Grand Prix motorcycle racing Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Grand Prix motorcycle racing refers to the premier categories of motorcycle road racing. Unlike World Superbikes, the other, newer, main worldwide motorcycle racing competition, GP bikes are not generally derived from road bikes (although road-going versions of the smaller-capcity machines are available). Instead, it is designed for 'pure' racing machines.As of the year 2004, there are three engine displacement categories of Grand Prix motorcycles - 125 cc, 250 cc, and the MotoGP class. The MotoGP class was formerly restricted to 500 cc 2-strokes, but now 4-stroke machines of up to 990 cc are allowed to enter. The 125 cc machines are restricted to a single cylinder and a minimum weight of 80 kilogram, the 250 cc machines to two cylinders and 100 kilogram, and the MotoGP bikes to 500 cc 2-stroke or 990 cc 4-stroke, with variable weight limits depending on the number of cylinders, to account for the fact that generally, more cylinders for a given capacity means more power. There is also a sidecar class.
The motorcycles, particularly the MotoGP machines, are made out of lightweight and expensive materials, including titanium and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, and are equipped with sophisticated electronics including telemetry, engine management systemss and traction control, with Aprilia's RS3 even using a Cosworth-designed pneumatic valve actuation system, as seen in Formula One racing cars. While 4-stroke machines with full factory backing (particularly the Honda RC211V, a V5-engined bike) have achieved dominance at the front of the pack, and 2-stroke bikes have all but disappeared from competition.
One of the main challenges facing a MotoGP rider is translating the huge amounts of power generated by these engines (rumoured to be well over 240 horsepower for most front-running bikes) through a single tyre contact patch roughly the size of a human hand. For comparison, Formula 1 cars can make up to 800 bhp from their three-litre engines but have 10 times the tyre contact surface. Because of this difficulty, MotoGP is perhaps unique in modern motor sport in that teams will often deliberately detune their engines to allow their riders a chance to control them, with most not making more than the 180-190 bhp of the front-running two-stroke bikes.
The best riders of each category of machine travel the world to compete in the annual World Championship series, with each category run on a point-scoring basis similar to most other racing championships. The circuit is perhaps most closely followed in Spain and Italy, home of many of the more successful riders at the moment.
Until recently, the 500 cc class was seen as similar to Formula One car racing, given that one man (Michael Doohan, and later Valentino Rossi) and one team (Repsol Honda) were almost totally dominant. A new generation of riders and the shift to 4-stroke bikes has seen the racing become as exciting as the fairing-bashing antics of the Superbike competition (while WSB began to be seen as dull and uncompetitive as Ducati began to utterly dominate it), and the older formula is now considerably more popular.
Notable riders of the past include:
- Giacomo Agostini
- Michael Doohan
- Mike Hailwood
- Libero Liberati
- Eddie Lawson
- Toni Mang
- Angel Nieto
- Wayne Rainey
- Jim Redman
- Phil Read
- Kenny Roberts Sr
- Kevin Schwantz
- Freddie Spencer
- Egbert Streuer (sidecar)
- John Surtees
- Jock Taylor
- Max Biaggi
- Valentino Rossi
- Kenny Roberts Jr
- Garry McCoy
- Steve Jenkner
- Yuichi Ui
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