Talks about a campaign to support bike racing began back in late 2005. GP Future founding partners Steve Male and Mark Lucas spoke to people from both sides of the track fence and soon found a common desire to see more British riders in the top racing classes, particularly in MotoGP.
We also found many bike racing sites with forum discussion threads. Most agreed that more should be done to get British riders into MotoGP. We have had World Superbike champions in Carl Fogarty (4 times winner), Neil Hodgson and most recently James Toseland (2 titles) but the last GP world champion Britain had was Barry Sheene, back in 1976 & 1977.
It's generally accepted that whilst football, for example, has a huge following, there is less mainstream interest in MotoGP. This is a shame for those who do not know much about the sport. Formula 1 still seems to have a strong following, yet MotoGP (and indeed, all top class motorcycle racing) provides as much glamour as F1 yet has one more aspect, often lacking in F1 - real, edge-of-the-seat excitement. Oh yes - and overtaking.
It's clearly a vicious circle:
- There is little media interest because there is perceived to be little public interest. However, the TV viewing figures contradict this assumption.
- Public interest would improve if there were more British riders with a competitive ride getting more publicity.
- British riders have difficulty in getting competitive rides because they cannot get the financial backing.
- Backers are (presumably) reluctant to step forward because they can't see where they will get publicity, due to the lack of mainstream media cover.
So, what to do? At GP Future, we want to raise the profile of the sport in general and use this site to allow anyone to send in suggestions. We are NOT interested in hearing from more people simply asking why more isn't being done; that's not going to help. We share the frustration but we can only make a collective impact by making those with the ability to effect change aware of the opportunities.
At the highest level, we acknowledge that MotoGP is as much an elitist sport as F1, where only the privileged few get the chance to display their skills. Even there, only a few riders are in with a chance of lifting the trophy.
Of course, Valentino Rossi isn't always going to be there and the sport will doubtless continue when he decides to leave. He lost his stranglehold on the Premier series by coming second to USA's Nicky Hayden in 2006. In 2007, Australian Casey Stoner won the title. Ironically, Stoner gained his first-level experience via the UK-based Aprilia Superteen 125 series. Rossi regained the crown for 2008 & 2009 but again was runner-up in 2010 to Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo.
For the 2011 MotoGP season, Cal Crutchlow is the only British rider in the Blue Riband MotoGP class and rides for the satellite Yamaha Tech 3 team. Cal is recognized as a huge talent and has been given a major opportunity to gain experience. There is a lot on his shoulders but, like most British riders, Cal's background is in supersports & superbikes, rather than GP bikes.
Even at UK national level, in British Superbikes (BSB), only the top riders actually earn a wage. Many riders bring money with them via personal sponsors whilst still holding down a regular Monday-Friday job. Factory-backed teams can spend millions of pounds funding their BSB hopes, whereas even a small privateer team will need to find upwards of £150,000 to enter a single rider and bike. Additionally, the various superbike disciplines are more easily accessible for riders and therefore provide an "easier" way in to racing. Grand Prix racing is certainly more elitist and far more difficult to be successful in. Riders in the MotoGP class who are at the top of their game got there after years of rising through the ranks of 125cc and 250cc two-stroke racing before getting their chance in the four-stroke MotoGP class.
Therein may lie much of the problem. The superbike series' are well populated and very well attended in the UK but this is not the case in Grand Prix racing. Many British riders do not have the experience of the GP series that other countries (particularly Spain) enjoy. There is plenty of talent available but not much representation, at least not in the top flight. Unfortunately, talent alone does not guarantee you a ride in MotoGP. In sport, as in many other aspects of modern life, it's a sad fact that money does indeed talk. Without considerable financial backing, talent alone will not get you on the grid; riders are expected to bring major sponsorship with them. Most will struggle to get the sort of money that will bring them to the attention of a big team.
