1000 grand prix. Wow. What a number. I’m known for being something of a sentimental person myself, but I struggle to think of any milestones I’ve celebrated that come even remotely close to a thousand race weekends. It’s a huge moment for the sport, and a testament to just how long people have dedicated themselves to the mission of being the fastest person on two wheels.
Since this weekend is all about history, I wanted to take a small opportunity here to look back at some of my favourite moments since I started watching the sport. I was actually put onto MotoGP from a very young age – my parents both got into it before I was born, so MotoGP races were a common sight in my house growing up – and some of my earliest memories include sitting in front of the tv, pointing at races and declaring which riders I thought would fall off next. A cruel thing to do looking back and given my current stance on safety in the sport, but it does mean I tend to be a bit more lenient with people who post crash reels on YouTube. It is entertainment, after all.
When I was in year 1, I brought in a presentation to school titled “Valentino Rossi is the Greatest Motorbike Racer in the World!”. Rossi was a hero that people of all ages could get behind: he was a brilliant character off the bike, and when he swung a leg over one he seemed entirely unbeatable. When Nicky Hayden did finally take a title away from him back in 2006, I had strongly mixed feelings – the American had beaten my idol, but he was such a loveable character himself you couldn’t help but be happy for him. I didn’t sleep a wink the night he passed away.
We then entered the era of the aliens in full, and what an era it was for Australian fans. Casey Stoner wore our flag with pride, and took on some of the greatest names the sport has ever produced. If there were any fans whose interest had waned in the wake of Rossi’s 5-year winning streak, I’m sure they came back in droves to see the racing produced by Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. They formed their own fanbases, with each having their own characteristics that made them likeable: Rossi being a bit mental, but untouchable on the right Sundays; Lorenzo, the fiery Spaniard with a knack for one-lap pace; Pedrosa, the tiny Samurai with a heart of gold; and Stoner, the calm but fiercely competitive Aussie. It was an unforgettable period for the sport.
When Marc Marquez entered the class and started winning, it was particularly exciting to me because I had witnessed his talent as he rose through the ranks. I was finally at the age where I had seen enough of the lower classes to recognise a rider’s progression, and I knew all the names of the riders he had beaten on his way to the top. Witnessing that first season where he battled against the very names I had grown up with and felled them week after week was truly amazing, though I’ll admit my interest had begun to wane a tad. I was a teenager, and bike racing was something my parents were into, so naturally I began to loathe it as I attempted to create my own identity in the world.
I came back eventually, of course: and with perfect timing, as I re-entered my fanatical fan status right before the Sepang 2015 incident between Rossi and Marquez. Not only was I back and more invested than ever, but I had entered the digital sphere of the fanbase: interacting with fellow MotoGP nuts on Facebook over the clash of titans led to my first-ever instance of being called homophobic slurs by a total stranger on the internet. None of this deterred me, of course, and I started roping my friends into watching races with me slowly but surely.
Something that I’ve always loved is the statistics behind this sport. For as long as I can remember I’ve been memorising race wins and pole positions, regurgitating lists of former champions, recalling favourite moments by the numbers and the facts. This sport has a huge history behind it, and while I can’t claim to have witnessed anything approaching a majority of it first-hand I feel like I connect with older fans because I care so much about the stats that make a championship. Maybe that’s where the primary school Rossi presentation found its inspiration.
I know this is a tad more personal than anything I usually write on this blog, but I think that’s what makes this weekend so important for everyone. The 1000th grand prix is about reminiscing on how we all arrived at this terrific sport, what got us hooked, what made us stay. The moments that live on in our memories are different for each and every fan, whether they’re new or old, and that’s something worth celebrating. Here’s to the first thousand, and to the thousand still to come!
Now, onto the weekend at hand. MotoGP touches down in Le Mans ahead of the French GP with Pecco Bagnaia firmly back in the driver’s seat of this championship, and he’ll be looking to put the hammer down here. Despite his lead, the Italian will be well aware that he threw away 45 precious points in the first four rounds, and recovering his pre-season domination is still going to take some work. He’s in luck, however: Ducati have won the last three races here, in three completely different conditions. Danilo Petrucci took it down in the wet in 2020, Jack Miller managed changing conditions to win a flag-to-flag in ’21, and Enea Bastianini defied all odds to take the top step in the sunshine twelve months ago.
It’s a funny thing for Ducati to be so reputable here, because the circuit doesn’t really play to their strengths. This isn’t Mugello or Spielberg: there’s no whopping long straight to fire the bike up to top speed and soar past their rivals. Instead, much like Jerez two weeks ago, this is a circuit that rewards balance and technical skill. If your bike can turn on a dime, you’ll gain time in the tight and twisting corners. If you’re more about carrying speed through those corners, there’s plenty of long sweeping sections to drag yourself around.
My point is that much like Jerez, it isn’t that the track benefits the Ducati more than others, but rather that it benefits the best bikes, and there is no better bike than Ducati right now. The Italian brand has been dominant in the last few years of this sport, spoiled only by individual riders with perfect understandings of their own machines, and that domination should be expected to continue here. It’s no longer a question of whether a Ducati rider will be on the podium, but a question of which one, and in most cases it’s unsurprising when you find them in multiples come Sunday afternoon.
The unfortunate news for the Bologna bullets is that their most recent winner here won’t be turning a wheel in anger to retain his crown. Bastianini is out, still recovering from his injuries sustained in Portimao, and his replacement this week is a welcome surprise: the much loved Petrucci, taking a week off from his duties as a Superbike rider to entertain fans onboard a GP23. The Italian veteran has been absent for around 18 months, but is much loved in this community. Don’t forget that he’s won here recently, too – we may be in for something of a repeat of Pedrosa’s wildcard success last time out.
Petrucci’s last win here was in the soaking rain, so he’ll be pleased to know that the forecast for this weekend is similarly unkind. Le Mans is expecting rain all weekend, which means riders will be desperate for any dry track time they can find and each session will be a mix of testing out wet conditions and racing to get a dry line in time for hot laps to come in. People are going to get caught out over and over again, so dodging yellow flags during practice and qualifying is a requirement for graduating into Q2 and starting towards the front. And you’ll want to start at the front of the pack – starting in the midfield is murder, with visibility likely to be a massive issue come race day thanks to the spray kicked up by other bikes.
While I do often say that rain is the ultimate equaliser in this sport, there are still some healthy predictions that can be made. The Ducatis and KTMs were dominant in Spain and have some clear wet weather experts among their riders, including Miller and teammate Brad Binder, Alex Marquez, and Petrucci himself. The Aprilias fell apart the last time they saw rain conditions and shouldn’t be trusted to be competitive here, while Fabio Quartararo will either sink outside of the points or rally to a top six based on previous form. Bagnaia has shown improved abilities in the wet, and should be able to put something together at a circuit he’s had reasonable success at in the past.
The other big talking point is the return of the prodigal son, Marc Marquez. The Honda rider’s penalty from Portimao has finally been overturned, and his injuries have healed enough to get the green light from his medical team. Marc is another rain master of MotoGP, particularly when it comes to flag-to-flag races, and couldn’t have picked a better time to return to racing. If the weather plays along, he could find some real speed, but I imagine he’s also wary of the potential to injure himself again. If he does any more damage to himself this weekend, we may not see him race for the remainder of 2023.
So, who will take top honours in France? Probably a Ducati, maybe a KTM, possibly a hard-charging Honda, but definitely not a Frenchman. Neither Johann Zarco nor Quartararo has won here since they stepped up to the premier class, and the last French rider to win on home turf was Louis Rossi on a Moto3 bike back in 2012. It will take some doing to break the victory duck from either of them, and neither looks up to the task. Zarco seems to be missing a tiny bit of speed compared to his younger and more ruthless Ducati counterparts, and Quartararo looks lost on a Yamaha that lacks any of the elements that made former models competitive. A win from either this weekend would be a true miracle.
The lessons we learn from the French GP should help to clarify the image of this year’s championship in the same way Jerez did – but the rain could very easily reverse that, clouding over rider’s real potential and masking the true contenders. Either way, we should be in for a real treat for the 1000th race weekend, so pop the champagne and get ready for a real rumble.
Solomon Talks Bikes 