What’s Next in 2023: All Things Motorsport - Part One

If you think about it, racing with motorcycles or cars hasn't been around for all that long. Sure, people used to race chariots or horses for as long as we can remember, but motorsports have only been around for just over a century. And during that time it has branched out in hundreds if not thousands of variations, most of which require a stopwatch to determine the winner.

Today we will be going over some of the events scheduled to happen this year. While this could easily turn into a book, we'll try to stick to mostly global-scale championships and races to avoid bombarding you with too much information.

1. MotoGP

Racing on two wheels is perhaps one of the most dangerous forms of motorsports around, so it's no wonder that more than 2.4 million people spectators attended races throughout the 2022 season. MotoGP riders possess god-like skills, sometimes reaching top speeds of 225 mph (363 kph).

Francesco Bagnaia won the championship last year after a mindblowing battle against Fabio Quartararo, but that doesn't mean he'll reach the same level for the 75th season of the World Championship. There are 21 races ahead, and the first one is scheduled to happen in Portugal, between the 24th and 26th of March 2023.

2. MotoE

While some fans despise the idea of electric racing, others are excited to follow the progress of MotoE. Since the debut of the series in 2019, three different riders have won the World Cup riding on Energica motorcycles. But there's thrilling news just around the corner, as MotoE gains World Championship status for 2023.

That's not all there is to it, as Ducati will be taking center stage as the official supplier for all the teams competing throughout the season. The new bikes aren't just more exciting to look at, they're also likely a lot faster than their predecessors which might reduce the current gap between MotoGP and MotoE. The 2023 calendar features a total of eight rounds, with the first one set to take place at Le Mans in France on the 13th of May.

3. Superbike World Championship

Motorcycle road racing enthusiasts will have different opinions when asked about their favorite championship. Most people will tell you that the only way to go is MotoGP, but some hardcore riders will opt for the Superbike World Championship instead. The bikes used in this series feel a bit more earth-like, and the competition is always as fierce as it gets.

Even if you're not actively following the series, you might be familiar with some of the most well-known contenders of previous years such as Jonathan Rea, Toprak Razgatlioglu, and Álvaro Bautista. Also known as WSBK, the championship has been around since 1988 and plenty of former MotoGP riders have competed here too. The 2023 season is already underway with the first round taking place in Australia and 11 more of them scheduled for the rest of the year.

4. MXGP

Enter the Motocross World Championship, where speeds aren't as insane as in some of the previously mentioned championships. But grip levels aren't even remotely similar either. It's fascinating to see that some motorcycle enthusiasts are all about road racing, while others would always choose to go off-road instead.

Even though MXGP riders will rarely go faster than 100 mph (161 kph), the neck-and-neck racing and constant jumping are enough to keep you glued to your screen throughout the whole event. Riders are getting ready for the start of the 67 MXGP season, which will go down in Argentina on the 12th of March. There are 19 rounds on the calendar, and it will be interesting to see if Slovenian rider Tim Gajser can win another World Championship Title.

5. King of the Baggers

While it's not an international racing series per se, the King of the Baggers has attracted a lot of attention from fans across North America and the world since its debut in 2020. Organized by MotoAmerica it mostly happens during the same weekend as other Road Racing series under the same umbrella, but the unique characteristics of the bikes used are what draw in the crowds.

It wasn't long ago that we had a chat with Tyler O'Hara who won the 2022 season with Indian Motorcycle. And we look forward to seeing the battle between Indian and Harley-Davidson throughout the seven scheduled races this season. It all starts at Daytona International Speedway on the 9th of March.

6. Formula One

Let's move on to the world of racing on four wheels. By far, the most popular series here is the Formula One World Championship, which has been going on for more than 70 years now! Popularity levels seemed to be at an all-time high almost 20 years ago when Michael Schumacher and Ferrari were dominating the global scene. There was a relatively difficult transition to the hybrid era about a decade ago, but now it's all going back up again.

It's commonly accepted that Netflix's Drive to Survive has played a role in attracting more fans back to the sport. But it's also down to some of the highly talented young drivers competing today, such as Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, and Norris to name just a few. Pre-season testing is already underway in Bahrain, and most Ferrari fans are hoping that one of the two team drivers will bring the World Title back to Italy by the end of the 23-rounds-long year.

7. Formula E

Just like we saw with MotoE, FormulaE is in a way the electrified version of Formula One. The first event took place in 2014, the same year F1 switched from V8 engines to 1.6-liter hybrids. Formula E race cars have come a long way since, shaving off about 176 lbs (80 kg) and getting an increase of about 150 kW (200 hp) in terms of power. This also means that Gen3 cars can go as fast as 198 mph (320 kph), compared to the modest 139 mph (225 kph) rating of the early models.

Jean-Eric Vergne is the only driver to have won two titles so far. And some of you might like to know that current F1 competitor Nyck de Vries is a former series champion too when he was racing for the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team. The 2022-2023 calendar encompasses 16 races, five of which have already taken place in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India, and South Africa. Pascal Wehrlein has won two of these so far, so he's currently leading the championship flying under the Porsche Formula E Team banner.

8. Formula Drift

Some people might still be struggling to understand all the rules of drifting to this day, but one thing is certain. Each year the number of spectators keeps growing, more sponsors and drivers are coming in and the sport is thriving. Formula Drift has been around for two decades and it's one of the leading pro drift series on Planet Earth. Even though we don't currently have a Global Drift Series, FD draws in pro athletes from all over the world. With brilliant marketing and media planning behind it, Formula Drift also encompasses a global audience of fans.

With drivers often going bumper-to-bumper, sideways at over 100 mph, the action is never dull and you can rarely predict the outcome of any given race. With three-times FD Champion James Deane now back in the game with RTR, the 2023 season is going to feel like the Clash of the Titans with drivers like Fredric Aasbo, Matt Field, Chris Forsberg, and Ryan Tuerck also fighting for the coveted title. We'll be back with parts two and three of our story soon, there's still more to learn about all the motorsports action for 2023.