autoevolution
 

MotoGP Can Become One of the Best Motorsports

It’s still too early to say what was the main factor that led to such a mind-blowing MotoGP race last Sunday at Phillip Island in the Australian GP, but one thing is certain. The 2015 Oz round is one of the best races we saw in a decade or even more.
This race is most likely going to be a reference for many seasons from now on. If you ask me, this is how MotoGP should, in fact, be - a competition that pits both men and their machines, but one that relies more on the human skills and boldness than on technology.

In a way, the Phillip Island looked more like what Casey Stoner once said this sport should be like: having a bunch of daring men in control of sheer power and letting their skills do the rest.

The Melbourne track is, undoubtedly, one of the finest in the entire calendar, with both insanely fast sectors and very demanding zones that make the difference between men and boys, so to speak. In a way, I might even say that Philip Island could be regarded as the ideal mix of particular elements from the other tracks. But the circuit is not the only thing that made the Australian round so thrilling.

Are comparable bikes the key to superior racing?

There has been a lot of talk about Dorna's plans to level the field in an attempt to make MotoGP more exciting. Surely, this comes with the need to cap the development costs, and this is one thing certain manufacturers, such as Honda, aren't exactly happy with.

Threats of leaving the series had been made in the past, but Dorna found a solution to make ends meet, and the first step was the unified software that will be used from 2016. Alongside the spec ECU on all the bikes and similar fuel and tire allocations, the software also hints at the fact that seamless gearboxes will be used by all the teams, and this is yet another factor that might increase the competitiveness.

A thrilling show is what people are looking for

Regardless of Honda's complaints, MotoGP is a business and a business that relies on the show-factor. It's the people swarming to flood the venues that pay everybody's salaries. It's also the people that pay to see the races online and those with TV subscriptions that make TV operators want to have the races in their offer that make the money.

Sponsors are also in for exposure, and it goes without saying that bigger audiences are better for the sport and all those involved in the series.

Increased competitiveness in MotoGP is, if you wish, the main fuel that allows the sport to grow and bring in more money for everybody. Big manufacturers with huge budgets are no match for private teams, and it looks like Dorna wants to reset the balance.

A championship where Aspar has good odds to get a podium and to not have either a Honda or a Yamaha as the certain winners of any race is all the more interesting, and I hope most of you agree with me.

I even heard people a bit disappointed after seeing some of Lorenzo's clinical approach to racing and subsequent victory. "Yes, he won, he’s obviously a master rider, but there was no joy in seeing him dart ahead from the start line and disappear into the distance for good after the first corner," a friend told me earlier this year.

Frankly, I believe that Lorenzo IS probably the most constant of the top riders, a real racing machine as I used to describe him compared to Marquez. Still, higher predictability rates when it comes to the outcome of a MotoGP race tend to reduce the thrill factor for the audience.

It's not about crippling the sport, and not about handicapping the best riders

Some say that Dorna wants to introduce some sort of handicap for the best teams and such a move would "cripple" MotoGp, but seeing Ducati and Suzuki finally refining their all-new machines towards the end of the season proves such claims wrong.

The "new kids on the block" have added a good deal of thrill to the race, and seeing Iannone leading the race and battling shoulder to shoulder with the best riders in the championship was hysterical. Suzuki's Maverick Vinales was sixth at Phillip Island, an equally praiseworthy result for a rookie on an all-new machine that debuted in the spring.

And this is only in the Factory and satellite team zone... Imagine how things may look like when the (now) Open teams get the former factory bikes, like Aspar will next year. The private teams will most likely never be able to beat the factory ones, but having their bikes closer to the top-spec machines will make MotoGP all the more interesting.

And the riders who will be at their helm will also have the opportunity to become better pilots. The top speed may drop a little, but I guess a pass like Iannone made on Marquez AND Rossi at the same time is a much more exciting thing to watch than a 340 km/h straight line fly-by.

Australia saw 52 overtakes between the first four riders only, and a similar battle took place behind them, as well. If this is not road racing at its finest, then I don't know what could be.

Championship superiority will no longer be that much influenced by the money spent on the bikes

There are more than a few guys who believe that the Factory superiority is largely dictated by money. That is affording to spend large sums to tap into the finest settings that can squeeze several extra horsies from the engine, faster shifts, better software response in certain scenarios and all.

A common platform, at least in terms of tires, fuel and software might help reduce the brute importance money has on the track performance, thus providing other teams with better fighting chances.

And even more, in the end, the greatest thing about Iannone's performance at Phillip Island was not the position on the podium, but the fact that Ducati finished WITH the front runners, less than a second adrift after 27 laps is the true stake. And the fact that the next race, this very Sunday in Malaysia, promises to offer an even fiercer battle on the track is the next best thing.

It's not that hard to understand that this "tension" could be extended to the entire series, making MotoGP even more appealing, and why not, more engaging. Regardless of who gets the 2015 crown, the next MotoGP season sounds more promising than ever!
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories