Ciao Marco, grazie Loris, wow Casey

After a torrid two weeks for the sport Moto GP has found that the remedy is noise, action and some truly memorable racing. The entire Valencia race meeting that closes the season was run in dedication to Marco Simoncelli. All the bikes from the three classes were led by Kevin Schwantz around the track for a parade lap in Super Sic’s honour before an enormous banner was unfurled and the traditional Valencian fireworks combined with the revving engines to make two minutes of ‘casino’ which sure beats a minute of silence. The Simoncelli family suggested this gleefully raucous ceremony, they knew better than anybody that somebody as exciting as Marco wouldn’t really enjoy everybody being miserable, there has been enough of that.

So that was the official tribute, but with every rider carrying a number 58 on their bike, leathers or helmet there was an atmosphere of appreciation for Marco’s talents and personality all through the paddock. The Gresini pit featured a shrine to their fallen star, the number 58 Honda was placed in its garage exactly as it should have been. Marco’s helmet sat proudly atop its steed, the scene looked like a ghostship where everything is present as it should be except for the people. A lovely touch.

However, there is no better way to celebrate Simoncelli’s short but brilliant career than a win for his team, and that’s exactly what Gresini’s Moto2 arm delivered. Michele Pirro took his first ever victory in the class and looked stunned at this magical feat. The Gresini bikes lined up one-two on the grid but Yuki Takahashi took a terrifying tumble out of the lead to deny them a lockout at the front, luckily the Japanese rider suffered a hit big enough to knock the memories of the race clean out of his head but he will be fine. It could have been worse and Gresini will be relieved. He wasn’t the only faller, even Bradl had a vicious crash on a day when spits of rain made the Spanish track even more tricky than it usually is.

On Saturday there was another nice moment that sums up the good feeling that there usually is in a racing paddock. After Stefan Bradl took the championship his father never quite managed to tame, the young German had secured the crown by default when the white-hot Marc Marquez had to give best to his injuries for the second race running and decided not to compete in qualifying. Bradl headed over to the Repsol pit to commiserate with Marc and his team, a really welcome sporting gesture that will have pleased Marquez as much as it was possible to, I’m sure. Marquez will get another shot at the Moto2 crown as he is racing there again in 2012 before stepping up to Moto GP the year after where he will undoubtedly become the next great Spanish hero.

Before the Moto2 encounter there was emotion of a different kind as the 125cc World Championship bid farewell after over 60 years. Although the bikes will live on in national championships and some will form the basis for the new Moto3 bikes, this will be much-missed formula. In 2011 alone we have seen dead-heats, passing, crashing and a championship battle that went down to the wire as Terol took the final crown while his rival Zarco fell early in the running. Maverick Vinales took the win ahead of Terol to go down in the record books as the final 125cc winner, the youngster recording his fourth win and installing himself as a favourite for the new class before the bikes have even turned a wheel.

Moto GP has not had its most glorious year, but the sparse grid that already lacked local hero Jorge Lorenzo put on quite the show for the final race for the 800cc bikes that haven’t proved to be a hit. The field was decimated further as Bautista and no less than three Ducatis including the works bikes of Rossi and Hayden were down at the first corner. With Casey Stoner out front it was up to Dovizioso, Pedrosa and Spies to entertain us in the early laps. They kept riding hard in the damp conditions with passes being made on nearly every lap, this 190mph dance continuing right until the chequered flag.

Ben Spies came on stronger as the rain fell heavier, exploring the limits of his Yamaha’s brakes. All the riders resisted taking to their wet bikes, staying out there with Spies looking like the quickest and bravest as he took Dovizioso with six laps to go before closing rapidly on Stoner’s Honda that had enjoyed a ten second advantage at one point. With three laps to go the Australian champion was under real pressure and ran wide as he encountered the wet stuff which handed Spies what looked set to be his second Moto GP win. However it was not over. With Stoner’s balls-to-the-wall riding style and the big speed of his Honda he powered back past Spies on the run to the flag to claim the win by a scant 15 thousandths of a second. A more thrilling remedy for sadness you could not ask for.

Meanwhile we said goodbye to Loris Capirossi, the most experienced Moto GP rider of them all having rode in 40% of all World Championship Grand Prix race meetings. The old man’s bike sported the number 58 of his fallen countryman Marco Simoncelli, Loris hustling it through to ninth to score decent points, which is a much better retirement gift than a gold clock. As the paddock said “Grazie Loris” and “Ciao Marco” the cold Valencia circuit became a very warm place indeed. Such is the power of good people and great racing.

Marco Simoncelli – a star falls

Marco's story was just beginning, now it's over. (Silverstone)

Marco Simoncelli, the most exciting talent of his generation and the heir apparent to Rossi’s crown as Italy’s favourite  son, has passed away after a crash in the Malaysian Moto GP. Another Sunday, another tragedy;  I didn’t think there could be any more tears left to shed. 

With a riding style as distinctive as his hairstyle, Marco was a hit with fans all over the globe. Riding the Gresini Honda he had shown potential in spades, already reaching the top of the pile in qualifying earlier this season and having achieved his best ever finish only last week at Phillip Island where he followed Casey Stoner over the line to take second place. With Honda very keen to nurture the 2008 250cc World Champion there seemed to be a long and successful career ahead of Marco but destiny had other plans.

We are all unique, although some of us are just that little bit more so than others. Marco Simoncelli was his own man despite the obvious parallels that could be drawn with Valentino Rossi. Blessed with good looks, humour, charm and an ability to bully a motorcycle into going faster than it wanted to, Marco’s life may have been a short one but it was one hell of a ride. After a successful junior career that netted a world title and many wins Marco spent the last two years shaking up the establishment at the top level of bike racing. He appeared to be on the verge of racking up his first Moto GP victories as he edged his way further up the field and started to tame his wild streak. This should have been his time.

The loss of the 24 year old Italian will hit the Moto GP paddock hard, one cannot begin to fathom how Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi feel today, no matter how unwitting their role in the accident may have been. Watching Rossi, my all-time sporting hero, in such a state of despair was almost as heart-wrenching as the awful accident itself. He and Marco were peas-in-a-pod, the two were friends with a lot of common ground between them. Although few could ever really rival Rossi as an ambassador of the sport, it was hard not to believe that in Simoncelli we had another Italian who could play the role of both the king and the jester.

Marco’s potential seemed limitless, he could have been the shining star of the show over the coming years. He routinely rattled his rivals with an edgy style that put down a marker post that made it clear he was not going to be overawed by the champions around him. This confidence and charisma would be nothing without the speed to back it all up, something Simoncelli had in spades. Here was a Moto GP champion in the making if ever we saw one.

The world has been denied seeing Marco blossom into an iconic superstar of sport, his Moto GP podiums this year should have been the beginning of the story rather than its final chapter. Only a week ago he appeared on the verge of going from good to great after his best ever result in Moto GP. We have been denied seeing this most exciting of racers entertain us by the cruelest twist of fate. Now only seven days on from this great moment all is lost and another cherished motorsport champion has been taken from us. The titles that surely would have been his will now be fought over by others, although Marco Simoncelli will always be in the thoughts of his friends, rivals and fans.

Forgotten success

Reflecting on 2011 - titles were sadly overshadowed on Sunday. (Paz Chauhan)

The motorsport world was busy handing out trophies last Sunday before a lovely day of racing was cruelly ruined by the terrible events in Las Vegas. While I can’t quite bring myself to deliver a full review of each it is worth noting the titles won and lost over a packed yet bleak weekend for the sport.

Formula One saw another Sebastian Vettel victory at the somewhat sterile environment of Yeongam in South Korea. More importantly but no less inevitably Red Bull wrapped up the Constructors Championship with Mark Webber finishing third after a thrilling duel with Lewis Hamilton who came home second after starting on pole for the first time this year, a great effort from the 2008 champion.

Unfortunately Moto GP was a little disappointing for all but the Aussies as Casey Stoner romped to a home win at Phillip Island and clinched the final 800cc title in the process. Good on Casey and Honda who have been the class of the field in 2011, but the edge was taken off the race by the non-starts for Yamaha’s Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo, the latter’s hopes of defending his title were left in tatters after a very nasty finger injury on race morning.

Back home at Silverstone the BTCC boys had a refreshingly respectful end to the season despite heading into the final triple-header of the year with five still in title contention. Matt Neal’s win in race one set up an all-Honda duel between himself and Gordon Shedden as Plato and Jackson suffered punctures while Nash just didn’t quite have the ultimate pace although that didn’t stop him taking the indie trophy in his dated Vauxhall Vectra. Shedden seized the initiative with a win in the second race but it was Matt Neal who kept it cool to take his third title in the final race of the day as Tom Chilton won the reverse grid race.

Honda have fought against a competitive field, a certain moaning rival and even against themselves to take the crown with a rich variety of different machinery chasing them. I just wish the final rounds were held at Brands, Silverstone is too smooth and fast to lend itself to truly thrilling touring car racing in the modern era.

Then there is the crown that is destined to be forgotten; Dario Franchitti’s Indycar title. It is a trophy he will barely be able to look at, champagne will be toasted to the memory of a fallen comrade rather than sprayed in celebration. He is the Indy driver du jour, but this isn’t the moment to dwell on that. It was already a rough year for Indycar even before the horror of Sunday, let’s hope for a brighter 2012 for the fastest and friendliest racing series of them all.

Hollywood’s rush to the racetrack

Can Ron Howard's Rush do the 1976 Grand Prix year justice? (Steve1828)

So motorsport is the current topic du jour in cinematic circles. Three documentaries are currently stoking tinsel town’s interest; Senna has been a global hit, TT Closer to the Edge was a stunning insight into the mortally dangerous side of racing and the Moto GP movie sequel Fastest is opening tonight in London. Meanwhile both Ron Howard and Michael Mann are dipping into the history of the sport for their latest projects. Good times.

Of course we with petrol in our veins have long known of the allure and inherent drama of racing. I distinctly remember sitting with my parents as Ayrton Senna delivered his monologue after the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix and declaring that it was as if we were watching a movie. Little did I know that it would become a part of one. Hollywood hasn’t always done the sport justice; Grand Prix looked and sounded the business but lacked the script it deserved while Sylvester Stallone’s Driven was pure drivel. The recent spate of racing documentaries, including a quartet on the small screen courtesy of the BBC, has quenched the thirst for racing stories but now it is time for the auteurs to fictionalise some of the greatest battles from the annuls of motorsport.

First up will be Rush, Ron Howard’s movie based on the 1976 Grand Prix season. As a topic I could barely imagine a better one. The set up? The first of many edgy championships contested between Mclaren and Ferrari, the battle was as much a clash of ideologies as it was a sporting contest. James Hunt the playboy taking on Niki Lauda the savvy professional, the earnest Brits taking on the passionate Italians. The confrontation? A championship that appeared to be going the way of the red team was shattered by Niki Lauda’s horror crash that signaled the end of Grand Prix around the Nordschleife. The resolution? Lauda’s heroic comeback, Hunt’s memorable championship. Sorry for the spoiler, but there is your three acts – and what a movie it will make.

Rush is due to be an independent film, albeit one with a healthy budget and a heavyweight director. Nonetheless it may mean that Ron Howard and company will be mooching around looking for distribution as the cameras roll which is not something he is used to. Howard has made the odd trip to a modern Formula One race for research which is about as useful as a fact-finding mission to a modern day Afghanistan when attempting to write a war movie set 50 years ago. It is more likely that this was a courtesy call on Bernie Ecclestone who is clearly backing the movie as the first in-depth interview with Ron Howard about Rush was a feature on the Formula One website. His stash of historic Grand Prix machines will come in handy too. This endorsement shouldn’t be taken lightly – Ecclestone not only rebuffed Stallone in the 1990s, he also rejected David Cronenberg’s Grand Prix movie that was due to film in the late 1980s after the director was inspired by the brilliant 1986 season.

Last week the first shots were filmed on Rush, although these were merely tests for the shoot proper. This involved the Nurburgring and some historic cars which will have been a fun day out for all, including British Touring Car’s rising star Rob Austin who tweeted that he was a part of the crew. Let’s hope Plato and Neal aren’t the other drivers, I don’t remember Hunt and Lauda giving each other the finger or moaning about turbos, although Hunt the Shunt was known to throw a punch in his early days…

On writing duty is Frost/Nixon scribe Peter Morgan while the driving seats will be occupied by Thor star Chris Hemsworth and promising German actor Daniel Bruhl. Both exhibit a reasonable likeness for their characters, so that is reassuring. Ron Howard is adept at masculine emotion and has proven his salt by tackling real-life tales with no more embellishment than is needed.

I’m hoping that they look closely into James Hunt’s story, he fascinates me more than most racers. You often picture the hairy, lairy 1970s Formula One driver as being fearless but Hunt was not. While being the arch-party animal he was a man who would throw-up immediately before every race and quit the sport abruptly in the middle of the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix. Unlike the Mclaren drivers of today, Hunt was permitted to meet the great and the good in t-shirt, jeans and not-uncommonly barefoot. We are all unique, some of us just break out of the mould a little more than others. A movie about James Hunt was touted by Dreamworks earlier this year, but Rush has beaten them to the punch so it is doubtful we’ll ever see the English world champ’s very full life told in its entirety on celluloid.

Meanwhile there is Michael Mann’s Go Like Hell which was originally rumoured to be a movie for 20th Century Fox but could now appear as a drama series for TV. Sharing its name with AJ Baime’s book about Ford and Ferrari’s high-stakes duel at Le Mans in 1966, Go Like Hell could be quite a treat if and when it appears. Mann has long looked at filming a motorsport movie, his name has been linked with an Enzo Ferrari picture for years now. Let us hope that it gets the green light soon.

125cc – the class that keeps on giving

Where Moto2 leads Moto3 will follow. (pic Silverstone)

125cc Grand Prix racing will be sorely missed when it is replaced by Moto3 next season, unless of course the new format doesn’t shake things up too much. For decades the smallest of the Grand Prix classes has been the very definition of close competition, even today there is intense pack-racing and last lap passes galore. At the Sachsenring we were treated to that rarest of results – a dead heat between Hector Faubel and Johann Zarco. After forty minutes of fantastic racing around the sweeps and dips of the German Grand Prix venue the Aprilia and the Derbi could not be separated by either the timing beam or even the photo-finish camera. They had to settle it on a tie-break that gave the win to Faubel due to him scoring a faster race lap as they dashed to the flag.

The 125cc class has been a part of the show since the start of world championship motorcycle racing in 1949, so the forthcoming Moto3 rulebook has a lot to live up to. On the evidence of Moto2 we shouldn’t worry too much. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such hot competition in the middle class of motorcycle Grand Prix racing before the advent of this multi-chassis spec-engine formula. In 2011 Marquez and Bradl – who finished one-two at the Sachsenring this afternoon – have put on quite a show. Both deserve a spot in Moto GP.

Luckily there should be a place for them both in the top class next year as we are due to be treated to an influx of new teams. This is sorely needed of course with only 17 riders, sometimes less, competing at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. The new rules will see more bang for your buck as the engineers squeeze another few CCs out of the engines. It’s extra bikes that are needed for the top flight rather than a bit more cubic capacity, nobody worried that 500s weren’t big enough, they just concentrated on making the engines punch way above their weight.

The 2011 grid may be lacking in quantity but there is still plenty of quality, the Moto GP encounter at the Sachsenring was a treat with entertainment all through the modest field. The ever-injured Danny Pedrosa took a surprising and hard-fought win from the two title protagonists Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner who duked it out until the flag fell, the Yamaha rider eventually overcoming the Australian who sits atop the standings. The riders may not be too keen on the track but the tight sweepers of the Sachsenring usually make for entertaining racing. The hundreds of thousands who packed the stands and the banks clearly think a little differently to the guys who are sat on the bikes, the German GP attendance was close to Spanish or Italian levels.

A Moto GP race day always features close finishes, huge grids and superstar riders. It’s just a shame that it’s not usually all in the same race. Let’s hope that Moto3 doesn’t ruin the magic of 125s and that Moto GP’s tweaked rules result in a boost to the grid.

The GOATs of commentary

What good commentary looks like. (pic Neil Spalding)

Martin Brundle and David Coulthard may be two of the best racing analysts in the business but I still found something missing in their first stab at race commentary together. We need a voice of the fans, somebody who hasn’t seen it all and done it all. Dear old Murray hasn’t had Ayrton Senna crash into him or given Schumacher the finger, MB and DC have. This makes for great insight, but it’s less conducive to an audio ride that is as thrilling as the pictures. We need people who are amazed by the skills and bravery our sport brings out of the chosen few who dare to partake in it, observers who are in thrall of the combatants rather than just the admittedly welcome but ultimately too knowing perspective of former racers.

The definitive commentary team in all of motorsports has to be Toby Moody and Julian Ryder who man the mic for Eurosport’s excellent Moto GP coverage. Their pal and sometimes co-commentator Neil Spalding tweeted the above picture which to me says it all. It’s only the 125s but already the pair are peaking. It’s not just Mr Moody’s mad eyes, look how he’s gripping Jules like a mother clutching onto a wayward child! This is what sports commentary should be all about. Mark Webber clearly thinks so, as he cheekily told the BBC F1 boys…

Have a look at this clip to hear (and see) just how good they are at what they do. Toby also has extensive knowledge of car racing that shames many who voice four-wheeled sports. He’s even worked for a few F1 teams back in the 1990s; wouldn’t it be great to have energy like his on the BBC? Brundle and Coulthard are brilliant at what they do, but let’s have some crazy characters with trainspotter tendencies back in the box with them. Ben Edwards, Martin Haven or the Beeb’s own Crofty would do the trick too and I believe it would do wonders for keeping folk awake and away from the remote if there was feeling like this coming through the speakers.

Jorge goes for his annual dip

Jerez is Lorenzo's land. (pic Fiat Yamaha)

Bernie may want rain to spice up F1 races but in Moto GP a little precipitation often does the opposite and ruins the fun. This Sunday was a little different though, the rain in Spain allowed for heroics from some and made headaches for others, it all added up to a spectacular race for the hundreds of thousands of moto-mad fans that make Jerez one of the best Grand Prix of the year. It was race of the week from where I was sitting, so it must have been something else trackside.

The substantial crowd may have been cheering Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Rossi but Casey Stoner was hoping to spoil the party after claiming pole position. The Honda rider was the man to beat at Losail and could have done the same on Spanish soil were it not for the rain and an out-of-control Valentino Rossi. During the thrilling early laps The Doctor blasted through from his poor grid spot to trouble Stoner, Lorenzo and Simoncelli at the front until the Ducati rider fell into the path of the Aussie star sending both into the kitty-litter like skittles. While the marshals rushed to Rossi’s aid they left Stoner frustrated and unable to push-start his still race-worthy Honda. Casey lost his championship lead and had a few choice words for Valentino afterwards including the oldie-but-goodie “you ran out of talent” along with some criticism for the race officials themselves.

The two champions weren’t the only ones to visit the gravel; three of the top nine finishes had all spent time on their bums during the Grand Prix before recovering. Simoncelli was perhaps the most unfortunate, after taking Lorenzo and Stoner on successive laps he wobbled his way out of an impressive lead and onto the floor leaving Jorge Lorenzo to take another win at Jerez. And yes, he dived in the pond again although this time he was already soaked by the relentless drizzle. Pedrosa made it a Spanish one-two while Nicky Hayden got the third spot on the podium, a position that nobody else seemed to want including Ben Spies who even got as high up the order as second before falling off.

There were plenty of great rides throughout the Moto GP weekend but it was the paperclip track at Martinsville that provided my racer of the week. Kevin Harvick picked up his second win on the bounce in Sprint Cup competition after shuffling past Dale Earnhardt Jnr in the last couple of minutes, consecutive wins are a rare thing in Sprint Cup especially on such wildly different tracks.

Although Harvick has to be racer of the week, Johnny Sauter deserves a shout for taking a win in the Camping World Trucks on the micro-oval. The presence of Harvick and Busch in Trucks makes a victory in this series so much more valuable to the few who can break their stranglehold. Expect the Kevin and Kyle show to resume next time out though, it’s not often those two get beaten in a Truck and both of them are driving better than ever in 2011. Watch and learn Mr Raikkonen.

An Australian star lights up the desert

Casey Stoner rules at Losail and pays tribute to Japan

Doesn’t Casey Stoner look right in Repsol leathers? I have a feeling that it is an association that will come to define him, especially if Casey keeps performing as he did last Sunday night. The Honda super-team of the Doohan and Rossi era has returned in style with the young Australian shining brightest of all under the lights of Qatar as Moto GP kicked off 2011 after an intriguing off-season packed with rider swaps.

The dull circuit was as illuminated by Casey’s inspired riding as it was by the thousands of lights shining in the desert night, earning the Honda-newcomer my racer of the week title. He didn’t just humble the more established Honda riders Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Simoncelli, he also beat last year’s champion Jorge Lorenzo. The lollipop-munching Yamaha rider said he rode at 100% to keep up with Casey, implying he never had to ride his steed quite so fast while battling Valentino Rossi last year, which is a sobering thought.

As for everybody’s favourite Italian nine-time champion, Valentino struggled in the saddle of the Ducati vacated by Stoner. Seventh was all the great man could manage with the eyes of Italy fixated on him and his team. Getting to know the new team sounds like a good excuse for an average result, but a glimpse inside the red squad’s pit box showed plenty of faces that followed Rossi over from Yamaha. A tenth championship is not likely for The Doctor in 2011 as he recovers from injury and tames a radically different bike, while Casey Stoner already looks odds on to seal the second crown of his career.

Dude, where’s my sponsor?

Looks fast to us - Lorenzo & Spies check out their new ride.

50 years in the business, the two hottest youngsters on the grid and a number one on the fairing – sounds like a recipe for a big sponsor. Except for Yamaha’s works Moto GP squad it isn’t. Jorge Lorenzo is going to defend his title without the backing of a title sponsor, an indicator of just how tough the economy is at the moment.

Valentino Rossi is off to fulfill his destiny by riding for Ducati in 2011 and former sponsor Fiat has left too. Yamaha are putting a brave face on it, in fact they seem rather keen on being able to use their corporate colours and are planning on doing some ‘special’ paint jobs over the course of the season. Good for them, but pity the smaller teams who haven’t got half a century of success behind them and two champion riders under contract. No wonder the Moto GP grid has shrunk over the last few years.

For now we’ll leave Lorenzo and Spies looking at their lovely YZR-M1s and wish them luck for the year ahead. At least the bikes will be a bit lighter without all those pesky decals!

Boogity boogity boogity!

 

The wraps come off the 2011 season at Daytona (pic by 359)

Racing is the most thrilling pursuit in the world bar none, so reading reports of meaningless F1 lap times at dull tracks is hardly a fitting way for the European season to start. Moto GP has a better idea by televising the Barcelona test and giving the fastest rider a BMW M3 as a prize, although that’s still not as exciting as a curtain-raiser should be. What we need is a pair of blue riband races sandwiching a whole month of motorsport all played out in front of hundreds of thousands of people. What we need is Speedweeks.

I always get excited about the new season once the beach at Daytona is echoing to the sound of rumbling V8s. It’s the same each year as the Rolex 24 starts the festivities of Speedweeks. This year the endurance classic was just that; a classic encounter that really sold me on the current Grand Am rulebook for the first time. Has it always been this good?

Tonight there has been more racing as the grid for the 500 was settled in the Gatorade Duels. Last week saw the Bud Shoot Out produce some of the weirdest racing I’ve ever seen – 206mph tandems that effectively made for eight-wheel race cars, the Duels were much the same. The smoother track surface may make things look a little less edgy, but the high speeds and the necessity for two cars to stay tied together conspires to create some wacky racing.

It says a lot about Nascar that they have already put rule changes into place to try to change the racing. I know things aren’t quite so simple in F1, but Nascar shames them when it comes to the ad hoc management of the regulations. Ditherers need not apply in Nascar. There could be further alterations to the cars between the Gatorade Duels and the main event with Sprint Cup series Director John Darby saying as late as Wednesday “We’ve got a long way to go until Sunday. The goal is to get everything under control so that we can put on the most exciting Daytona 500 that everybody’s ever watched. We’ll do what we have to do to get there.” Now that’s the spirit!