar Energy IceOne Husqvarna: It is something strange, something new and a big challenge for everyone but I don’t think it will be that crazy because we’re used to practicing in between the GPs and now those races will just take the place instead of those sessions, and it’s just one day. That will help that prevent burn-out…but we all know that racing and practicing are two different things. It’s different but I think it’s the only way we can see out the season in these times.

FEATURE

and go back at it. We’ll see, maybe when we are there and wake-up on Wednesday to race again - and know that we have to do it once more the coming Sunday - I might think differently! We all train a lot so I don’t think it will be too bad.

Clement Desalle, Monster Energy Kawasaki: I understand the idea, especially when the GPs will be one day, but somewhere like Lommel will be really hard on the body. I like the sand but I really like the hard-pack too! It will need some different strategy and preparation, but we’ll get ready in the best way possible.

Jeremy Seewer: You need to find your best way to perform on those three days. Let’s see who puts it together because you might see someone going all-in for the first one and getting good results but they might be quite f**ked for Wednesday and to reach the same level. You have to plan your energy. It will be interesting to see how we all handle it.

Shaun Simpson, SS24 KTM MXGP: It’s going to a nice new challenge. I don’t think there will be much difference physically as we’d normally ride two days during a week anyway and then two days on a GP weekend. We obviously don’t have to do much travelling between the races so recovery will be easier, there will be no early mornings for flights and wondering where you’ll stop for the next meal. We’ll be able to establish a routine. Everyone will be sharper and because they know it is a quick, oneday hit then I think the intensity could be even higher than normal.

Gautier Paulin: Racing three GPs in one week is very different and the one-day makes it less physical. It’s a totally new situation that we will have to adapt to, but that’s fine for me. I’m positive about the tracks even though I think we’ll see some changes. I hope we’ll some variation, even if we do stay in just three-four

Ben Watson: I’m excited because we have been so long without any racing and there are so many questions.

The biggest thing will be going from one timed session straight into the two races; it’s half the amount of bike time compared to usual.

Shaun Simpson: The morning Timed Session could be pretty manic: everyone will be wanting to get a lapin. We’ve not raced in three months and many riders will be wanting to show what they are all about. The goal will be to get a decent gate pick, get a decent start and stay out of trouble for some good points and look to turn the screw.

I’m already in good enough shape to race now if needs-be but we still have a couple of weeks to work on a couple of little things to be super-organised for Latvia.

Arnaud Tonus, Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP: There is time to recover. In practice we ride more than we will at the GP. I think it is pretty cool – just to have a race and a calendar is something really positive – and nobody will have an advantage. When it comes to focus, adrenaline

MXGP: 3 GPs IN A WEEK

countries. The main thing is to be back racing for the sponsors and for the fans. I’m feeling healthy and happy with the bike.

FEATURE

and the racing itself then this has a different impact on the body compared to a training day. We’ll have to pay special attention to recovery because the tracks where we’ll have those three GPs are tough!

Ben Watson: Physically, it won’t be too bad.

Thomas Kjer Olsen, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna: It will be really interesting to see how it will be. I’m not sure if it will be tougher or not, the days will be longer. Three days in a week is a lot and it might be difficult to recover from the last one but we save a lot of time by not having to travel back and forth. Mentally it might be a bit easier to be honest. Even though they want to change the track I think it will largely the same kind of challenge. We have to do what we have to do in these times.

Jorge Prado: The tracks are sandy or soft surfaces so that good for me and I only raced once at Faenza, on an 85, but there was so much rain and mud that we kept on the bottom part! From what I can remember there are quite a few up-and-downs so it will be interesting to race it properly for the first time.

Hopefully the GP in Spain will happen and that will be good for me. Hopefully we can do the whole series.

Jeremy Seewer: It might be a mystery but once the gate drops you have to go for it; you cannot think ‘ah, there’s another race on Wednesday let’s go at 90%’. I rode three times a week for training but the motos are a lot less intense and don’t have that same level of adrenaline. There are physical similarities but mentally it is way-different. It brings an interesting new challenge to MXGP.

PRODUCTS

GASGAS Everything has moved so quickly for the GasGas brand that it is now making strides in Enduro and MXGP thanks to the establishment of race teams and links with riders like Taddy Blazusiak and Glenn Coldenhoff. The company recently unveiled their new MC 450 and 250 F motocrossers in what is considered something of a milestone moment for the Catalan marque. GasGas haven’t forgotten their Trial roots and the ‘Racing’ and ‘GP’ models are still the only machines currently on the market in the distinctive red.

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Expect that to change soon. No doubt the MC-F benefits from the know-how of the fearsome KTM SX-Fs (as did Husqvarna in the first shoots of the firm’s revival) but the input of the race teams at the peak of their respective competitions will soon carve out a new development path. Look out for a fresh report in a coming magazine on how the MC 450 F and MC 250F are creating their own identity. At the very least the first serial production units of the motorcycles will be curio pieces for motocrossers that crave a unique look on the track.

SCOTT-SPORTS.COM © SCOTT SPORTS SA 2020

PRODUCTS

6D HELMETS The 6D ATR-2 is the reference for helmet technology and safety on the market. For all the other systems and inventions out there to combat rotational acceleration and the effects of concussion, 6D were the original pioneers of applying ODS thinking into an actual lid, rather than production of a modular unit. The ATR-2 was lighter, more compact and better designed than the ATR1 and aside from the comforting protection specs inside the tri-composite shell that include a ‘compliant zone’ of the rear lower side (thinking towards the cervical spine location), brow rib integrity in the shell,

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clavicle cutaway profiling and 9 intake and 6 exhaust ports to help with ventilation, there were other useful aspects such as the removable, washable Dri-Lex antibacterial liner fabric, quick release cheek pads and sheer-away visor screws. The helmet comes with a three-year warranty, provides a close fit and bears all the characteristics of a company that is really beginning to hone their engineering and knowledge when it comes to premium helmet offerings. Expect to pay 695 dollars for the ATR-2 but there are currently some models with a discount on the 6D website.

MAKE YOUR DREAM COME TRUE RANGE 2020

FEATURE

FRONT LINE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FUTURE OF THE PREMIER CLASS OF THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND WON FIVE TITLES IN A ROW THANKS TO A WONDERFUL BLEND WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL ATHLETE. NOW THE PIONEERS OF THE BIKE – KTM – HAVE CELEBRATED THEIR SECOND CROWN WITH AN ALL-CONQUERING, AMA-

CALL

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer

OWNING AND DIRECTING A DORMANT RACE TEAM THROUGH A PANDEMIC, FINDING NEW TECHNICAL IDEAS, BEING A PERSISTENT GRAND PRIX ORGANISER AND TAKING ON THE DEFLATING ZEPPELIN THAT IS THE 2020 MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS: STEVE DIXON TALKS ABOUT A BUSY LIFE.

FEATURE

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phone call to Steve Dixon – creator of the revered Matterley Basin circuit in southern England, custodian of the British Grand Prix and owner of the longest-running British World Championship race team – is never a short one. Steve likes a tangent…but that’s usually because he has a lot to talk about.

With MXGP on pause since March and no significant races taking place in this time, Dixon has had to redirect the role and purpose of his Kawasaki DRT squad. The last few years have also been a lean time for the set-up in their MX2 ambitions.

While Dixon has helped New Zealander Courtney Duncan to the 2019 WMX FIM Women’s World Championship injuries to lead rider Darian Sanayei and now new recruit Wilson Todd means that the team have been starved of podium silver for the last four seasons.

For over a decade Dixon has run the annual visit to Matterley as a sideshow to his race bike innovations and race team stewardship. After slimming and reviving the operational potency of the British Grand Prix to the point where it was initially omitted from the 2019 calendar but then hosted round two and opened the entire schedule in 2020, Dixon has now been charged with the 2020 Motocross of Nations for the second time in four years. The MXoN is swamped with the paranoia and logistical headaches that come with a pandemic without a vaccine. It could be the biggest ask yet.

pionship. We did some riding with him before the end of last season but he had to return to Australia to fulfil his contractual obligations for Supercross.

He had a crash in one of the races and actually split his pelvis. That took a few months to heal and then we were always on the back-foot once he came back to Europe and the winter weather. It was all a rush, and then he had the ACL problem in the second GP in Valkenswaard. He needed more time to learn the ropes and he’s still not back yet.

It should be soon and then we can start working on the bike again. It was a shame because we had a really nice bike for 2020. The development did not go to waste because we found out a lot about the 450 chassis and the 250 engine and that was all positive. Our concentration is now on next year really and we’re waiting for the arrival of the 2021 bike.

We’ll get cracking on that and will have Courtney on it. We may increase to two MX2 riders for 2021.

STEVE DIXON: TEAM & EVENTS

What’s the state of play with the race team? Technical development hasn’t stopped, and you’ve earned WMX titles with Courtney Duncan but you’ve been missing Grand Prix results for several seasons now…

We’ve suffered with injury. It was definitely a big shame with Darian because he led some races and showed speed, even running with [Jorge] Prado sometimes. Wilson had also showed a lot of promise in America and also in the Australian Cham

FEATURE

What’s the idea behind the 450 chassis for the 250?

We worked a bit with the 450 last year and I could see that they had done a few things that I had already to the 250 when we had Darian. It made more sense if we were making carbon and with the whole rear section we’d made…we were working on something for the future. I actually asked Kawasaki Motor Europe if I could start that path of development in 2019 but didn’t get permission, and this time I had the ‘OK” because they knew what was coming with the new KXs. There is still a fair bit of work involved making different brackets and parts like that but the resulting factor was that

the 450 frame represented a step forward for the 250 and a good grounds for 2021.

What advantages did it bring?

Neutrality. There was nothing wrong with the Kawasaki and many people know that the bikes are generally well regarded for having a good frame, [but] we wanted to help speed up knowledge for the future and it had benefits. It is a percentage better than the original 250 frame. The swinging arm is a bit longer and strengthened, and the webbing on the 450 frame has changed: little details that add in a bit of flex here and a bit of stiffness there. Technology have improved with casting, weld

ing and the way the brackets are made and centrally hold the engine. All of those little things are critical. I think the power and suspension of bikes have plateaued a bit and there are not too many gimmicks around. So, it is back to the basics of trying to get around the track quicker with precise handling and that was the advantage that we were looking for.

Your KX250F race bike from two-three years ago was notable for the carbon additions and airflow modifications, so is the chassis now the big area of focus?

The 450 frame – because of the extra space around it –

a team like Rinaldi was winning and then it took them a long time to win again! It all moves in cycles. The main thing is to be there for the long-term and then the results come around again. We forget that it was only in 2015 that we finished 3rd in MX2 with Max for what was our first attempt with the Kawasaki; some people never achieve those results.

How has the team weathered the recent break in racing?

Was it as bad or as worrying as the financial crisis at the end of the last decade?

We had to change our business model. We are not out on the track, so we are not able to promote therefore we lose

STEVE DIXON: TEAM & EVENTS

analysed even more for the MX2 programme?

Darian was one of the top European Championship riders when he joined us. He’d just finished 2nd in EMX and was on a path that Kawasaki had lined-up for him. He had the speed, but things didn’t go right for him. It’s not frustrating because I have been in racing so long and to get worked-up about those sorts of things means just wasted energy. You cannot do anything about that part of the job. It is disappointing not to show what Was it frustrating not to have we are working on though, and a rider – or one in a healthy to the public it looks like we condition – to show the poten- are underachieving when we tial of the engineering? Does were still working just as hard. recruitment need to be I remember all the years when meant that we didn’t need the air induction system that we made; which incidentally did work, and Darian could feel a difference when it came to the bike’s performance. The 450 has a larger airbox and more area under the seat so it meant we didn’t need it for the 250, and there is no point in doing stuff just for the sake of it.

We want to keep a degree of simplicity. The 450 had bigger radiators and better ducting and the new 250 will benefit from that now.

FEATURE

You’re the longest-running British team in Grands Prix.

How has all this upheaval affected the picture for 2021?

I feel we’re in good position actually and we’ll go into next season with a stronger package and sponsors. Some, like ‘Bike it’, will come back and a few have done well from this COVID-19 situation. I think motorcycling has done quite well generally. It seems to have gone up in most sectors, especially second-hand sales.

I don’t know how long that will last but something weird has happened. I have a little training track and I opened it up to private hire and it has generated revenue; it has led to more private work. We’ve had people there who hadn’t ridden for eighteen years but now had more time to get out on a bike.

I believe that people involved in motorcycling, particularly for repairs, are pretty busy. From a team point of view there are sponsors – even long-term ones – that had to focus on their own businesses. If we are not racing we cannot expect them to put us first. We have to put ourselves first and look for ways to diversify and survive. You really have to look at yourself in times like this. After

a few weeks of doing things to the race truck and finding other jobs then you need to find alternatives, especially when you have letters from sponsors saying they cannot pay until we start racing and even then they can only do a reduced rate. It’s understandable, they also need to be there for long-run. At the moment we’re not a Grand Prix team, we’re a motorcycle repair shop because that is what’s paying the wages.

a couple of seasons. It is a big investment and now the trend seems to be that the kids want to secure a 450 after just two years of MX2. People are getting to the MXGP class and falling off the radar. Top riders who are knocking on the door of MX2 wins are struggling to get a 450 deal. It is difficult to pick out MX2 riders because you are dealing with young guys who might not be ready to travel to another country to

“I THINK THE POWER & SUSPENSION OF BIKES HAVE PLATEAUED & THERE ARE NOT TOO MANY GIMMICKS AROUND, SO IT’S BACK TO BASICS OF TRYING TO GET AROUND THE TRACK QUICKER WITH PRECISE HANDLING THAT’S WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR.” MX2: is it a tougher landscape to deal with now? You have to make a sizeable investment or gamble in a young kid and often wait a few years – Yamaha did so for three with Jago Geerts for example – what scope is there for the team to look around for a top prospect again or will you have to hedge your bets?

There are no, let’s say, ‘top riders’ like we used to know.

You used to be able to go and ‘buy’ one that was proven.

Even spotting a Zach Osborne seems to be harder now. So, you are reliant on youngsters.

The lifespan of an MX2 rider is so short that once they have come out of the European Championship they only have

live. You are dealing with more emotional and family issues instead of just motocross; it is almost like raising a teenager sometimes and it’s difficult.

If you could have self-reliant, established professionals that don’t always need to be followed around then it would be simpler.

Is it more tempting than ever to consider a move to MXGP? You would have a bigger pool of top, proven riders to choose from…

Well, if you jump into MXGP then suddenly the technology of electronics and suspension can be the same as the costs of a rider in MX2. You move into a different battlezone.

STEVE DIXON: TEAM & EVENTS

revenue. Once it became clear that we would not be racing for a while we used the workshop to focus on local repairs and stopped development because we’re still waiting for the new bike. So, we’ve diversified a bit.

FEATURE Riders might expect to have an electronics engineer, a data acquisition guy, a trainer because they are looking to compete against Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser. You could probably pick up riders cheaply but they’d want a technical package; although that doesn’t worry me because you could make a 450 work very well. But you move into a different set of expectations. Rider wages are governed by the factory teams and unless you get that status and input then you cannot really go for wins without that support. I’m here to go for wins; whether that’s in MXGP,

following as MX2 but I see the benefits and it has been helpful for us with sponsors to be able to say ‘this is our WMX World Champion’. Many people don’t differentiate between the class; if you just say ‘world champion’ then that can be enough. The kudos helps in lots of ways. To push it more I think you’d need specialist marketing input and a lot of work. I’ve had conversations with companies and the difficulty comes with how to position WMX. Overall though I would classify it as a success. It hasn’t brought us mega contracts but it fulfilled the wishes of Kawasaki and they

“THE NEW ENGINE IS A FRESH ERA FOR US, BUT IT IS EVERY DAY BREAD-ANDBUTTER FOR SOMEONE LIKE COSWORTH. WE ARE REIGNITING WITH THEM NOW AND IT SHOULD BE INTERESTING.” MX2 or WMX. I don’t want to make up the numbers. I want a realistic chance of winning and I feel with MX2 you can do a lot more ‘surrounding work’ to achieve that.

Evaluate WMX then.

It couldn’t have been more successful…but has met your expectations?

Yes. Kawasaki asked us to do it as a global marketing exercise and I guess it is a relatively cheap way to do it. For us it was a simple task and we achieved it and achieved it well.

Courtney is good to work with.

WMX doesn’t have the same

are our main, long-term sponsor. It is now seven years with them. We are a marketing tool for Kawasaki and we’ll diversify as necessary, whether that means running Tommy Searle on a 450 or supporting Darian in America. We can fit into any category and that’s what we try to do. Part of the team’s longevity is that we are flexible.

We’ll work to achieve what we can and enjoy racing at the top level.

Changing fields: you must be one of the more experienced event organisers in MXGP now. How much of a challenge is the race team compared to big tasks like staging the British Grand Prix and being thrown the Motocross of Nations?

Those things come along and I don’t look at them in any other way apart from ‘can I help?’ and ‘can I do it?’ I cannot tell you why! I also don’t look at them as a hassle or a hinderance. I just cannot say ‘no’. It’s weird. It is almost like I owe it to the sport. I’ve done eleven GPs and two Nations and while Matterley is still a big greenfield site it is also an easy site because it is versatile. I don’t think you can change much at circuits like Ernee because it is so structured. We’re getting more structure at Matterley now but it is easy to work with. I break it down to factors like fencing, power, water. We installed internet in 2011 and worked hard to get 1.7 kilometres of cabling put in. It means we don’t have to rely on manpower. There is also 10km of water hosing and tanks under the track so we can deal with dry weather. The important things are there and that saves time. The start gate is always there and the washbays. Investing at the beginning means in the long-term it pays off. Some organisers might look in the short term because they are looking to profit and not about keeping the GP alive for the sport.

a lot of money based on the bumper pre-sales but then the bad weather meant there was not much more public beyond those pre-event purchases.

That meant a struggle for the next couple of years and at one point it was very tough.

Infront recognised that and didn’t want to put the pressure on me to run another GP but each year I have been clawing back a little bit to the point where we’re evening-up, and the council also trusts what we do. It means we don’t need to spend on thing like traffic and police expenses. I’ve earned that trust, so now the British Grand Prix is probably more viable than a lot of other races.

It’s balanced and people like traders and catering makes money and they are happy.

There is a queue to come back each year because it is a fair price and they make money.

There are tight time scales when it comes to organising suppliers and dealing with ticket sale incomes: I’ve become used to dealing with that pressure and the relationships with suppliers really helps because they know now how it works with the booking and the income. The enthusiasm of the people that help and volunteer is also something that never goes away. What seems like a hassle to them and a very busy time is actually this intense abnormality from their day-to-day jobs and when an event is over they miss that! They almost look forward to the chaos, the buzz and the camaraderie of doing it.

STEVE DIXON: TEAM & EVENTS

How is event organisation now compared to ten years ago and more?

I think you just have to work on the hardcore audience that you know are going to come.

That probably hasn’t changed.

As products have gone up in price like tents, electricity and staffing the tickets prices haven’t gone up accordingly. If you look at what a festival or a football match or a theme park charges, then they raise prices.

With motocross we are still trying to give the fan some value for money. When you work out the costs of everything then the price of the tickets are still way-too cheap to do the job. There is not much margin built-in. You just have to hope for extra crowd and that doesn’t normally happen. For the 2017 Nations we spent

Lastly the 2020 Motocross of Nations: what’s the thinking there? It’s also the Grand Prix of Winchester...

France could not run it, so it was us or nothing. At the end of the day the industry needs some races. I was talking with the ACU [British governing body] recently because they have clubs that cannot run events without fans because they’ll have an operational loss [for the British Championship] but if we do not race then it has an accumulative effect across the board. If people somehow see racing and think about racing, then it makes a difference when it comes to budgets and sponsorship. It regenerates. It’s the same with the GPs. If we can just run some and the Nations as well then it keeps the people involved at all levels and ready to reel-in for next year.

It is hard to regain sponsorship revenue that has been pulled-out and used elsewhere. You need to keep things alive like they have done with MotoGP and football.

That’s what we should do. If there is no Nations, maybe it will lose its impetus. There won’t be a Team USA but I think it will be a battle between the teams that have won it recently anyway. I don’t think the results will change much.

STEVE DIXON: TEAM & EVENTS

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TITULAR TITULAR UN-UNITED NATIONS? The Motocross of Nations: the biggest annual attendance of any motocross race, a unique format and competition in the entire FIM canon, in theory ‘the best of the best’ going against each other and a truly eclectic mix of fans. But should it go ahead in September?

If the 74th running of the event did fall victim to postponement then it would be in good company: the UEFA European Championships, Wimbledon even the Olympics have all been shunted to 2021 where the hope of the (frankly miraculous) delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine might be able to help usher crowds back into venues and a relaxation of rules for public gatherings.

At the current time of writing the 2020 ‘MXoN’ is being moved and bashed more than a fresh loamy rut. It has lost a long-slated berth at the atmospheric Ernee circuit in northern France where preevent tickets sales had already hit a record quantity before the impact of the pandemia hit European societies. While French

sporting events are expected to happen this summer/autumn (the Le Mans MotoGP is still pencilled for October) the prospect of having to radically reduce public presence at Ernee (and therefore severely handicap income in order to be to run the fixture) led the Moto-Club D’Ernee to defer their contest until 2023.

Matterley Basin in the UK steps into the organisational breach for its second appearance in the last four years. While Matterley is one of the best tracks in Europe (loved by riders, appreciated by fans for the panoramic views) some of the novelty factor has been lost. Especially as the Winchester site has already run MXGP this year.

Before the decision to let go of the reigns that Ernee held in such fine fashion in 2005 and 2015, the MXoN had also lost its end-of-season scheduling; bumped into the middle of the condensed and delayed MXGP calendar.

The Nations’ billing as a curtain-closer should not be undervalued. The habitual late September date has been a bone of contention for the Americans in recent years by falling into a limbo period several weeks after the end of their Lucas Oils AMA Pro National Motocross championship and in the midst of their crucial and minimal rest/prep for Supercross. It has also fallen hard at the climax of MXGP – often only a week or two after the last round -

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BY ADAM WHEELER

BY ADAM WHEELER meaning Grand Prix riders are still in full race trim and can tackle the spectacle safe in the knowledge that any misadventure will not harm the goals for championship success for which they get paid and the teams/constructors invest heavily. The MXoN carries prestige and hefty symbolic worth but it doesn’t figure on the professional radar of many of the participants.

Shuttled to a familiar stage, wedged into a new-look MXGP agenda that will conflict with the priorities of Grand Prix riders pushing for maximum points rather than the lowest, and which also clashes with the AMA series and counts out Team USA, the MXoN has already had a berm or two broken by circumstance. The (admittedly practical) scheme to combine the MXoN with the ‘Grand Prix of Winchester’ is another aspect that drags it away from the glorified norm.

Sharing Grand Prix status ensures maximum attention from MXGP teams but it doesn’t improve the prospect of participation for the majority

“INFRONT MOTOR RACING ARE SHUFFLING CHESS PIECES AROUND A TITLING BOARD TO REIGNITE MXGP AND IT WILL TAKE CONSIDERABLE FORCES OF NATURE FOR THEM TO EVENTUALLY ADMIT DEFEAT WITH THE MXON...” of far-flung countries like Australia, Puerto Rico, South Africa and the Americans as well as all the smaller nations that rarely trouble the A-Final races but undoubtedly add colour to the occasion. Scheduling is only one consideration. Take into account the still unstable travel rules and guidelines between borders and continents and 2020 seems even more like an edition to forget.

In the rush to make an MXoN happen it seems the impact of the fans and spectators has been slightly glossed over. If Matterley Basin is willing to raise the event infrastructure once more then what kind of audience can be expected?

Will it be a pale imitation of the fence-pounding gatherings, chants, flags, costumes and campsite revelry that has made the MXoN such a weekend draw for many? Thanks to social distancing and worries over virus ‘spikes’ it’s hard to imagine the race being anything like the excellent carnival that it usually is.

So why persist? The Nations’ bulk and importance from a commercial viewpoint cannot be ignored. Any visitor since Ernee 2005 will testify to the size of the event, regardless of the weather. Those wandering around the paddock will find industry presence and hospitality set-ups that would not look out of place in high-

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profile road race. Title sponsors Monster Energy weigh the MXoN as one of their flagship ‘happenings’ of the year.

There is also a degree of defiance.

Infront Motor Racing are shuffling chess pieces around a titling board to reignite MXGP and forge a creditable championship, and it will take considerable forces of nature for them to eventually admit defeat with arguably their most important and widely exposed meeting.

There does come a point where a 2020 MXoN cannot carry anything like the same zeal or expectancy that many – sponsors, fans, media, participants – hope for.

The withdrawal of the Americans is a blow. Their presence always adds that ‘Ryder Cup’ element even if their position as automatic favourites has been diminished. I’d argue that the presence of Team USA is nowhere near the feverish levels that we saw towards the end of the last decade – when 6ft fences where needed to contain Carmichael, Stewart and co from fans in the UK and France - but their loss is always felt.

I’ve covered every Motocross of Nations since 2001.

My first race was at Namur where the Americans were absent in the aftermath of 9/11. France celebrated their first win (Demaria/Vuillemin/Seguy as the riders). 2002 was a debacle: a rescue-mission boycotted and ignored after the late switch from an unrealistic American venue – Competition Park anyone? - to Bellpuig in Catalunya. It was the lowpoint. 2004 again suffered without Team USA but could be the nearest blueprint for 2020: Marc De Reuver was rampant in the Lierop sand that weekend with a stock KTM 250 SX. Having seen the worst and the best of the MXoN in the last twenty years, my personal preference is for the race to return to something like its full power and position in 2021. Who knows if that will still be possible? Italy are in-line to host but their spread of COVID-19 was one of the worst in Europe. I recognise that any form of the MXoN will still give fans (those that will be able to make it through the gates) cause to travel and celebrate motocross, and that might be just enough reason to push ahead with it in these tough times when moments of relief and enjoyment through sport are slightly tougher to come by.

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BACK ON STAGE

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer

HOW AND WHY MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MX2 ARE THE BEST-LOOKING TEAM IN THE CLASS

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rying to appreciate the design and combo of blues, blacks and whites of Yamaha duo Jago Geerts and Ben Watson might not be the easiest task: Geerts has already won the opening round of the FIM MX2 World Championship this year and Watson is a consistent front runner determined to attack what is left of the truncated calendar in his final term in the category before he ‘ages-out’. Formerly something of a mixmash, the Kemea team have really sorted out their look for 2020 and beyond thanks to the re-emergence in Grand Prix of one of the most prestigious and aesthetic companies in moto: Troy Lee Designs.

TLD have floated around the outskirts of MXGP prominence in recent years as other brands like Fox, Thor, Alpinestars, UFO and FLY have become mainstays. Even smaller, international brands like ASW, Yoko, Leatt and FXR have used the exposure of Grand Prix to make their wares more commonly known to race spectators and fans.

The Californian company have not only developed a very safe and functional SE4 helmet but have worked diligently on their race gear so that the performance and durability matches the eye-catching graphics and style that has always been one of TLD’s strongest fortes. Alliances with sportswear giants Adidas have led to production of limited-edition Ultra gear (that Kemea

FEATURE are using) and valuable lessons for the developments of fabrics and materials that filter down to their SE and other garments.

Global Marketing Director, Dave Casella, explains that the multi-year union with Yamaha represents a bold new step for TLD’s international programme and their spread beyond the coastlines of the U.S. “We tend not to do one-year agreements because by the time the fans associate TLD with something or someone then it can change again,” he says. “I see it being very long-term.”

“Our intent is to be a global brand and our motto is to be globally-minded. We’ve been trying to find the right fit in MXGP and work our way into it. We got really fortunate and thanks to Troy’s contacts we were able to have a great vibe from day one with Yamaha Motor Europe and Kemea,” he adds. “We really wanted to support our dealer network here and Troy Lee is still a small enough brand that it is very ‘core’ and a family-driven then and we wanted to instil that in Europe and what we have in the U.S.” Over a coffee in the Yamaha awning and with the YZ250Fs of Geerts and Watson being cleaned next to us we asked Dave for more details…

All of our athletes – whether it is the KTM Factory 250 team that we own or the MX2 Yamaha team – all wear production gear…

There might be some slight colour changes, or the logos are placed differently but the form, the fit and the fabrics are what you can buy.

They are all running Ultra and SE Pro – our precision fit gear – and the good thing is whatever we learn from these guys will go into development of next year’s product.

We kinda like to keep people ‘chomping at the bit’ and looking out for the product…

As much as we love the Ultra gear - and it is

truly athlete-driven and a fit for athlete - it represents a very niche market. So, there is another approach. We just came out with the GP helmet, which is based on the SE mould but is placed at a more affordable pricepoint so it will allow more people to get into the TLD brand and where that tagline – safety for everyone – really rings true because Troy and everyone at the company is very concerned about keeping people safe. This is a helmet that anyone can strap on, feel safe and look cool. I think you will see more of that type of expansion; we are broadening the range.

TLD has been changing…

We have brought in some upper management which has helped strengthen the company to the point where we could consider an MXGP project like this. There were too many of us working on too many different projects. So now we have more flexibility. We currently have around 51 distributors globally: it sounds a lot but some of them do a lot of business and some are smaller and targeting smaller markets. It is hard fighting against the big giants. I worked at Tucker Rocky for a decade so I know about the dealer network and where we can be ‘up’. Our advantage is that we can be a lot more agile and move quicker in adjusting to the market. For example, something that works well in California might not work nationally or internationally so we can make adjustments and get to the level where we want to be.

We have an athlete manager that goes to every single supercross and motocross race in the U.S. and takes care of the product.

Here, in MXGP, we had to be a lot more specific about it…

We created gear schedules for the entire season initially so the guys would know what to wear and when and also for how many

races before they switch. We’ve front-loaded our first visit at Matterley Basin. At some point we really want the riders to come over and see the workshop.

There are restrictions working with a factory team but there has also been a lot of give-and-take…

Troy is a very creative person and I think that attracts brands. If there has been any pushback on the colours and designs then we just met in the middle because companies want that TLD input.

For sure there is a lot of Yamaha blue in this collection! Honda and KTM are the same, even if we do get a lot more lenience in the 250 AMA programme because we own the team. We do some collabs with KTM and we have a whole gear collection with Yamaha in the U.S. It’s fair to say we are taking MXGP a lot more seriously…

Another company motto from day one has been ‘for the world’s fastest athletes’ so this fits us. We have to be racing. That’s what drives the brand even if we do recognise that the majority of consumers are not racing but they do throw a leg over a bike. We feel these people might look up to racers or want to know this is how we develop product – just like an OEM. We want to be at the forefront of racing and be aligned with the best OEMS and teams.

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EVEN STROKES We’ve written about the Even Strokes website recently but as the company’s profile grows (as well as the stock and list of partners) there is good cause to keep tabs on the quality gear and offers to be found. As a new player on the market then the story behind Even Strokes is intriguing. “There are many great small, medium and large enterprises already well established in out there in every country and in order to succeed we knew that we had to play to our strengths but create our own shopping experience for customers,” commented boss and founder James Burfield, the man behind popular news outlet www.mxvice.com. “We are focused on three things: customer service, making motocross more affordable, and creating loyalty, we believe that all three will help us carve out a small but passionate customer base. We are not here to drive a huge money-making machine, we are just here to serve passionate people like ourselves with products for them to ride and race with.”

an edge for the US brands looking to sell to Europe and vice versa,” adds Burfield. “Even Strokes understands what is required and we can use our network and more importantly customer/users to educate, promote and sales products, it really is a great fit.”

The MX Vice influence and bank of knowledge is one of the key reasons why Even Strokes are very familiar with their market/ audience and what motocross and offroad riders want and need. It also makes sense for B2B. “I believe MX Vice is a US style media team based in Europe, and that why people come to the site from both sides of the Atlantic, our MX Vice content is now read by more US citizens than UK so that’s gives us

Even Stokes are new fish in a large pond (“we knew this was going to be hard…”) but they are already thinking further downstream. “One day we will probably go down the road of bringing out our own branded products and if we do I hope I can go to one of our brand partners to work on making that happen, but that is a long, long way…”

For now find some decent bargains at www.evenstrokes.com

MX Vice was previously under the umbrella of the company that owns the vast 24MX distributor, so that was another learning experience for the British team. One of the most appealing elements of Even Strokes is the range of first-rate companies in their catalogue. “it was important to make sure the limit of returns, and people dissatisfied with products needed to be at a minimum and with these brands you get that, plus you get the brand, the assets and the knowledge behind the scenes,” Burfield explains of the unions with firms like Alpinestars, Fox and more. “OK you don’t make as much profit, however I believe you save a lot of money in customer service and not having to focus on rebuilding reputation.”

MX BLOG

THE ROAD MAP The plan for the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships here in the USA has been set.

Rumors beforehand placed the series with six races at three different tracks and - with the USA not doing a very good job of containing COVID-19 - that seemed like it would work. Find some states that are friendly towards having the races and collaborate with them to get this championship done.

Made sense.

When the official schedule did come out however, we had a nine race series and eight different tracks with Redbud, in Michigan, being the one venue with two rounds. It’s a different system here in the USA with individual states having a lot of power, sometimes more than the Federal Government, as to what can happen in their own area. So, it seems like we’re ready to go racing with Michigan and Minnesota (Millville) holding

rounds which was previously thought to be very tough with the way the authorities were cracking down on gatherings.

day and on a Tuesday) have already been moved to a day earlier for each one per NBC requests but I don’t think that’s what DC was inferring to.

The series is paying a full purse, the TV partner NBC Sports is on-board with each round and the teams will be in their own bubble like what we saw in SX. So media access, fan access (more on that in a minute) will not be allowed. Masks, hand sanitizers, social distancing, will all be followed in the hopes that this series can start and end.

There are many things that couple happen between now and each race where the state simply comes in and closes the races down. No fault of the teams, riders and promoters, they are at the mercy of different rules and regulations as well as the rising infection rates in some territories.

Still, with all that in place we had Davey Coombs from MX Sports (promoters of the series) on the Pulpmx Show the other night and he said that he was “80% confident” that the series sticks to the schedule released. In fact, already the two dates at Redbud (initially on a Satur-

If the series is forced to move some races or cancel them, Coombs did note that Hi Point Raceway is sort of waiting in the wings as a replacement in case something goes awry. The final race, in COVID-high Southern California, has many people looking at as a possible one

CREATED THANKS TO

BY ADAM WHEELER

BY STEVE MATTHES that can’t happen but it’s in October so I’m sure Coombs and everyone else at MX Sports is hoping things will be a bit calmer by then.

The Pala Raceway there is located on Native American land and therefore is subject to some different rules than normal state controls but Coombs indicated that they wouldn’t push it through on that technicality.

As far as fans, well, some races like Millville seem like they’ll be able to have some public while others are a straight no-no. There will be amateur racing at each of these events the day before or after and the admission for that will get you into the pro event so although it won’t be heavy numbers, there won’t be empty fields besides the tracks either.

With all the balls that MX Sports had to juggle, things aren’t ideal of course and one thing that has left some

team VIP’s grumbling a bit is the travel schedule that sees the series start at the brand new (for pro racing anyways) track at Loretta Lynn’s then head to Washington State for round two and the next week, go all the way back to Indiana. Most privateers will definitely not be making that trip to round two that’s for sure and things aren’t great that way but what can you do?

Some team owners wanted everything done in California (?!?) while others wanted a much shorter series. The eight plane flights, eight interactions with the public (especially in one high COVID state in Florida) had others team personnel worried about the riders and/or crew contacting the virus but there was really no perfect way to get this championship done and make everyone happy. 2020 sure has been weird but everyone I speak to is glad that this motocross

series will get done somehow, someway.

Or did I speak too soon?

PRODUCTS

WWW.GLOBAL.HONDA

HONDA Honda’s CRF450 R has always been favoured for its reliability and versatility. This year, to quote the Japanese’s official press release, ‘every part of the CRF450R is new for 2021, save for wheels and engine’. This motorcycle has been directly informed by the world championship winning form of HRC’s Tim Gajser. Further details include: ‘the new frame and swingarm, plus changes to geometry and suspension, that save weight and greatly improve cornering performance. The engine receives intake/exhaust upgrades, new decompression system plus single exhaust muffler to boost and smoothen low-mid-range driveability. A larger hydraulic clutch offers greater control with lighter lever pressure. More compact plastics and a smaller seat unit increase freedom of movement.’ A condensed chassis means a 2kg weight-saving and lateral rigidity has been reduced by 20% to increase corner speed, traction and steering accuracy.

Click on any photo here to see more tech specs. Also, it’s a minor point, Honda have at last paid attention to aesthetics with black rim, minimal plastics and that striking shade of red. The best CRF yet? Quite possibly.

TEST

GET VERY EXCITED WITH KTM’S 890 DUKE R

SHARPER!

By Roland Brown Photos by KTM

TEST

T

he Duke R’s arrival was inevitable. KTM is not a company famed for holding back when the opportunity arises to create something fast, light and lurid, so the Austrian firm was always going to follow 2018’s popular 790 Duke parallel twin with an upmarket R model featuring uprated components, more aggression and a higher price.

What’s more surprising is that the 890 Duke R took two years to arrive – and that it is such a comprehensive upgrade on the standard model.

The new R-bike doesn’t just have firmer suspension and stronger brakes, as with the old single-cylinder 690 Duke R, but increased engine capacity, more power and so much attitude that it hardly seems to fit in the naked middleweight class in which it theoretically resides.

The first clue is in the name: capacity is up to 890cc, from the standard Duke’s 799cc, thanks to wider bore and longer stroke. Other changes including bigger valves, hotter camshafts, revised fuelinjection and wider exhaust downpipes combine to increase maximum output by a substantial 16bhp to 119bhp at 9250rpm.

Styling is lean, angular and unmistakably KTM, and the real giveaway is that the Duke

The KTM puts three figures on its big, colourful TFT instrument panel mighty fast, and keeps going towards a 140mph-or-so top speed that most riders will find adequate, given that said instrument panel is its only attempt at wind protection.

That 119bhp output is well short of the 200bhp of some hyper-nakeds, but plenty from a bike weighing just 166kg dry. Especially as it’s backed

The 890 is certainly quick and lively enough to get you into trouble, especially as in Duke tradition it’s very happy to lift its front wheel. But to do that

“THE DUKE R’S LIGHT WEIGHT AND SPORTY GEOMETRY GIVES A PREDICTABLE RIOT OF RESPONSIVE STEERING, AGILITY AND SUPERBLY TAUT AND CONTROLLABLE CORNERING.” up by smooth high-rev running, thanks to twin balancer shafts, and a broad spread of torque by middleweight standards. The eight-valve unit has a fairly engaging twin-pot character too, albeit with a restrained sound from the rakishly upswept silencer.

Add to those attributes a light throttle, crisp fuelling and a slick quick-shifter (a recommended accessory), and the result is a superbly responsive bike that blends midrange punch with plenty of top-end power.

you’ll need the optional Track Pack. As well as giving adjustable throttle response and the option to disable the antiwheelie software, this adds an additional Track engine map to the existing Street, Sport and Rain, and allows traction control to be adjusted on the fly through nine levels.

That’s sophisticated stuff by middleweight standards, and the Duke R’s chassis is even more upmarket. The familiar tubular steel frame – painted orange in R-model tradition – holds longer, more sophisticated WP Apex suspension, with multi-adjustable damping.

KTM 890 DUKE R

R doesn’t even come with a rear seat or pillion pegs. It will handle commuting or even touring chores if you insist, but essentially it’s a singleminded, single-seat naked sportster, built for back-road blasts and the occasional track day.

TEST

Softening the suspension to KTM’s recommended Comfort settings helped. (The three settings, listed under the seat, are named Comfort, Standard and Sport, but would perhaps more accurately be called Standard, Sport and Track.)

Even so, the Duke R sometimes felt a bit fidgety and frustrated, like a racehorse being forced to go pony trekking. It’s rider-friendly in other ways, though, often bettering 50mpg for a range of 150 miles.

And KTM didn’t hold back in the brake and tyre selection, specifying Brembo’s latest and lightest Stylema front calipers, and Michelin Power Cup 2 tyres whose minimal tread allows near slick-like levels of grip.

Combining all that with the Duke R’s light weight and sporty geometry gives a predictable riot of responsive steering, agility and superbly taut and controllable cornering.

The standard 790 Duke is impressively manoeuvrable and sweet-handling, especially for a bike with minimal suspension adjustability, but the Duke R takes things to a completely different level, flicking into turns effortlessly in response to a nudge of the near-flat handlebar.

It also slows sufficiently hard to dislodge your visor, and on dry tarmac leans far enough to scrape various body parts, aided not only by the Michelins’ grip but by

One benefit of such a sporty and rewarding bike with a relatively modest power output is that running costs, especially tyre wear, will be far lower than for the 200-horse hyper-naked brigade. The purchase price (£10,399 in the UK, or just over £11,000 with the Track pack and quickshifter) is far more affordable, too. Perhaps the 890 Duke R isn’t quite the bargain that the 790 Duke seemed on its launch two years ago. But for such a crazily hardcore motorbike, it makes a great deal of sense.

KTM 890 DUKE R

near-limitless ground clearance thanks to the lengthened suspension. You need to be in the right mood, though, and preferably on the right road in fine weather, because the singleminded 890 R is illsuited to motorways, bumpy back-roads and the rain that blighted much of my test.

PRODUCTS

FOX Part of Fox Racing’s Image collection, the limited edition Venin line is available in both the premium Flexair and 180 version. Flexair is slightly more expensive but packs the TruDri moisture-wicking body fabric with Active-fit sleeves for increased breathability and airflow. The pants boast the fancy-sounding ‘Rider Attack Position’ construction and TruMotion Cordura material for stretchy durability. The 180 comes at a cheaper price point but the pants still have TruMotion stretch and a resilient 600 denier build. Of course, the Venin is all about the retro ‘spider’ design but the colours are generic, allowing for some mix and match. Hurry to grab the last sizes, especially in the Flexair. Youth sizes, helmets, goggles and even related t-shirts fill the Venin range.

www.foxracing.com

www.alpinestars.com Alpinestars’ newest limited-edition boots creation come courtesy of the Braap 20 Tech 5s. Firstly, there are the colours: ‘psychedelic orange, pink, purple and fluo yellow colorways complemented with black, white and silver’. The Tech 5 slot into the company’s Tech range where the 10s sit at the top, involve the 7s, Enduro versions, Tech-T, Youth, and Stellar Tech 3s. The firm state the main protective elements of the 5 model involve: ‘a bio-mechanical pivot system, protective upper, protective shin plate, one-piece foot shell, innovative buckle design, dual compound sole for performance.’ The price comes in at half of the Tech 10s so the fact that the 5s are getting a make-over as part of eleven different design/colour options gives extra credence to its role as an effective all-rounder for the casual off-roader.

ALPINESTARS

WorldSBK BLOG

SO, WHERE WERE WE? Ah, that’s right, Phillip Island.

It seems a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

To continue the Hollywood analogy many people are feeling the need, the need of speed. However, like the cinema release of Top Gun 2, the world of motorsport was put on hold in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Five months on, here we are, ready to race again and a few months ahead of Maverick returning to our screens.

Many series are already back and running but for me and WorldSBK we have to wait at the end of the queue to fit in behind MotoGP and resume the season at Jerez, after the Grand Prix double header.

What can we expect when we return? The race in Phillip Island has already whetted our appetite for what looks like an incredibly close battle between the top riders, with four of the five main

manufacturers right in the mix. It does seem, however, that the wind was taken out of the sails a little with such an exciting start to the season and then nothing for months. However, Jerez is an interesting venue to return to and if we look at the performances last year we can point to the prospect of some great racing again in just over a weeks time.

Last year’s results show that Alvaro Bautista and Michael VD Mark were the winners and all through the weekend they were consistently the quickest. Jonathan Rea did manage to bag pole position but famously tangled with his now team-mate Alex Lowes in the last corner, scene of many a last lap dual, which resulting in a penalty for Rea. Bautista won the first race, by seven seconds, from VDM, however, the Spaniard crashed

in race 2 at the end of the opening lap which, in the end, well and truly knocked the wheels off his championship wagon. VD Mark went on to win ahead of Rea, who was only just ahead of a hard charging Razgatliogu, then on a Kawasaki, when the race was ended by an incident that brought out the red flags.

In race trim, at Jerez, and in the expected warm temperatures we can therefore expect the Panigale V4R to be very strong and in the hands of Scott Redding many expect this to be the focus of the challenge to JR’s title this year. I don’t doubt that the WorldSBK rookie will be knocking-on-the-door but I do think pitching 2020 as a two horse duel does a huge disservice to the others that contested such a close set of races in Australia.

BY ADAM WHEELER

BY GRAEME BROWN Before we get to Jerez let’s not forget that Alex Lowes is currently leading the WorldSBK points standing with a fairly healthy 12 point advantage after only one round. He and Razgatlioglu shared the main race wins down under, Rea secured the Superpole race win and Redding bagged a hat-trick of thirds. That, put in the context of the performances in Spain last year, means I am expecting to see just as tight a weekend in Jerez as we did in Phillip Island back in February.

Moreover, if we compare lap-times from Phillip Island in 2019 to 2020 it shows that Redding was running an almost identical pace to Bautista the year before: high 1m 30’s to low 1m 31’s.

The difference one year on was that the top five, Razgatlioglu, Lowes, Rea, Sykes, VD Mark were all able to run similar lap times. It was the same with the recent test

in Barcelona. Set aside the final sheet of times from the end of the day (of which one ex-champion previously described to me as a pissing contest) and look to the timing charts throughout the day when teams and riders are testing race set-ups and not just chasing a fast lap time. From that it was clear to see that the same riders were all lapping within a few tenths of each other. In terms of outright top speed the Ducati may still be the benchmark as it was in 2019 but it is clear that the others have closed the gap since last season. Most notably Yamaha and BMW. BMW showed well in Barcelona with both Sykes and Laverty posting fast times after the two-day test. Before coming to Barcelona they themselves had been to Eurospeedway Lausitz for two days of testing and have spent time in the wind tunnel back in Germany, so

arrived in Spain with a degree of momentum. Both riders are proven race winners in WorldSBK and there seems to be a quiet determination in the team to grab onto the coat tails of Yamaha as they increase the pressure on Ducati and Kawasaki.

The slight worry for the others is that Rea and his closeknit team have had a long time to reflect on those races in Australia and the recent testing in Misano and Barcelona has thrown a couple of new variables into the mix that has forced them into tweaking their favoured race set-up.

The Misano race track had been re-surfaced in the winter and the increase in grip levels caught Rea and KRT by surprise. It meant they had to adapt the set-up of the Ninja ZX-10RR race machine before both Rea and Lowes had confidence to

WorldSBK BLOG

push hard. In the end Redding came away from that test with the outright fastest lap time but Kawasaki were quick to report that Rea had set the fastest times whilst using race rubber and not a ‘Q’. Remember what I said earlier. Crucially, Yamaha were not present in Misano so it wasn’t until Barcelona until we could judge where they were at after the enforced break.

In Catalunya the track temperatures were in excess of 50˚C for long periods of the day giving all teams a challenge with the set-up of the race machines but again Rea was right at the top of the time-sheets, and again with Redding. It shows that he and KRT are able to perform in those varying conditions, and that may be the key to his challenge for six-in-a-row.

The ability of a rider and team to be consistently fast in all conditions is what really wins championships and these guys have got a lot of practice. More importantly there is no sign of them rest on their laurels whatsoever.

There is still one glaring omission from the talk of championship contenders and that is Honda. They didn’t test in Misano in June, and in Barcelona both Haslam and Bautista sat in the pit box for extended periods, at the time claiming that they didn’t have anything to test. Bautista later expanded to say the inactivity was also to do with the high track temperatures but that that was just the HRC way. The team had opted to test on their own in June, at Motorland Aragon, and were back there last week with a group of Supersport and Supersport300 teams.

Looking in from the outside the atmosphere around the HRC team is rather odd in relation to WorldSBK, with a very obvious air of secrecy.

They have screens around the spare bikes in the pit box like MotoGP and F1, which is understandable when you have a prototype machine but we are racing production machinery in WorldSBK and I am sure that the engineers back in the other manufacturers factories have long since taken every nut and bolt out of the new Fireblade

and run them through their fine toothed combs.

In the test last week Leon Haslam was the quicker of the two HRC riders with a fastest lap-time of 1m 50.357. Some reporters felt that that was a little disappointing and they were still way off the pace. However, contrast that to 2019 and Haslam’s Superpole lap on the proven championship winning Kawasaki which was 1m 50.383 and team-mate Rea posted a time of 1m 50.013. Haslam was lapping at the same pace on the Honda as he and Rea were in 2019 and Haslam went on to finish fourth in race two, less than a second behind Rea. That suggests the lap-times are not too shabby and the development of the Honda is coming along. As we know, however, testing is one thing.

It only matters when the lights go out and everything is now pointing towards Jerez.

It has been a long and difficult interval but it is now time to press PLAY.

PRODUCTS

DUCATI As if the apparel and wide range of accessories were not desirable enough, Ducati have come up with some appealing options to give their machines that extra practical edge for touring. From lowered and comfort seating (and back rests) as well as tank bags and semi-rigid side panniers for the Supersport and Monster families to smartphone support and windscreen add-ons for Diavel and Multistrada motorcycles; there is an item that will test the resolve of your wallet. At a time when motorcycling has rarely been more encouraged and pushed by authorities and the bike brands themselves, then making a Ducati even more of a sound touring option is now easier and more pertinent.

www.ducati.com

FEATURE

TAK ES TO GE TB AC KI NT HE SU PE RB IKE GR OO VE

BR TH US E R HI N US G T OU T

WH AT IT

By Adam Wheeler Photos by Steve English

FEATURE

W

orldSBK at least presented a tasty appetiser before the series was closed for the first part of 2020 but now the championship is back on the platter and following in MotoGP’s exhaust fumes at Jerez. Tests at Misano in Italy and the Circuit de CatalunyaBarcelona in recent weeks have allowed riders to grasp the handlebars again but the last time a motorcycle was pushed in a competitive sense stretches back to March 1st.

Motocross Grand Prix riders have the luxury of fast-paced training sessions whenever they please and the prospect of emerging national competitions to get their starts and racecraft back into trim. For the WorldSBK crew it’s a different tale, and compared to the MotoGP paddock – who, aside from the Moto2 and Moto3 classes, never actually got into race state before the pandemic struck – they were able to launch their season strategies before the unexpected hiatus screeched the brakes on.

So, what’s it like for a racer used to dealing with tenths and hundredths of a second to find that limit-balancing ‘edge’ again? We went to the recent Barcelona test to ask and, ironically, was able to quiz MotoGP champion Marc Marquez via a zoom call while

we were there about banishing the rust. The Repsol Honda man rightly pointed out that MotoGP riders are often immediately back up to pace at the traditional pre-season test at Sepang in Malaysia after a two-month winter break but he did admit that it takes some work.

“I had the speed right away [in Malaysia this year] but that feeling – the special feeling – only arrived after two to three days,” he says. “The special feeling of being able to slide the front and the rear maybe takes some more time. We tried to work these weeks [of the quarantine] with the different bikes and different situations to simulate this feeling.”

LAVERTY: “IT’S AMAZING REALLY THAT MOTOCROSS AND SUPERCROSS RIDERS HAVE TO DO IT EVERY WEEK BUT THEN I’D SAY WE CAN GO MORE THAN TWO MONTHS, ARRIVE AT A RACE WEEKEND AND BE ABLE TO LIGHT-UP A FAST ONE WITHIN A FEW LAPS. IT’S QUITE IMPRESSIVE.”

WorldSBK ‘RUST’

Venturing outside into the frying Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona paddock at the end of the second and final day of laps for the WorldSBK contingent, there was a handful of riders to quiz further.

FEATURE

Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing Team: On the first day of the Misano test I felt fast but in fact I was actually quite slow compared to the others. You cannot replicate what we do in any form of training. You can ride a motocross bike and get your brain going but the sensations a superbike gives you at 300ks an hour…you cannot

Michael Van Der Mark, Pata Yamaha WorldSBK: The first day you might not feel as sharp as normal but that’s gone by the second day and you feel quick. I cannot remember the last time I did not ride a bike for such a long period. I was just happy to be back at it.

at first but the more experienced you are then the more in-tune you are with your subconscious. It is all about the subconscious. You cannot turn it on and off. It takes experience to get in there and it comes naturally.

get that. I missed it a bit. After day one at Misano we made a conscious effort not to change the bike too much and I would adjust to the track and get up to speed. Especially when they resurface a place; it’s like a curveball.

Eugene Laverty, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: I’ve been racing for almost twenty years now, so rustiness is not really a factor anymore.

It might have been in the past; after a winter break I’d go back out in January and it all seemed to be on ‘Fast Forward’. There is always going to be a little bit of adjustment

too much! It felt like I didn’t have time to do anything, but after a while it felt normal and like I’d ridden the bike only the week before. This is our work and we don’t lose too much time with this.

Alvaro Bautista, Team HRC: In the first laps everything was too fast! I was thinking

Jonathan Rea: I did my first practice start and it was terrible! Normally I

truly 100% ready to race after a break but I’m excited about it.

Alex Lowes, Kawasaki Racing Team: It was easier to get back into the swing of things than I thought. I feel more competitive, I am one year old one year with more experience.

I’m with a fantastic team and that helps.

Eugene Laverty: For me it’s routine. But it’s not all methodology because a few years ago I’d have a routine and not much rest and my brain would still need time to get back up to speed.

It used to be four weeks and then went up to six and now sometimes superbike summer breaks can be two months. It seems like I can come right back to it. After Imola - when I broke my pelvis and was out for eight weeks - on only my second flying lap I was up to 2nd place behind Johnny. So that was coming back from injury as well. When you have done as many laps as we have then you know how to go fast.

It is like a mode.

Scott Redding, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati: We had the same in MotoGP. The guys would go to Sepang and say they were feeling it after not riding for two-three months but by lap five they were breaking the lap record.

You kinda ‘don’t forget’ how to do it, especially for the top guys. In my case I actually feel better on the bike after I’ve had a break. It’s the same when I ride motocross – I don’t quite understand it to be honest: how you can be faster two months later than when you last rode. Sometimes having a break is nice and

you have a bit of a reset. I felt good straight away in Misano and Barcelona. When you have a good team behind you with a good spirit and a common goal then everything just flows a bit better.

WorldSBK ‘RUST’

load the front quite a bit with the brake but when I released the clutch I kept the front brake on so I tucked the front.

I thought ‘f**k me!’ I’m ready to race though. I came up to a few guys here and decided to throw it under them. I chased a few people and felt some others on my tail and thought ‘just concentrate and don’t make any mistakes’. I felt good. I believe you are never

Eugene Laverty: It is quite weird to think about.

My brother John retired from racing and he always says now that being back on the bike feels very fast, so I think a part of it does go away. It’s amazing really that motocross and supercross riders have to do it every week but then I’d say we can go more than two months, arrive at a race weekend and be able to light-up a fast one within a few laps. It’s quite impressive.

Scott Redding: I try to replicate racing when I’m testing as much as possible. I don’t like going out and making 1-2 laps and coming in. I prefer to put runs together. Superbikes are good with good riders onboard. I did 40.9 here with a race tyre. [MotoGP fastest lap in the race at 1.40.5 in 2019]. It is fun to ride at that level but it is also pretty scary. I trust and believe in the bike so much that I can start to ride on the limit, lose the front but still save it and feel at a high level. It’s the same for everyone: bite on the gumshield and make it work.

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One-armed. Photo by CormacGP

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, Steve English Cover shot: Fabio Quartararo by CormacGP 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’.