As the start of the MotoGP season grows closer, the news cycle is starting to ramp up.
Websites are starting to be able to report on things that are actually happening, rather than desperately thrashing around looking for filler content. So here’s a round-up of the latest developments in MotoGP.
I had originally intended to follow-up my preview for the 2021 EICMA trade show in Milan with daily round-ups, but after witnessing what was produced in the first two days, that clearly was unnecessary.
There were question marks on what the 2021 show would be like, after last year’s cancellation and with the specter of COVID-19 still hovering over Europe and the motorcycle industry as a whole.
We have that answer now, and it is not a good one.
In the 13 years that I have covered the largest motorcycle industry trade show in the world, I can tell you definitively that this year’s EICMA was by far the most disappointing.
EICMA, as we know it, is dead.
There has been yet another change to the MotoGP calendar for 2021. As had been expected, the Malaysian Grand Prix scheduled for October 24th at the Sepang International Circuit has been canceled.
In its place will be an extra race at the Misano circuit in Italy. Misano will be the second circuit, after Portimão, which will host two races this year, but not back to back.
Harley-Davidson has released its Q2 2021 earnings report, and the results are a bit mixed for the American brand. Compared to 2020’s numbers, Harley-Davidson is showing some unsurprising gains.
As such, the North American market is up 43% compared to last year, while worldwide results bounced to a 24% gain over 2020’s figures.
The story is the same for the first six months of sales for the Bar & Shield brand, with North America up 38% compared to last year, and worldwide sales getting an 18% increase.
All of this is to be expected, of course, not only because sales were down across the board in 2020, but also because the motorcycle industry is booming in 2021. In this regard, the bar of measurement for the Bar & Shield brand is rather low.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to remind us that it is a global, not a local, phenomenon.
As cases continue to rise in Thailand, and the vaccination program there is only being rolled out slowly, the organizers of the Thai GP have been forced to cancel the 2021 MotoGP round at Buriram.
BMW Motorrad is boasting about its sales results so far for 2021, saying that the first six months of the year have been the best-ever for the German brand.
The numbers to back that up are the fact that BMW has sold 107,610 motorcycles and scooters to owners so far this year, which is a 40% increase over the same time period last year (76,707 units).
The ongoing fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reshuffle the 2021 MotoGP calendar.
This morning came news that the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island has been canceled for 2021, with an extra round at Portimao added before Valencia to take its place.
Austin is back on the MotoGP calendar. Today, the FIM announced that the Motegi round of MotoGP has been canceled, as travel to Japan is still very difficult, with the Circuit of the Americas being put in its place on October 3rd.
The changes have obviously been made in response to the pandemic, and as COVID-19 continues to be a problem around the world, more changes are likely.
If we weren’t living in the time of COVID, we would be wrapping up our coverage of the Isle of Man TT right now, but instead the iconic race sees another year of canceled races because of the global pandemic.
The Isle of Man government has been busy planning for the iconic race’s return though, with a plethora of changes and announcements made for the 2022 edition and onward.
The biggest news is the live video package that is planned, but there are also a number of rule changes to the Lightweight TT and Sidecar TT classes, in addition to more races and more races days.
Five races into the 2021 MotoGP season, and with the Covid-19 pandemic abating in some places while flaring up in others, there are the first signs of movement in motorcycle racing.
Teams, factories, and riders are starting to open (and in some cases, complete) negotiations for this year and beyond, and races are slowly starting to open up to fans.
Although for a variety of reasons, the moves have not been covered in separate stories, here is a quick round up of the latest news and speculation from around the paddock.
The Kymiring will have to wait. Today, the FIM announced that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the complications posed by travel, the Finnish Grand Prix at the Kymiring has been canceled for 2021.
But in compensation, the circuit in Finland is to get a five-year contract to host MotoGP for the years 2022 to 2026.