Im at silverstone for the motoGP thinking about stuff and im curious why spain and italy seem to dominate motoGP. whats the consensus of opinion? im no motorsport historian so apologies if the answer is obvious but very keen to see what those in the know know
Because they start riding in competition from the age of 4 or 5 years old and there is the infrastructure to cope with that. Andy
Because the press and media in Spain and Italy puts them on pedestals whereas our top bike racers the public don’t care because they are only fed football!
Perhaps, if our racers were fed proper food, they may have a better chance of competing against the spanish and italian guys.....
I think that antecedent to the points made above are [1] the weather in southern Europe, which makes riding a scooter completely natural for much of the year, and [2] often limited public transport between small towns, which makes riding a scooter completely necessary for many teenagers. A much higher proportion of yoof are therefore exposed to PTWs and therefore end up racing them.
They get the support and backing in those countries from a very early age, some of the biggest names in mini Moto manufacturers are based in those country’s and some like Polini run their own race series. Those countries obviously have a far greater media and public interest which attracts bigger sponsorship and money, and anyone wanting to get on in racing needs to upsticks and move to Spain or Italy to race in those series to get a better chance of being picked up, much like Bradley Smith did. years ago a good route to world superbikes would have been the UK domestic series, then onto BSB and into WSBK. Not so much now I think as the WSBK grid is now filled with just as many ex MotoGP riders.
There's deffo a lack of interest/exposure in this country. It baffles me how American Baseball, Basketball and 'Football' appear on the front of the BBC Sport page yet you have to go properly digging to see anything about motorcycling - and even then it's patchy. But then again, perhaps the prominence (or lack of) is driven by clicks? I've just back from Sicily - scooter is the default mode of transport and riders are encouraged and respected. In the UK we're seen as an afterthought and to some extend we're vilified as borderline-criminal hooligans. All of that and a comparatively shite climate adds up I guess.
BTW my mate's son Harrison Dessoy is in the BTC again this year (for the last time I think due to age), while working on a Spanish opportunity (fingers crossed). He might be (I hope) one of those rare cases that makes it up the greasy pole.
Spain and Italy are much more invested in motorcycle racing than the UK, from every angle. It's evident even in the media here, where apathy is rife. For example, the BBC lost interest in MotoGP when it lost its coverage rights to TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport). Since then it has behaved like a petulant child and flatly refuses to give it any mention or airtime whatsoever, on any of its mainstream channels. They would far rather you were kept abreast of the latest Men's Curling Team score at a European championship, as well as a host of other 'critical' sports news items, since these events are more in the public interest (or at least that's their take on it). Motorcycle racing will never command the same audience as those who would prefer watching a group of grossly overpaid individuals, kicking a round piece of leather around on grass for 90 minutes. If you can accept that is the natural order of things, then you are remarkably tolerant. It's unlikely to change any time soon, so I've given up arguing the case to re-invent the utterly predictable media merry-go-round.
He was 2 garages down from us in Jerez. He’s a bit of a midget alright but he’s not as tiny as he looks in that picture He’d be handy in a pub brawl. You could just pick him up and smack people with him
True. There are plenty of structures around the country to let the younger start approaching motorcycles. Not sure what you mean by support. It's true that manufacturers based in Italy could be helpful and promote their own series attract newcomers. But if you mean support as economic ($$$) or helping cover the budget for raising young drivers well, that's not true. At least for 99.9% of the competitors. Starting a career in motorsport means investing and spending a lot of money and most families can't really afford it, from level zero going up. In order to see sponsorship and some flying money you need to narrow your search right at the top championship level. Passions for motorcycles, "Father's dreams" and grandparents old money are the main contributors to growing new generation. I see people raise mortgages on property to let their child race in good teams, for a chance of visibility. Spain is doing better, as CEV is officially a Junior World Championship thanks to Dorna, so some sponsors can help, but the average costs are insane anyway. Vr46 is a clear example. You can Like it or not, but Valentino did something the Italian Motorcycle Federation was missing for years (some weird attempt around 10 years ago but nothing special). Helping young riders to grow with real economical help and a proper structure to grow and get better. Now looks like it stop as well, showing there's plenty of expenses and no real return in the minor series.
The reality is that there is relatively little interest in motorcycle racing.When it comes to cycle racing there is almost a “manic” dedication to the sport.Other sports such as motorcycling and football don’t have the following they once had and that is why we lag behind the rest of the world.The one exception of course is women’s football.
Probably a combination of many things, but ultimately they love bikes over there on the continent, two wheels are engrained in society, over here aside from bikers most people consider bikes a nuisance and their riders direct descendants of the devil.... F1 is boring as hell but it still sells out year after year, walk around in summer and you'll see mercedes and ferrari t shirts etc... Not often you see many bike ones is it ? Unless you go to a Ducati trackday of course! We're a dwindling minority over here sadly... No idea what the answer is but I doubt even a British MotoGP champ (top tier) would sway opinion...
