#GrandPrix

Riding through the little village of Samarate in Varese, Italy, the roads are narrow, with flats adorning one side – usually two or three stories high – and fields and trees adorning the other. Cars parked along the road make the narrow street even tighter, and the foot traffic marching to the church can clog the streets on a Sunday. It’s a sleepy little town and is remarkably easy to miss. You can ride right on through, from one end to the other, and dismiss the town entirely. Except for the little house with a helicopter – four, actually – resting on the lawn under canvas tarps. They’re so out of place in this little town that it’s hard not to stop and wonder what they’re doing there. That’s when you realize you’ve reached the Museo Agusta, or the MV Agusta museum.

Returning on May 6, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering will feature over 300 motorcycles and displays from popular brands, premier vendors and local food-and-beverage companies

Add Moto Guzzi to the very short list of manufacturers able to say they’ve been in existence for 100 years. Today – March 15, 2021 – marks the 100-year mark for one of Italy’s famed motorcycle brands, which can also lay claim to having every single one of its models since the beginning roll out from the same door in Mandello del Lario.

As if Valentino Rossi hasn’t already accomplished enough during his grand prix career, The Doctor is on track to record another remarkable milestone: If he completes the 15th lap of the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend at the Circuito de Jerez Àngel Nieto, Rossi will have completed 8,730 laps. An amazing number on its own, the achievement will equate to having ridden 40,075 kilometers, or just over 24,901 miles – the equivalent of a lap around the world!

With more passing than you’d see at an April 20 party, the 2017 Motul Assen TT was one of the more riveting races in recent memory. Tech 3 Yamaha rookie sensation Johann Zarco led the first 11 laps from pole. Meanwhile, Valentino Rossi and Ducati brute Danilo Petrucci were in the heart of the lead group along with Marc Marquez on the Repsol Honda. But Rossi – fast, patient and strategic – managed to beat Petrucci to the flag by .06 seconds. They don’t call him The Doctor for nothing.

The chance to ride a real-deal 250 Grand Prix World Championship bike is the stuff dreams are made of. I grew up obsessed by 250GP racing. In my teens, in the 1990s I knew every rider, every race number, had the posters on my bedroom wall and all of the races taped on videotape! As soon as I got my Learners, I was on the road on an old RZ250FN, followed by a few TZR250s before I started roadracing on RGV250s in 1995. Even my RGV racebike was painted the same colors as the Ralf Waldman HB 250. Riding the RGV proddie, I dreamed of one day being a 250 GP rider.

This weekend’s MotoGP in Jerez, Spain, will be the 3,000th race since the World Championship series began in 1949. Let’s look back at some other historic events in motorcycle grand prix history.

The motorsports community is saddened today by the loss of one of the true legends of motorcycle racing. John Surtees, winner of four world championships in Grand Prix racing’s premier class, passed away at the age of 83.

A fixture in the Grand Prix paddock for more than 40 years, Francesco Pileri helped many of the sport’s legends get their start. Riders who have worked with Pileri include the likes of Angel Nieto, Fausto Gresini, Paolo Casoli, Loris Capirossi, and Alex Barros, just to name a few.

The BMW GS line basically owned the Adventure-Touring category before such a term even existed. But that doesn’t mean competition didn’t exist. Such a competitor came from Aprilia, as it tried its hand at something resembling a GS competitor. The year was 2001 and the bike was the 2002 Aprilia ETV 1000 Caponord; the precursor, of course, to the Caponords that would come more than a decade later. History clearly doesn’t look too fondly at the old Capo being any bit of a threat to BMW, but what did the MO gang of 2001 think of the bike? Read on to find out.

Being able to ride a motorcycle is one thing, but being able to ride it proficiently is another thing entirely. This is especially true when it comes to navigating corners during a street ride. Not only does the rider have to deal with the dynamics of the specific corner, but other things like road conditions and oncoming traffic are both important obstacles to consider.

Were he still alive, Barry Sheene would turn 67 in 2017. A British racing icon, he remained the last grand prix world champion until Danny Kent won the Moto3 title in 2015. Known for his bravado and hard-charging style, Sheene won over fans from around the world. Including France, where this story originates.

Read that headline again: Suter MMX 500 Two-Stroke To Race Isle Of Man TT. That’s right, Suter’s 580cc V-4 two-stroke grand prix replica is going to compete at the Isle of Man TT this year, not just parade around for a celebration lap. The news was reported on the official Isle of Man TT website, wherein it was also announced the MMX 500 would compete in both the Superbike class and the TT’s premier category: The six-lap Senior TT. If you’re not familiar with the MMX 500, you can read more about it here.

I think this is the first time I’ve been truly afraid of a motorcycle. And I mean fear. The bike is invaluable and has a lot of important history. Cagiva entered Grand Prix racing in 1990 and had to battle against the ultra-rich Japanese manufacturers with seemingly unlimited budgets, in a day when expenses and rider salaries were peaking. A cheap rider was at least a million bucks, and still the small factory with the big heart pushed on and, eventually, against the odds, rose to the winner’s podium. Had finances not restricted the forward progression, a world title might’ve been possible.

An idea struck me after reading Tom’s Top 10 lists about 500cc/MotoGP and World Superbike champions. There are so many great riders who come through both series, and yet, at the end of the year, only one of them can be crowned champion. The rest? They get the unfortunate distinction of bridesmaids (hence the lead photo above from the movie with the same name). It’s often said in professional sports that nobody remembers second place, but in this Top 10 I’m doing just that – paying tribute to the top riders who were never able to bring home a world title.