112 replies to this topic

[Stu Pidman]

Me too.
I admit to being a Luddite.

[exclubracer]

For me, 125 racing died years ago.


By weslake at 2011-11-06

By gum, that's a lovely looking bit o' kit

make your ears bleed, I'd bet, eh?

[GD66]

I was at a dinner in Sydney a few years back, and Steve Murray told us that when sitting on the grid behind one of those being revved up, they sounded like a Jack Russell being kicked repeatedly in the nuts...

[GD66]

The only comforting thought I have is that at my age I may well not have to witness the final curtain.
I've already witnessed the demise of the 50cc, 80cc 125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc classes, plus the current mess the idiots are creating.
Would someone give me some good news.................please?

Sure ! You forgot to include Sidecars and F750 !

[fil2.8]

I was at a dinner in Sydney a few years back, and Steve Murray told us that when sitting on the grid behind one of those being revved up, they sounded like a Jack Russell being kicked repeatedly in the nuts...

what a lovely way with words

[terryshep]

Back to real race bikes, Ashley Beech on Honda125GP bike 2007.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge.

Your pictures are fabulous, Graham, both you and John deserve our thanks for sharing.

[picblanc]

Much appreciated Terry, thank you.

[rd500]

Today such a thing is unheard of, we have the multi million dollar circus on the move.
It makes me think that there must be many drawing huge salaries for doing very little for the "sport".
I also have to ask is the sport any better for all this money changing hands?
I don't think it is, in fact I think it is worse now than ever it was in the past.
Those of you who were determined enough to do the "continental circus" in the 50's and 60's would have a better idea.

Would someone give me some good news.................please?

stu, it reminds me of when nikki lauda visited a grand prix in 1993 [ cant remeber where but austria would ring a bell] and he was fascinated enough to say "its like what F1 was like 30 years ago, everybodys together and its a big family" enough said....

the good news in the future has to be the new ccrt championships beginning in 2012 [i know i keep going on about it] which will be the saviour of bike racing, im sure of it. this is what its trying to recreate, the spirit of the sport and not the commercialisation of the sport. they dont want great big hospitality tents and 50 people working for 1 team, its about a engineer designing a bike, someone to ride it as hard as they can and have a good crack along the way.

someone said to me the other day about jimmy saville, could you imagine a guy sitting in a huge armchair in a tracksuit with a great big cigar with loads of kids around him on tv now? times have changed.

[Stu Pidman]

I have read a few times about DORNA selling off Moto whatever.
Can someone tell me just what it is that they have to sell?

[Robin127]

I have read a few times about DORNA selling off Moto whatever.
Can someone tell me just what it is that they have to sell?

Advertising.

[picblanc]

I have read a few times about DORNA selling off Moto whatever.
Can someone tell me just what it is that they have to sell?

http://www.dorna.com...thecompany.html

[rd500]

youll have to bear with me on this one guys but this was my take on it,

we had all the ramblings about prize money/track conditions years ago notably duke with the starting money and things like the french gp in 82 and the world series threats,but for me the real changes started when they set up IRTA if i remember right at assen in 85.

quite soon things began to get more organised but we still had disasters happening, argentina 87 and spa 89 come to mind where it was clear the fim were lacking the presision to run a sport at the level it was getting to, i think this is where the old spirit started to fade.

fast forward to 1990 and with the debacle that was the yugo gp where a rider was killed in a meeting only weeks before the gp and nothing was changed at the spot where the accident happened,despite growing concerns from riders, then when the 125 gp started they went into the first corner and the same accident happened, very unhappy the 125 riders staged a protest as the clerk of the course and the fim jury wanted to get the 500s going because of the tv timetable.

this im sure was the same meeting when a fim jury member asked garry taylor who was riding for them and he replied "rob mac and paul lewis" to which he replied "yes they are doing very well", of course they werent in the series.

plus they had the problem with the small grids in 90 and the fim started to make changes, they brought in joe zegward after this and he really took the helm at the start of 91, the fims plans to get more bikes on the grid was to scrap the 500s as an open class and have a class for 500cc 4 stroke bikes which went down like a lead ballon in all the camps, zegward said in a statement that the factories had proposed his but this was denied by all the spokesmen from the manufacturers.

of course in 91 they brought in the twin rules which saw the overbored 250 of hans becker, 397 i believe with hummel cylinders but nobody seemed interested even though he was beating some of the triples. this was when the factories decided to get involved and make efforts for 92 which we all know the results with the roc/harris bikes from yamaha.

back to 91 though and with the failure of the brazilian gp to go through safety checks the teams were having enough and the talk of world series were risen again, the fim said they thought they couldnt pull this off as they were struggling for bikes anyway but this was the most funded/organised and powerful the teams and riders have ever been and the fim knew it.

so irta started to get into talks with a few people including bernie ecclestone and with the company videvision, who filmed all the gps over the last few years and started to organise what they saw as a breakaway series, the fim then challenged directly the "breakaway series" toward the end of the year and zegward commented "if they want a fight, ill fight anyone who challenges the fim"

by now the press were heralding zegward as a scapegoat the fim had set and this is where it gets confusing, the fim, desperate to keep control of the sport went in a diffrent direction and started to consult tv companys so they could have more power [im sure youll know who that is]
this in turn ecclestone started to back down as he didnt want to run both the F1 and motorcycle gps.

Irta it seemed were back in the fims grasp but in a twist IRTA had then gone with the tv company and this is where it seems the fim lost most of its power, dorna and irta seemed to go in hand well as they wanted a to promote a good, finacial image to the sport and the fim were kinda left out in the cold. hence, here we are today

if i have made any mistakes please correct me but this is how i see it from my own mind. cheers

[picblanc]

That some's it up very nicely I think, nice one!