Does Red Bull Have The Wings To Replace Tobacco?

As long as there has been motorcycle racing there has been tobacco advertising gracing side fairings. Lucky Strikes, Marlboro, Gauloises, Camel and Chesterfield have all enabled champion riders such as Kevin Schwantz to ride winning machines developed by the likes of Suzuki, Ducati and Yamaha. But in the mid 2000s began to change. Teams such as Camel Honda would replace the ‘Camel’ on the bikes and leathers with ‘Bayliss’ or ‘Biaggi’ as more and more countries began to ban tobacco advertising. Some teams, such as Ducati, kept the sponsorship and instead had fairing or leathers that were similar to well known tobacco brand’s logos. But for the majority of teams the wealth of tobacco money was gone.

Since then the number of teams in all classes has shrunk, the quest for sponsorship not helped by the world’s economic troubles. Spanish and Italian companies, were MotoGP gets the majority of its viewership from, helped from a while but now even they have began to fade. Although a new industry looks to perhaps have a small amount of the much needed sponsorship money, energy drinks. The multi-billion dollar industry isn’t new to sponsoring MotoGP teams, sponsoring the Yamaha of Garry McCoy (amongst others) in the 500cc days of yore.

Energy drinks have seen an explosion in popularity from the early 2000s when Red Bull first came onto the market, now dozens of brands exist and nearly all of them seem to have an interest in MotoGP. Smaller brands such as ‘Go & Fun,’ which also make a variety of other energy products, have replaced San Carlo as Gresini’s title sponsor. ArmA has been sponsoring Scott Redding and the Marc VDS team for over three years and even budget energy drinks such as ‘Mad Croc’ have sponsored riders such a Ricky Cardus.

The two biggest brands, Red Bull and Monster, look as though they could potentially be sponsoring Honda and Yamaha’s MotoGP efforts. Red Bull have been sponsoring Dani Pedrosa and soon to be factory rider Marc Marquez for years and recently stepped up their support for Stefan Bradl and the LCR team, even being rumored as a title sponsor for them. Red Bull clearly has an interest in supporting Honda.

Monster, one of the newer companies in the energy drinks competition, have shown a huge interest in MotoGP. Sponsored riders include; Pol Espagaro, Valentio Rossi, Ben Spies, Andrea Dovizioso and the Tech 3 team. With Rossi’s move back to Yamaha it looks, if the rumors are true, as if Monster could now be a major, if not title, sponsor of the factory Yamaha team. Recent reports have it that Yamaha have bought out Lorenzo’s Rockstar contract for an estimated 2 million Euros, clearing the way for Monster, Rossi’s personal sponsor, to be a major player on the Yamaha’s fairing. It is estimated that between Eneos and Monster Yamaha could be gaining 7 million Euros, the same money Fiat once brought them.

If the energy drinks market continues to grow as it does and the world’s economic problems, hopefully, lift, they could offer a large amount of sponsorship for the struggling GP championship. Obviously energy drink money alone won’t be enough, but hopefully combined with Dorna’s cost cutting methods we’ll see the GP grid grow and just maybe more exciting racing on a regular basis.

Rookies Rule

         Each year a swell of new talent comes into every class. Being the smallest class Moto3 sees the most new talent, this year eleven rookies entered the lightweight class. Out of all of them all Rins emerged as Rookie of the year over Fenati in a battle that went down to Valencia. 

         There have been many replacement riders and riders with multiple wildcards throughout the year, but the official MotoGP riders class a ‘Rookie’ as someone with 9 nine or less race weekends in a single year. We’ll only be looking at riders who have competed in 9 or more races this season and are therefore at the end of their rookie season.

A chart comparing the rider who finished above the discussed rider accompanies each summary.

1st

         Alex Rins, the rookie of the year, had a consistent year, especially from Mugello onwards where he scored top ten points in all rounds, excluding Valencia. His first, and only podium, came in the soaking wet of Le Mans as he battled with fellow rookie Antonelli. The former CEV champion was always a threat in the wet and during qualifying, although his lack of circuit knowledge and experience at this high level meant that the likes of Salom and Vinales would often be able to pass him over race distance. Rins, who finished 5th overall, will stay with his Estrella Gallcia 0,0 team joined by former team mate and current CEV champion Alex Marquez, although the team will now run KTMs instead of the Suter Honda package.

2nd

         Moto3 saw Italy’s drought of lower class rider talent end as several riders burst onto the scene, especially Fenati with a stunning second in the first race. The former European champion, Romano Fenati, then went on to win in the damp of Jerez in only his second race. His trademark white helmet soon made him a popular paddock character. After Jerez his results dropped considerably with three DNFs in six races. However, once he came to home soil in Mugello Fenati, along with Cortese and Vinales, provided one of the best, and closest races of the Moto3 season. Not only did Fenati score yet another podium but he also provided one of the highlights of the season after speeding ahead of the pack on the warm-up lap and sitting on the line, arms folded, as the other riders crawled around. Fenati would end the season with four podiums, the most of any rookie and in 6th position in the overall championship. Next year will see Fenati remain with the FIM racing team and continuing to run the FTR Honda, a package that proved to be very strong.

3rd

         The first time Arthur Sissis rode a road-racing bike was at his Red Bull Rookies selection day. Within just a few years he was challenging for the RBR crown, narrowly missing out in the last race. His efforts in the RBR earned him a spot in the prestigious Ajo KTM factory squad. The former speedway champion often struggled during qualifying but proved to be a true racer, able to battle through the pack. When he did qualify well he achieved great things. At his home race at Phillip Island he achieved his first podium after qualifying in 7th and battling all race long with a brace of other riders. Like Fenati and Rins he will continue with the same squad next year, partnered by Luis Salom.

4th

         Niccolo Antonelli came into Moto3 in the Gresini squad as the other great Italian hope. The CIV champion was frequently seen battling for podium positions during the middle of races but had a tendency to drop off in the final laps. With two front rows, Antonelli was frequently one of the strongest rookies during qualifying but also had a tendency to get pushed wide by other more aggressive riders. Like Fenati, Antonelli stepped up to the challenge on home turf in Mugello, scoring a 4th after battling with Fenati for much of the race. He also scored a 4th in Le Mans, able to stay upright in the tricky conditions. Sticking with Gresini for next season with the same FTR-Honda bike provides an excellent base to improve from. If the Super Sic look-a-like isn’t on the podium next season it would be surprising.

5th

         South African champion and Red Bull Rookies front-runner Brad Binder had a tough season. He was plagued with technical problems and crashes out of his control, such as at Jerez. Brad’s season ended strongly with three point scoring races and a win in the last CEV race of the season. Initially Binder insisted he wasn’t a wet weather rider by two excellent races in the wet of Sachsenring (before his engine expired) and Valencia meant he wouldn’t be allowed to use the excuse ‘It doesn’t rain in South Africa,’ for a long, long time. Having a teammate the caliber of Luis Salom allowed Brad to learn a lot, and quickly. Next year sees Brad join the Ambrogio Racing team on the Suter Honda that saw him beat the likes of Antonelli, Rins and Sissis at the final CEV race of the year.

6th

         Frenchman Alan Techer started the 2012 Moto3 season well, scoring points in all but one of the first five races. Sadly, after that he scored points just once more during the season, struggling on the TSR Honda as other bikes, especially the KTMs, received frequent upgrades. Known for being a hot head, Techer, would often get involved in race long battles with slower riders instead of remaining clam and slipping past quickly. Having an uncompetitive teammate in Kenta Fuiji didn’t help with finding a setting or developing the bike. The CIP team will again allow Techer to race in the Moto3 championship next year onboard a TSR Honda that will hopefully prove to be more competitive.

7th

         Former IDM champion Jack Miller had a rough season to say the least. Three broken collarbones meant that he spent a large part of the season heavily injured, making the standard Honda an even greater challenge. When he wasn’t recovering from yet another collarbone plating and it was wet Miller was in his element, the lanky teen demonstrating his abilities in Sachsenring, a track he knew well from racing in Germany. Gaining Damian Cudlin as his riding coach during the closing stages of the year seemed to help Jack, especially with bike set-up. Continuing his relationship with all Germany, Miller will ride the FTR Honda for Racing Team Germany. Miller’s love for unique hairstyles and wheeling scooters with Sissis, have made him quite the character in the paddock.

8th

         Ivan Moreno had a difficult season on his FTR Honda. An injury half way through the season saw him replaced by Alberto Moncayo, he would not regain the ride. Before the injury Moreno had scored points on just two occasions, in the wet of Jerez and Le Mans. Moreno does not have a ride next year in the Moto3 championship and will most likely return to the CEV series.

9th

         Being the cousin of Maverick Vinales puts a lot of pressure on you, especially when you’re racing against him. Isaac didn’t quite live up to his younger cousin’s pedigree but did offer substantial confusion for commentators throughout the year. Isaac scored points on two occasions and tested the MIR Honda during the practice sessions at Valencia to no avail. Isaac will remain with the Ongetta team on an FTR Honda for next season where he will hopefully be able to show more consistent results.

10th

         Starting the season with MZ, Toni Finsterbusch had a bumpy start to the season as MZ quickly folded. Racing Team Germany offered him salvation aboard a standard Honda, known for being uncompetitive. Sadly Toni had several crashes throughout the year, which hampered his track time significantly. He did however score points twice, in Assen and the Sachsenring. He will join the Keiffer Racing team in Moto3 next year and ride the much more competitive Kalex-KTM bike.

11th

         Kenta Fuji came into the Moto3 championship as a Japanese champion; despite this he had a torrid season on the TSR Honda, unable to score any points and frequently the last rider across the line. A wildcard in the Japanese series during one of the none-race weekends resulted in a win, despite this he does not have a ride for the Moto3 World Championship next year.

Here is a chart showing all of the riders finishes together.

Finally we have a chart showing the cumulative collection of points. This more easily illustrates who had a steady gain of points as opposed to those who gained them all quickly before not scoring for several races.

New Prints and Pricing

With the addition of photos from the GP Generali de la Communitat Valencia to the collection there is more exciting news. Prints have been repriced!

From now on prints will come in two sizes:

 A1(33inches x 23.4 inches) 

A2 (23.4 inches x 16.5 inches)

 They also come in both glossy and matte.

A1 Prints will cost £20 / €25 + Postage

A2 Prints will cost £15 / €20 + Postage

As always, email me at harrylloy94@gmail.com if you’re interested in a print.

For Canvases select the photo you want and tell me the price you're willing to spend (can include shipping) and I'll get the largest sized canvas for the price!

Photos can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/harrylloydgp/collections/72157630775399000/

Goose, we need you!

Sepang is always an interesting race. It comes at the time in the season when, mathematically, championships can be won, and lost. At the beginning of the weekend there were three riders who stood a chance of taking home the inaugural Moto3 honours; Sandro Cortese, Luis Salom and Maverick Vinales. However Maverick Vinales has removed himself from the running by refusing to race for his team, Blusens Avintia, due them being “a second division team,” and perhaps more importantly the fact that his manager, who is also the team manager of said “second division team”, had failed to inform him of other offers for next year. The situation is further complicated as Vinales had signed a two year contract (one year in Moto3 and one year in Moto2) with the Blusens team.

Most people understand that a formal contract, such as one outlining your employment for the next two years, is legally binding and breaking it without evidence of negligence on behalf of the contract provider. Even considering that there are most likely other factors involved in the split, it’s hard to see how Vinales will be able to break the contract without legal repercussions, most likely having to pay a sizable amount of money. Dorna, the parent company of MotoGP, may even take it upon themselves to deal with Vinales, although what they would do is much harder to predict. Some possible options are a ‘ban’ from riding for the two years that the contract would have been in affect, ‘You ride for us, or no one.’ This depends on how the contract is worded and perhaps more importantly how good the lawyers are for each side, if it does reach that stage.

There are much broader implications for Vinales too, the most severe being the risk to his career. Even for a teenager Maverick has proved himself to be a hot headed and despite being very quick on a motorcycle it makes him much less attractive to prospective teams. Many talented riders such as Cortese, Marquez and Lorenzo have been known to be hot heads on the track, especially in their younger days. But few of them openly walked away from contracts or refused to ride, their situation may have been slightly different but the point stands.

This incident also bring up the idea of a rider union, a collective of riders and legal representatives who ensure fair practice amongst the teams. There are several problems with this however, first there is the issue of funding. Teams are currently struggling for funding and this union would require funding, and probably a lot of it, but there is almost no where for the money to come from, apart from the pocket’s of the riders. This would be very unlikely as the majority of riders struggle to get paid as it is. There is also the issue of getting a ride being almost as competitive as riding the ride. This fact would potentially make riders less likely to join as they may feel that by helping another rider to get a ride it stops them obtaining one too.

It is likely that whatever happens Vinales will be back next season, probably in Moto3 aboard a KTM based bike. But it will take time to see how this issue plays out for both Vinales and Blusens and if any legal action is taken. It will also take time to see if Vinales’ career is in fact hindered by his antics because regardless of who the blame lies with walking out of a contract and with three races to go is not the proper way to handle a contractual dispute. Just as it is unprofessional for teams to release riders without valid reasons and proof so too is it unprofessional for riders to break contract without valid reasons and proof. 

However a further spanner has been thrown into the works as some Spanish journalists are reporting that Vinales may be in Australia, most likely to ride the bike in the hope that he will be able to terminate the contract in a more amicable way. Yet this too creates potential problems as it may make people view Vinales as a hot head, as mentioned before. There may also be the issue of how the legal troubles, if there are any, will play on the young Spaniards mind. We’ve already seen him falter under pressure at various stages and all these troubles could add to his problems. We saw in 2007 that Valentino Rossi struggled on track while dealing with off track legal troubles, and he had already won five of his premier class titles, unlike the young Vinales.

For More Photos See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/harrylloydgp/collections/72157630775399000/

Twitter: twitter.com/MotoGPLloyd

Tom Sykes and Kawasaki Prove That There is Hope for Ducati and Their Myriad of New Talent

Kawasaki had, in years previous, been a team and a bike that struggled in championship racing, be it MotoGP or WSBK. At the end of 2008 they formally pulled out of MotoGP, leaving Marco Melandri to soldier on under the banner of the Hayate Racing Team in 2009, scoring a single podium in the mixed conditions of France, the odd wet podium had for a while been the best result any Kawasaki in any class could claim. 

Superbikes had been no better for Kawasaki as they struggled to score even the rare podium, the factory team often finishing mid back at best. But Kawasaki decided to change this, to focus more on the racing world. After the 2010 WSBK season the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R underwent extensive, race focused, development and in the hands of Tom Sykes managed a win. 2012 saw the Kawasaki become a WBSK title contender for the first time in over ten years and became competitive under the hands of not just Tom Sykes, but also Loris Baz. Tom Sykes would eventually lose the championship by just half a point, the closest ever margin in WSBK or MotoGP.

This stunning turn around of fortunes for Kawasaki prove that there is hope for Ducati, especially with the resources of Audi looming in the background. Similarly to Kawasaki Ducati to need make a change to return to the front of the pack as they had done with Stoner in his multiple years with the team. Ducati, and Audi, are willing to make the changes that are necessary and have enlisted four riders in the shape of Nicky Hayden, Andrea Dovizioso, Andrea Iannone and Ben Spies with wildly different riding styles in the hopes that one of their riding styles will ride the Ducati how it is meant to be ridden and provide a better base to make the Ducati more rideable, or at least show Ducati which riders to hire.

Ducati have shown this season that they are trying to improve the bike with a variety of swing arm upgrades for Rossi and Hayden, resulting in Rossi’s first dry podium at Misano earlier this year. This, combined with Audi’s support, sets hopes high that Ducati will be able to do what Kawasaki have done in WSBK and return to the front of the pack. The biggest hurdle they face is the creation and development of the chassis. This season Ducati had contracted out FTR to make their chassis as the small Bologna factory lacks the capacity to produce them at the rate required. Levels of worry about Ducati’s future raised earlier in the week when rumors began to circulate that Swiss chassis maker Suter had been in talks with Ducati about next season’s chasis. Suter have provide that their pace of development and chassis are somewhat lacking this season with their project in the CRT class, causing relations between Colin Edwards and Eskil Suter to become strained. 

There is no way to currently tell whether Suter will step up to meet a customer like Ducati or if there even is a deal. But the recent success of Kawasaki would suggest that by keeping the development in house, something that may become possible with the help of Audi, and by accepting radical changes that a struggling bike and team can turn around their fortunes, especially with a decent rider, in Ducati’s case four, leading development and riding the bike to the limit, that a change in fortunes is in-fact possible, especially for a team with a history of success like Ducati.

For more photos go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/harrylloydgp/sets/

Rossi To Yamaha, Tougher Than It Looks?

Note: All of this is based on what is being said as very few ‘hard’ facts exist.

Rossi has a very big decision to make over the next two weeks, probably even bigger than when he chose to leave Honda. Rossi must decided whether he remains with Ducati, a bike that has caused him problems for two years, or if he returns to Yamaha, the bike that saw him win in 04,05,08 and 09.

As it stands the Ducati offer looks something like this: 12-17 Million Euros, Rossi can keep his current crew and can have a personal sponsor on the side of his Ducati.

The Yamaha offer is reported to look like: 4 Million Euro per year, big doubt as to whether Rossi could keep his crew and he must bring a sponsor to the team (most likely Monster).

Rossi has said that money is no object and as such there two biggest issues become the crew and the need of a sponsor if he does wish to go to Yamaha.

Rossi’s crew have been with him since the start, before Rossi they were with Doohan and Daryl Beattie, they’re regarded as the best mechanical team in the world. This is not something that one easily leaves behind. Also, riders develop a language with their team, able to explain specific problems with simple hand motions, relations such as this take time to build. Having to leave behind his Aussie (and Kiwi) crew would be a devastating blow to Valentino, one which may swing his decision in a certain way.

The other major factor, and perhaps more importantly, is the need of sponsorship at Yamaha. If Rossi stays at Ducati he needs to bring no sponsors to the table, at Yamaha he needs to bring a significant sponsor. While Rossi may be happy to take the pay cut the sponsor (presumed to be Monster) may not wish to foot the bill especially when they can get similar exposure for far less on the side of a Ducati machine. Monster sells drinks, not bikes, and drink sales don’t depend on results, they’re based around the personalities who ‘drink’ them.

Ducati’s option to offer personal sponsorship seems to be a move designed exclusively to temp Monster away from Yamaha, offering a cheaper alternative with similar advertising ability. Monster already sponsor a full team in MotoGP, a team regularly near the front, and get decent exposure due to that. If Monster choose to not pay Yamaha and instead sponsor Rossi with an increased pressure this may result in it being impossible for Rossi to gain the Yamaha seat as the key aspect of ‘bring a sponsor to the team’ would be lacking. Simply having Rossi in photos drinking an ice cold Monster Energy Drink may be enough for the energy drink giant as opposed to having him racing up the front with the iconic M covering the side of his bike.

The decision of Monster may take the choice entirely out of Rossi’s hands. Finding a new sponsor would be incredibly hard considering Europe’s economic state. Even if Monster are happy to offer up the money, the threat of having to leave behind his crew may make the Yamaha offer less attractive than it first appears.

Credit to http://www.superbikeplanet.com/ and Motomatters.com for the Ducati and Yamaha offers.

Like the photo? Check it and many more out Here

Photos For Sale

Hello All!

I have uploaded a variety of photos to my Flickr that are now for sale. Photos are 30x45cm and are 50 Euros unframed + Postage and Handling. Can be framed upon request.

The Photos (so far) are from the Assen, Sachsenring and Mugello rounds of the 2012 MotoGP season and various places around Zurich, Switzerland.

View the Collection Now

Email me (harrylloyd94@gmail.com) if interested or curious about various offers.

Spies Leaves Yamaha and Silly Season Explodes

Just a few days ago it seemed as though silly season had settled down and the only change we'd see was Casey replaced by Repsol golden boy Marc Marquez. Then Spies announced he would be leaving Yamaha at the end of the season. Spies cited a "litany" of reasons for his departure from Yamaha and had previous tweeted about ending up "back where w(h)ere we are meant to be!" all of this sparking a storm of discussions about the subsequent changes in rider line ups for the 2013 season.

As always, the main subject of conversation was Valentino Rossi. For months rumors have floated around about the return of the 'G.O.A.T' to the Yamaha factory squad, that had for years helped him to accomplish greatness. At current Yamaha doesn't have the budget to pay both Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi and as such it seems that Rossi would have to bring a large, probably title, sponsor with him. For this there have been two main candidates, the first is Marlboro who currently sponsor the Ducati Corse team. This seems to be the least likely as sponsoring two factory teams is a stretch even for a company like Philip-Morris, especially considering they can't be named or shown on the bike itself. If Marlboro were to back Rossi completely then Ducati, even with support from Audi, would be left without enough money to compete in GPs, meaning that there would be 8 prototype bikes on the grid, four from Yamaha and four from Honda. If this scenario were to happen it would surely result in the death of GP as we know it, something the fans and Dorna don't want to happen. It's for this reason that the Marlboro sponsored Rossi seems unlikely.

A more likely possibility is that Monster will switch from supporting the satellite Tech 3 team and sponsorship the factory team, and pay much of Valentino's salary. Monster already pay Rossi a hefty sum as their logo not only features at the front of his hat, but also on the hat of the cartoon version of himself that adorns his Ducati and various other merchandise. Monster would most likely continue their sponsorship of Tech 3, although in a slightly reduced manor, as young Brit Bradley Smith is also sponsored by the energy drink giant and has a 'contract' to ride in the Tech 3 squad next year.

 The only slight conflict if Monster were to become the primary Yamaha sponsor would be that of Jorge's Rockstar sponsorship. Rockstar would likely bow out and find another rider to sponsor as Rockstar's reported net income last year was $48 Million, compared to Monster's $286.2 Million.

There are many permutations of Monster sponsoring Rossi and/or Yamaha, but this seems far more likely than the sponsorship of Marlboro. Despite the likelihood of this anything could still happen. Yamaha don't need Rossi to win another title, they have Jorge, and as such may take a cheaper Italian such as Andrea Dovizioso, who has shown excellent form on the Tech 3 bike, to fill the second seat. Or they could choose British fan favourite Cal Crutchlow who was meant to have a Ducati contract signed by Mugello. The Italian press is flooded with 'news' of 'deals' between Rossi and Yamaha and Ben's step away from the factory team seems to support this, but as with all things in silly season it is impossible to know what will happen. In all likelihood there are probably only 10 people who know for sure who will be taking the Yamaha seat next season, and none of them are about to talk before an official press release.

Contact me:
Twitter: @MotoGPLloyd
Email: harrylloyd94@gmail.com
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