BEST MOTOGP’S BATTLES
what which got us thinking: best brawl in years, and was MotoGP’s are our top 10; Here Phillip Island 2015 of all time? premier-class dogfights duels are the greatest to-man battles, not man- are multiple-rider remember, these
TMANY THINGS HERE AREN’T but can thank tobacco, for which you of them. MotoGP is one close racing in racing in 1949 of Grand Prix by From the dawn dominated the racing was until the late 1980s, edge bikes, riders on cutting- a handful of factory along at privateers followed impoverished while struggling on inferior a respectful distance, machinery. the first arrived in Cigarette sponsorship logo adorned discreet Marlboro
1970s, when a matinee idol racer and sometime the leathers of or so, Within a decade Giacomo Agostini. tobacconist’s: resembled a
Grand Prix grids Rothmans, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Gauloises, and the rest. Ducados, Cabin, of Fortuna, HB, this flood for the racing,
Most significantly ever before to more teams than money allowed of Honda and machinery. Instead afford factory two, perhaps factory bikes for Yamaha building more now built many three riders, they to eager teams they leased out machines, which money. the grown fat on drugs of up for the beginning When riders lined riders on factorythere were 16 1988 500 season before. It is no more than ever spec V4 500s, our top-10 best the earliest of coincidence that In fact, each and that summer. battles happened during 10 best races happened every one of our or after 1988. MotoGP disappeared from Tobacco money Ducati’s ago (although almost a decade by is still partly bankrolled MotoGP effort leasing factory the concept of Marlboro) but were 16 Last season there bikes is still here. entered by the grid, either factory bikes on teams. or leased to outside factories themselves thing in races share one
Nearly all these at fast tracks — all took place common: they Suzuka, one at Island, two at four at Phillip three at tracks and the other Circuit Paul Ricard Sachsenring fast corners: Estoril, with plenty of open tracks Simple fact: fast, Jacarepagua. and tight tracks don’t. racing. Slow, make for good