If you’re new to sportbikes, becoming a MotoGP fan is a great way to learn about bleeding edge motorcycle technology and give yourself something to talk about amongst fellow sportbike enthusiasts. MotoGP is the motorcycle equivalent of Formula 1: the bikes are 100% custom prototypes costing millions of dollars, there are factory (manufacturer-operated) and satellite (manufacturer-supported) teams, the races are held all over the world and the season runs from March through November. The top racers can’t walk down a street in Europe without being mobbed, and the sport’s most visible star, Valentino Rossi, is one of the world’s highest paid athletes.
So how do you become a MotoGP fan? Here’s the startriding.com 3 step plan:
- Watch the documentary Faster, which makes anyone who watches it an instant MotoGP fan. The 2-disc set covers the 2001-2004 seasons and is an amazing piece of work. It’s on Amazon here: http://goo.gl/II3pr
- Watch the races on Speed (check listings here: http://goo.gl/iGWpq)
- Look for news, bios, pictures and other goodies online:
If you missed Sunday’s season opener, Australian rider and 2007 champion Casey Stoner (Honda) won the race while last year’s champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) took second. The top American racer is Ben Spies (Yamaha), who got a bad start and finished 6th.
Have fun!