About GP Future
Talks about a campaign to support bike racing began in late 2005. The 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, Neil Hodgson and James Toseland but the last GP world champion Britain had was Barry Sheene, back in 1976 & 1977.
It seems generally accepted that whilst football, for example, has a huge following (despite no World title since 1966), there seems to be much less mainstream Media interest in MotoGP. This is a shame for those who do not know much about the sport. Formula 1 still has 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.
At GP Future, we understand that it's a vicious circle:
- There is little Media interest because there is perceived to be little public interest. However, the 2006 TV viewing figures have been released and now 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 or a return on their investment, 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 continue when he decides to leave. 2006 provided a tense finale when he lost his stranglehold on the Premier series by coming second in the championship to USA's Nicky Hayden. In 2007, his main protagonist is the young Australian Casey Stoner who, ironically, gained his first level experience via the UK-based Aprilia Superteen 125 series.
For the 2008 MotoGP season, James Toseland is the sole British rider in the Blue Riband MotoGP class. James is riding for the satellite Yamaha Tech 3 team which, now it is running with Michelin tyres, is proving to be a major thorn in the side of the leading factory teams.
Britain is better represented in the smaller 125 and 250 classes. In the 125cc class, we have Bradley Smith, now riding a more competitive Aprilia for the Polaris World team, along with Danny Webb and Scott Redding, riding for Molenaar Racing and Blusens Racing respectively. In the 250cc class, Britain has Northen Ireland rider Eugene Laverty representing the UK effort, having shown his skills in the British Supersports championship in 2006.
Unfortunately, talent alone does not guarantee you a ride in the top class. In sport as in many other aspects of modern life, it's a sad fact that money does indeed talk. Without considerable financial backing, no end of talent will get you on the grid. Many riders struggle to get enough money behind them to be in a position where a team will even talk to them.
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 to 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 run a single rider and bike.
The GP Future partners are keen to find a way forward for all British riders. Details of the partners can be found here.