‘What on earth has happened to Moto2?’
Once again in Catalunya the middle class laid on an absorbing race. And, more surprising still, unpredictable. This has happened several times this year. Seven races, five different winners; and last weekend even three different chassis on the podium: Quartararo’s Speed Up, Oliveira’s steel-tube KTM and Marquez’s Kalex.
This in a class where in 2016 the top nine in the championship (indeed, 15 of the top 16) were all Kalexes; and last year six of the top seven.
I’ve never been a fan of the Cinderella class. It was cheaply conceived as a cost-saver by Dorna, in response to 250-class domination by Aprilia, only for the same thing to happen again. Furthermore, with all-identical engines, porky Honda CBR600s with fixed-ratio (road-ratio) gears in big fat casings, it’s basically a one-make series. Under-powered and over-tyred. Not fit for the World Championships.
I felt sorry for the riders, as 125 race winners found themselves mired in mediocre equality. I felt sorry for the engineers, with no technical quirks to exploit, and no chance of choosing clever gearing or finding other differences that could be turned to advantage.
It seemed a graveyard for talent. Smart riders, like Marquez, Viñales and Rins, got out of Moto2 as quickly as possible. Others got stuck.
I felt sorry also for spectators, ears assailed by identical exhaust notes as riders tried and failed to use the slipstream.
I was not alone.
And I’m not the only one who has found things much changed. It’s now possible to look forward to the Moto2 race rather than using it as a chance to catch up on other work or have lunch. And possible to enjoy it even when it turns out, as at Le Mans, to be an austere procession up front. The perfection that winner Bagnaia brought to every inch of every corner of every lap was awe-inspiring.
There are mixed feelings among MotoGP riders about Moto2’s value as a stepping stone. The lack of electronics is one piece of the learning curve that isn’t served, while Moto3 has already taught them about close racing.
So maybe it’s just luck, or a plethora of exceptionally good riders, that’s improved it this year. And next year? Well, we know it will sound better, as everybody switches to Triumph triples.
‘Smart riders like Marquez got out of Moto2’