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MotoGp an Untold Story
From the trenches of the world war to the yakuza
gangs in Japan, and now to the Asphalt tracks of
the MotoGP, bikes have a ubiquitous presence in
almost every major event in the world. With such
a rich history, it makes sense to celebrate
motorcycles and whats the first thing that pops
into your mind when you hear motorcycle
racing?.. 9 out of 10 people will probably say
MotoGP, even if people dont watch it, theyll
surely know about it, thats how synonymous the
term MotoGP is with motorcycles. But before we
get to the nitty-gritty details, lets look at
how MotoGP came to be what it is today.
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Evolution of MotoGP Fédération Internationale de
Motocyclisme, established in 1949, acts as a
governing body and presides over all the
motorcycle events. This year also marked the
beginning of the world racing championships,
where Grand Prix motorcycles were raced. These
were custom-built bikes and were unavailable for
public use, frankly, public roads back then
wouldnt have supported such high-speed
machines. Most races during this time period
used street legal motorcycles with a few
modifications. So building a bike only for the
purpose of racing them was an alien
concept. The 1950s
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Several teams with various bike configurations
participated in these events and hence to level
the playing field, classes were introduced based
on engine size, like, 50cc, 80cc, 125cc, 250cc,
350cc, 500cc, and 750cc and most of them using a
four-stroke combustion process. To make it more
interesting a class for sidecars was also
introduced. Cause why not? The 1960s
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With an increasing number of teams competing and
with advancing technologies, two-stroke engines
were introduced for the smaller classes. Until
this point there wasnt a specific set of rules
decided for each class, this however caused
disadvantage for some smaller teams as they
couldnt afford the technology or skill to
compete with the bigger ones. Hence in 1969, the
FIM came up with a standard set of rules every
team had to follow, these being the number of
gears restricted to 6 and, classes below 350cc to
use only 2 cylinder engines. Now, this pissed
off major teams like Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki as
these restrictions prevented them from using
their far superior machines and thus dominating
the championships. The championships were now
mostly dominated by smaller Italian teams up
until the mid-70s, which had perfected the
smaller engine segment.
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However, after 1975, both the FIM and the major
teams realised that a huge goldmine was being
unexploited and thus calling a truce. A
four-cylinder configuration for the higher
displacement engines, 350cc and more was allowed,
and this thus marked the return of the bigger
teams.
Up until 2002, this system continued, after which
a special class for 500cc engines was
introduced. To make this class stand out from the
rest, it was rebranded as MotoGP. Over the
years, the engine size has been increased to
800cc and currently sits at a whoopingly fast
1000cc. As of today, several other changes are
employed, with multiple engines allowed for an
individual team, 7 to be specific for one race
year, bigger fuel tanks, better brakes with a
larger budget. All of this allows for a more
exciting and safer Championship.
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Youve got 20-22 riders, representing different
teams and different manufacturers, who battle it
out for 19 races all over the world for almost a
year. Each team consists of two riders, thus
making up 10-11 teams. The rider with the most
points at the end of the competition wins the
world championship and the team with the most
points wins the team championship and the
manufacturer can also compete for a constructors
championship. Now while this is just a basic
outline of a typical MotoGP championship, theres
a lot going on behind those tinted helmets.
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Brand involvement in MotoGP Its hard to believe
but in the beginning, riders themselves had to
pay for their seat, and take care of other
expenses, this was mainly because motorcycle
races were not very popular and considered more
of a fun pastime for the upper echelon of the
society. However, with increasing revenue,
people began sponsoring different riders
and building teams in a bid to gain popularity
for themselves and their brand. Initially, the
livery consisted of the riders or the teams
national colours, but sponsors in an attempt to
promote their brand started making custom
liveries for the drivers and team members.
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Several iconic liveries such as the orange Honda
Repsol Factory team and the Suzuki RGV500 Pepsi
have gained worldwide recognition. Presently a
race calendar budget can be about 10 million
Euros, with some teams even spending 15 million
Euros. Prize money usually starts at 11 million
euros for the winning rider, with the last place
being paid anywhere from 100 to 200 thousand
euros for the last position. Unlike the other
major motorsport events, teams and constructors
do not earn any prize money. However, winning
teams do earn bragging rights and a considerable
amount of brand promotion. Race Format A
typical race takes place over a three day
weekend. Friday
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Consists of 4 practice sessions, FP1,
FP2,FP3,FP4. The first three practice sessions
are timed and the top 10 drivers at the end of
FP3, directly make it to QP2 which is held on
saturday. The remaining drivers go into QP1. The
top two drivers from QP1 get another go at the
top 10 positions and are allowed into QP2. The
remaining drivers are arranged as per their lap
times. FP4 is mainly held so that teams can set
up necessary configurations and get ready for
the race. So by the time the day ends, the
positions 13-20 are finalised and practice
sessions are concluded. Saturday The QP(2),
where the positions 1-12 are decided, is held on
a Saturday. Sunday Race day. Race day begins
with a 15-minute warm-up session, this is to
provide the teams with a window to assess the
days situation and conditions and make any
necessary tweaks. After this, the riders take
up their respective grid positions. In case a
rider has a false start or is unable to start,
then he still has a chance to begin the race
until the leader has finished 1 lap. Races are a
sprint from start to finish, covering about 100
to 130km and do not include any pit stops unless
an emergency arises. Races usually last for 45
minutes, not accounting for any unpredicted
events, like rain or a crash.
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The Circuit As of today, 73 tracks have hosted a
MotoGP race, the first being held at Snaefell
Mountain Course which also hosts the Isle of Man
TT, one of the most dangerous racing events
ever. Various types of tracks have been used
over the years such as the Suzuka International
Racing Course, which is a track built especially
for Motorcycle racing, Circuit de
Spa-Francorchamps, which also hosts other racing
events and street circuit Montjuïc
circuit. Scoring System As mentioned earlier,
there are 3 championships to be considered.
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The riders are scored based on the position they
finish, with the winner getting 25, 2nd scoring
20, 3rd-16 and so on and the 15th position
getting 1 point. Riders finishing lower are not
awarded any points.
For the teams, the points won by both the riders
representing a particular team are added and
considered for the championships.
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Now with a few major manufacturers operating in
MotoGP, riders sometimes might use a common
engine even though they are in different
teams. Now in the case where three riders
represent the same constructor, the points from
the rider finishing highest are only
considered. So in the case where a rider using
Yamaha finishes 5th and another finishes 7th,
then the points for the 5th position only is
used, this rule applies even in the case of
multiple drivers using the same engine.
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With improved bikes and better-skilled riders,
MotoGP has witnessed quite a few intense
rivalries. Whether its Rossi v Lorenzo v Marquez
or Hutchinson v Dunlop. The fierce competition
not only offers for an exciting racing calendar
year for the fans but also brings in new fans
owing to the large buzz such rivalries
create. Stay tuned for our next post, Fight for
the throne for an in-depth analysis of the
greatest rivalries in the sport.
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However fun it might look, theres no doubt that
a rider is taking a huge risk when he steps out
for a race. With riders reaching almost 250km/h,
safety becomes a high priority. Safety gear in
such cases is mandatory. Carbon fibre helmets,
impact-absorbing armour suits with an inflatable
built-in airbag inside the suit, knee sliders,
gloves, boots, and a fireproof inner suit goes a
long way in protecting the rider. In the case
where the tracks are wet, due to rain, riders can
opt for a wet/slick tyre that offers better
traction and control. Also whenever theres a
crash, a marshal waves a yellow flag, indicating
the same, thus preventing the riders from
overtaking and thus adhere to a speed limit. This
is continued until the crash is cleared. If the
crash proves to be a major one, races can be
red-flagged and stopped until the track is
cleared.
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As you can see MotoGP is not just fun and games.
A lot goes behind conducting a successful racing
year. It employs thousands of people around the
world and entertains millions. With further
advancement in technology, the motorcycle racing
world is bound to get more exciting.
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By, Vijeth Shetty, Content Writer, Inline-4
Automotive