‘Has MotoGP’s bubble sprung a little leak?’
Timing is a cruel thing. Careers have been made, and ruined, by it. Racers who would have been dominant if it weren’t for one other rider; genius engineers who are side-lined by corporate politics or team closures... The sliding doors of fate give and take in equal measure.
And we might well be sitting in a lull right now where the interest in MotoGP is waning amongst fans thanks to a couple of years of post-Rossi malaise. The racing’s been good, the stories equally good – but the spark has been missing. It can be the best thing ever when one rider dominates – so long as everyone loves that rider. Equally, it can be the hammer that smacks the nails into the series’ coffin if the rider induces narcolepsy.
Our own research on MCN at the tail end of last year showed a clear swing towards BSB and WSBK and away from MotoGP in terms of fans’ interest. The great irony being that those people are less likely to be watching this year, when MotoGP has suddenly exploded back into life, in no small part thanks to the arrival of Pedro Acosta.
What the 19-year-old did on his GasGas KTM at CoTA was nothing short of alchemy, even if he only ended up with silver for his extraordinary efforts at the weekend. What Maverick ‘call me Batman’ Viñales did was no less incredible. If you’ve turned off from MotoGP, it’s time to turn on again. And maybe the Liberty buyout will help.