Off Topic » Any MotoGP fans out there?

I've been a MotoGP fan, or should I say addict, for many years. The swing to European manufacturer dominance is remarkable. Are the Japanese manufacturers going to throw in the towel, or will they come back?
I have to wonder where it's headed though. I don't really see what mileage the manufactures get out of it. Sales of road going sport bikes, and I'm talking about pure "superbikes" here, must be dismal. The spectacle of MotoGP is huge with fans worldwide, but from a manufacturer's point of view is it worth the effort in terms of superbike sales? I doubt it.
These days the "sport" bike has morphed into a naked road bike, and not a GP replica. It was the fate of the two strokes, as they became undesirable with green minded tree huggers and politicians. What a shame.
Electric bikes, MotoE, meh. They are evolving, but not it's exactly exciting listening to a sewing machine conserving its battery for 12 laps. Their lap times are barely better than 250cc Moto3, which is way more exciting to watch.
Times are changing, interesting to see how things evolve.

European dominance in MotoGP? More likely Italian, and Ducati.

I think Honda's in trouble. Marquez hates the bike, and Honda isn't making any progress. If Marc leaves Honda, they're done, in my opinion, in MotoGP. Yamaha has similar issues.

It's expensive and Dorna's trying hard to keep fan interest, with Saturday sprint racing, but if Ducati and KTM are the only competitive bikes....?

Good points raised the sport has become the Ducati cup with Yamaha made to look like the poor relation while Honda seem completely lost with 3 of their 4 riders injured while crashing trying to tame an almost unrideable bike while trying to keep up with any Ducati.

More worryingly from my point of view is the new aero technology that’s now become a critical design integration in to a bike that last week was clocked at 227 mph at the Italian GP, worrying because the effect is to prevent close racing due to air turbulence and the front tyre of following bike to overheat if too close sending the sport down the rabbit hole F1 fell into years ago.

Combine this with commentators on BT sport coming out with such statements as “ the track needs to be altered to accommodate bikes” and you see how lost the sport has become allowing 250 bhp+ bikes to race at speeds that are not suitable for surroundings and tracks provided.

The best racing by far at any weekend of a GP is the 250 singles quite simply because that’s what you get a race not a high speed procession but to quote BT commentators once more “ the manufacturers call the shots” so just as in F1 when the organisers finally wake up to the fact the viewing figures and subscription to pay TV are going down the tube and try to do something about it the all powerful manufacturers of the time doing the winning call the shots to prevent change, Honda exit stage left and Ducati take centre stage.

Ducati now dominate in world super bike with Rea now crashing while trying to keep up something that was unheard of a few years ago so perhaps yet another motorsport spectacle reduced to procession.

I like Ducati as brand and I’m lucky enough to have one in the garage with the BM but take away some of the crazy Italian passion and replace it with German efficiency then I’m afraid the inevitable domination of racing could lead to viewing figures and interest in racing falling further from the good times when VR 46 entertained us all and put on a show combined with lack of true world wide rider representation ( the riders are nearly all Spanish or Italian) and the future doesn’t look good.

Your comment near the end of the post, about VR46, is important. Rossi "entertained" us. For a good while, even though he's an emotionless rider, Marc Marquez could be counted on to put on a show.

Now MotoGP, like PGA golf after the decline of Tiger Woods, is a collection of excellent athletes who compete at high levels, but leave me a bit "uninspired". With Ducati dominance, it's really becoming somewhat predictable.

Moto3, as you point out, is still a "Wild West" shootout, because these youngsters are like untamed colts who want nothing more than to go fast and put on a show.

I think Dorna's got its work cut out for it. And if the global economy tanks again (a real possibility), the amount of money required to fund a global GP schedule is going to be hard to find. Fans, after all, are spending discretionary money to support this sport.

Zitat von Steady Eddie im Beitrag #1

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I've been a MotoGP fan, or should I say addict, for many years. The swing to European manufacturer dominance is remarkable. Are the Japanese manufacturers going to throw in the towel, or will they come back?
I have to wonder where it's headed though. I don't really see what mileage the manufactures get out of it. Sales of road going sport bikes, and I'm talking about pure "superbikes" here, must be dismal. The spectacle of MotoGP is huge with fans worldwide, but from a manufacturer's point of view is it worth the effort in terms of superbike sales? I doubt it.
These days the "sport" bike has morphed into a naked road bike, and not a GP replica. It was the fate of the two strokes, as they became undesirable with green minded tree huggers and politicians. What a shame.
Electric bikes, MotoE, meh. They are evolving, but not it's exactly exciting listening to a sewing machine conserving its battery for 12 laps. Their lap times are barely better than 250cc Moto3, which is way more exciting to watch.
Times are changing, interesting to see how things evolve.

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They do have videos on the tube, condensed highlights of practice and the races, just after they occur. There is less of the motogp it seems but they do post a highlight of the race.
But I do search hard for any news on the IOM races .... Looks like Hickman/bmw got it together and took the senior tt after problems in the opening superbike race, Hickman also took the stock race .... Often it is all about the tires at that venue it seems although the BMW just screams .... If you haven't ever watched the full lap onboards that have been posted then your in for a real experience .... like f1 of old ..... It does take some time for posts from IOM to surface from the most recent races ....

Zitat von paleolithictech im Beitrag #7

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They do have videos on the tube, condensed highlights of practice and the races, just after they occur. There is less of the motogp it seems but they do post a highlight of the race.
But I do search hard for any news on the IOM races .... Looks like Hickman/bmw got it together and took the senior tt after problems in the opening superbike race, Hickman also took the stock race .... Often it is all about the tires at that venue it seems although the BMW just screams .... If you haven't ever watched the full lap onboards that have been posted then your in for a real experience .... like f1 of old ..... It does take some time for posts from IOM to surface from the most recent races ....

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What's "VAG cash"?

Ducati also has a physicist/AI genius refining their bikes. Top secret stuff, apparently. Honda's gotten lazy. When Marquez was injured (and is, again!), Honda quit improving the bike. With Mir out, and Marquez not happy, can you imagine Honda's predicament if riders like Marquez walk away. Marc may wind up at Ducati.

That is referring to the financial resources of the VW Audi Group (VAG)

I agree the motogp has become boring. KTM are capable of shaking it up a bit but otherwise its all the same bike and similar riders.