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September 7, 2016

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Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

MotoGP has revisited Austria in 2016 and with a whole host of circuits lined up for 2017, it’s hard to not be excited by the sports’ future. However, in this article, I will be going to ten countries all over the world that would benefit massively from having a MotoGP round, even if they don’t currently have racing facilities! This is a pure speculation article about how the country would benefit and what it would do to the sport! Enjoy!

Naypyidaw, Myanmar (Burma)

Unique. Extraordinary. Bizarre. Just three words that could be used to describe the rather ominous city of Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s brand new (literally) capital city. Having been freed of the strict military regime, this country is rapidly on the up, both in terms of tourism and economic growth. The city replaced Rangoon (now Yangon) as capital in 2005, when the military decided to build a brand new city. However, this phenomenon is remarkable compared to any other city in the world. It is completely derelict. 20 lane highways are empty; 800 brand new hotels with no one in them; shops are open just like they are in the UK and USA, just with no people going in them.

I have recently booked a holiday to see this sensational city. However, with its massive roads lying lifeless and Myanmar’s massive scooter population, sometime in the future will these empty streets and hotels be packed with bikes and bike fans alike from across the planet? Would it be an idea to host a race here? Motorbikes are hugely popular and like many other Asian countries, MotoGP is one of its main sports but there is no race here. What better way to showcase your country’s talents by proposing a race in a championship that is watched by millions, and is still going from strength to strength each race.

Naypyidaw could finally benefit from tourism once a year, which would then lead on to promoting the rest of the country. MotoGP could target a potentially massive market, encouraging more people to get involved in the sport. This is purely speculation, but it might just be an option.

Beirut, Lebanon

Nestled in the mountains of Western Asia, Lebanon is laid next to the beautiful Mediterranean. It is straight in at number one country of all time. However, ‘beautiful’ may be the last word you would expect me to describe Lebanon as. Blitzed by war through the 80s, 90s and even in the mid-naughties, the glamour of the Middle East went up in a cloud of desert dust. The scenes that were born unto our television screens were appalling. Lifeless bodies and limbless children, scattered across the former jewel in the crown of the French. Holes are still in buildings in the country today; a sombre reminder of what this country went through to become what it has blossomed into thus far. The Cedar on the flag of Lebanon represents resilience and strength; both of which ooze from the same pavements people gave their lives up on.

Now though, the city of Beirut is once again proving why it has been known for many years as the “Paris of the Middle East”. With over 800 rooftop nightclubs, endless restaurants and sublime five star hotels, there really is no other city like it on earth. Towering above it all is the shell-ridden Holiday Inn Beirut, which was shut after a mere two years of business as the Lebanese fought terrorist group Hezbollah for control. However, this could all be set to change.

Beirut is fast becoming the tourist hotspot it was in the 50s. Famed for its 24-hour lifestyle and the sophistication that accompanies it, it is a building site once more; this time however, it’s not because a bomb decimated a building. It’s because people love Beirut. The World’s tallest building is currently being built there and is set to reach a staggering 1215m when it is finished. ‘The Cedar Project’ which was proposed in 2009 looks like it will happen again, with new investors wanting to create the £8billion floating Cedar tree just off Beirut’s glamourous Zaitunay Bay.

On top of all this is the number one ‘New 7 wonders of the World’ – Jeita Grotto, located around 10 miles north of the Lebanese capital. Stunning caves that are over 120 metres from top to bottom, it is hard to think of a better country to host a world class MotoGP race in. The economy of Lebanon is prosperous; the government is democratic and stable and the money is swarming in from all over the world. The average wage for a Beiruti is over £55,000. The only thing putting off a circuit construction is the geographical location of the country; to the East, war torn Syria lays in heaps of rubble and streets of blood.

Another reason why Lebanon should become a motorsport nation is because it’s been recognised before. In 1999, plans went through to host a F1 race for 2005 and 2006, but as so often is the case, politics got in the way. In other words, Lebanon was yet again targeted by neighbouring Israel. However, now in the downtown area of Beirut, there is the Grand Prix of Beirut, where the streets are shut for amateurs to have a go around the city. As well as this, Red Bull F1 went there to do some stunts. So maybe, Beirut will be on the calendar in the not so distant future.

But why should the best city in the world for three years running (2009, 2010 and 2011) have to suffer for something out of their hands? Let’s go to Lebanon; lets meet the most hospitable people on Earth and let’s try something new. Beirut: The World’s most iconic city, dragged through terror and shining to the world.

Kotor, Montenegro

“Where” I hear you ask. Montenegro is a European country next to Croatia and Albania in the south and Bosnia and Herzogovina and Serbia in the north. Kotor (not it’s capital) is a city in the centre of Montenegro overlooking a bay, something that you expect to see only in films. One of the most picturesque places on Earth, it is hard not to consider it as a holiday destination. But why would MotoGP consider Montenegro?

It is a politically and financially stable country, meaning that not only is it safe but it also has a potential to help invest in a multi-million-pound facility. It also has desire to host MotoGP. In 2006, Sports Klub bought official rights to show MotoGP live in Montenegro and Macedonia, and is also home to many of the PR stunts from Moto2 teams, such as the Sportsmillions outfit, and the Idemitsu Kalex team.

A country that is gradually getting more involved in the sport and one that is on the up, Montenegro might not be very appealing now, but in the future we could finally see a return to this area of Balkan Europe.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

MotoGP has hardly touched the Caribbean market. It is rapidly becoming a major holiday destination. San Juan, the capital city, is one of incredible surroundings, but also one of big business. In fact, in 2014, Puerto Rico was home to more than 10% of the Moto3 teams and riders’ personal sponsors. This shows that it is a country that is on the up, and in neighbouring Dominican Republic, MotoGP is fairly popular. I have a feeling that with a growing interest and the whole fact that it is a very different country to the ones currently in MotoGP, it may be one for the future.

Shanghai, China

In 2005, MotoGP arrived in China, only to leave three years later. I find it absolutely incredible that one of the most important countries in the world doesn’t hold a MotoGP or World Superbike round for that matter.

The track itself wasn’t hugely popular by fans or riders, but it was a circuit that gave China something to cheer about and it also gave MotoGP strong roots in Far East Asia. Now the track is home to only F1, and that isn’t something to shout about all the time.

If MotoGP was to return to China, then surely it would be to Shanghai, where the circuit has already been tried and tested. It’s a circuit with some great straights and corners, and one which offers a lot of shoulder to shoulder racing.

Oslo, Norway

With coverage of MotoGP extending to Norway recently on VIASAT, it might be an idea to invest in the Scandinavian country as a host to the series. With a big following of motorsport fans from Rallying all the way through to MotoGP, Norway’s tourism and economy might be big beneficiaries of a race in the country.

With Norway also being outside the European Union, it might encourage other countries who aren’t part of it to get involved in the sport, however, the British GP will still go ahead despite Brexit. Norway has had only one or two riders in its history, but that might all change in the future. Like I said at the start, this is purely speculation of what countries would and should host a race.

However, it looks almost certain that if MotoGP does go to Scandinavia, then it will be to Finland and the under-construction Kymi Ring.

South Africa

It may well be returning in a few years at Kyalami, but at the moment South Africa is suffering from a major motorcycle drought. No WSBK, no MotoGP, and with only their National Superbike series being shown on TV, it may be a big opportunity for MotoGP to revisit one of the best countries in the world.

This, coincided with the success of Brad Binder, might just be a big winner for not only the country but for the MotoGP paddock. Last visited in 2004 at the Welkom Phakisa Freeway circuit, South Africa is crying out for MotoGP or WSBK to return!

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

It has hosted F1 since 2009, and now it is hosting other series and making its way in the four wheeled world, but not in MotoGP. In fact, it hasn’t even been mentioned as a future circuit or country to host a round.

With its incredible skyline and powerful wealth, without doubt there is potential for MotoGP to move to the “Westernised” part of the Middle East.

There is a lot of money, and a lot of oil in this part of the world and it could prove crucial if MotoGP was to go to the UAE. Whether it will or not, we will just have to wait and see.

Baku, Azerbaijan

Baku has been in something of a building boom for the last five years. With the construction of the Fairmont Hotel or the ‘Flame Towers’ and Azerbaijan hosting the Eurovision song contest, it’s fair to say that Baku has been well and truly placed on the map of places to go.

This year, it hosted a round on the F1 calendar, albeit under the ‘Grand Prix of Europe’ banner. So, does this mean that maybe in the next five years we will see MotoGP head to Azerbaijan? Azerbaijan may only be 67th in terms of GDP, but its development rate is competing with Belgrade in Serbia. The future looks promising and if a race was to be put there, then it would just add to the glamour already in MotoGP.

Asuncion, Paraguay

South America has been craving a big return to MotoGP or WSBK for a long time now, and where else but to start somewhere different. Paraguay is landlocked between Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina but despite not having any attractive beaches, it still has a regularly good amount of tourism. With the four-wheeled world expanding all over South America, it is time MotoGP did too.

With Yonny Hernandez putting not only his country Colombia on the map but in fact the whole of South America, Paraguay would be a pretty good country to start in. A prospering, cultural capital city and political stability are key to attracting investment, something that Paraguay has. Could it be a hotspot for MotoGP fans in the future?

Andrea Dovizioso took the chequered flag in sixth place today at the end of the British Grand Prix, round 12 of the MotoGP World Championship which was held at Silverstone. The Italian, who started from row 4, made a great charge through the field to catch the leading group, but had to settle for sixth place due to increasing stiffness in his right forearm, which prevented him from pushing hard in the final stages of the race.

A crash on the other hand brought an end to Andrea Iannone’s race, after the Italian, who had started from row 3, moved into second place after getting the better of Pedrosa, Marquez, Crutchlow and Rossi. Unfortunately the Ducati Team rider also suffered a similar physical problem to his team-mate and a crash on lap 14 put an end to his superb run.

The British GP was held in cloudy weather conditions but on a dry surface, with air and track temperatures of 18°. The race was halted on the opening lap because of a crash involving Loris Baz and Pol Espargarò and it was then restarted and run over 19 laps.

Andrea Dovizioso: I feel bad for the team

“After powering away well at the first start, I wasn’t able to repeat it the second time around and was left a little bit behind, so I lost touch with the leading group. I had to push hard to try and close the gap, but I wasn’t able to ride well: half-way through I began to have a problem with my right forearm and from that moment onwards my race turned into an ordeal. I feel bad for the team, today we could surely have got a better result, but I was just unable to push hard enough. I almost crashed a number of times just trying to stay in sixth place, because I was struggling to keep the bike under control. It was a pity, because judging by the pace of the guys in front of me, we could have had a chance of fighting for second place.”

Andrea Iannone: This situation is difficult to accept

“I’m very disappointed because I was having a great race and we surely had a chance to finish on the podium. Unfortunately just before the mid-point of the race, I began to have fatigue in my right forearm and I was no longer able to control the bike perfectly, which caused me a lot of problems. I really had to struggle a lot, but I didn’t want to stop because for me this situation was difficult to accept. When I arrived at turn 17 on the fourteenth lap, I was late in changing direction, hit a bump and crashed because I just didn’t have the strength to control the bike. It’s a real shame, because today we could have scored a very good result”.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa took fourth and fifth place, respectively, in today’s British Grand Prix. As has been the case at many of this year’s GPs, the weekend was affected by mixed weather conditions, making tyre choice very difficult.

After the race was red-flagged on lap one due to a nasty crash involving Loris Baz and Pol Espargaro, Maverick Viñales took the lead on the restart while Marc slotted into second position, leading a group that included Valentino Rossi, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Iannone and Pedrosa. After five laps Marc, Rossi, Crutchlow and Iannone started a long fight for the runner-up position, swapping places several times. Pedrosa, who had made a positive step forward with the setup of his RC213V, closely trailed them.

Iannone crashed out of the race on lap 13, leaving Crutchlow in second. Rossi and Marquez engaged in thrilling battle behind him, with the Repsol Honda rider eventually able to pull a gap and start chasing the Briton. The subsequent duel ended with Marc running wide at turn seven on the penultimate lap and re-joining the race in fifth, then overtaking Dani on the last lap to finish fourth.

The MotoGP paddock now heads to Misano for round 13 of the Championship, with Marc leading the standings on 210 points, 50 clear of Rossi and 64 ahead of Lorenzo. Dani is fifth with 120 points. Honda is actually also leading both the Constructor and Team World Championship Classifications.

Marquez: Perhaps we got the front tyre wrong

“Today was one of those difficult Sundays because there were many ways of approaching the race, with many options for both the front and rear tyres. Perhaps we got it wrong with the front, because we chose the soft tyre, but that was what we thought was best before the race. I realised the mistake once the race was underway, and from there I decided to make the most of the situation. It’s a pity that I went wide under braking when fighting for second place, but in the end we rectified the situation quite well. We finished fourth and only lost three points from our overall advantage, which is what matters to us.”

Pedrosa: We had a decent race

“Overall it was a challenging weekend because of the track conditions. It has always been cold, sometimes with rain included, and we’ve never had any sun. It was hard to get a good feel for the tyres because there was no rubber laid down on the asphalt. I chose the soft-soft combination and I knew that I would have some issues in the final laps, but all in all I think it was the best choice at the moment. The good news is we’ve taken a step forward in terms of results and have regained a little more confidence, especially entering the corners. There are still some things that we need to improve, but we had a decent race and set some more-reasonable times. We’ll try to take the positives from here and work on the rest for the next race.”

Kiko Giles