In case international travel ever opens up again, you will want to get yourself to Italy as soon as possible and ride one of the world’s most iconic tracks: Mugello.
I can tell you from personal experience, the Tuscan venue is unlike any other, and 200 mph wheelies never get old (though, they may take years off your life).
Episode 210 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this show covers the MotoGP action from the Italian GP at Mugello.
On the mics, we have David Emmett, Neil Morrison, and Adam Wheeler, as the trio covers a somber weekend under the Tuscan sun.
We have the sad duty today to report that Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier has succumbed to the injuries he sustained during a crash during Saturday’s Moto3 qualifying.
For all the discussion of just how dangerous a track Mugello is, when a serious accident happens, it has nothing to do with the track.
Jason Dupasquier, Moto3 rider for the PruestelGP team, lost the rear at the end of Q2 for the Moto3 class and crashed. A fairly regular occurrence in Moto3, as riders push the limits of the bike.
Tragically, however, Dupasquier fell directly in front of Tech3 rider Ayumu Sasaki, leaving the Japanese rider nowhere to go. Sasaki’s KTM struck Dupasquier, leaving the Swiss rider gravely injured.
It took the FIM medical staff half an hour to stabilize Dupasquier sufficiently for him to be flown by medical helicopter to Careggi University Hospital, where he lies in critical condition at the time of writing.
Our thoughts are with Dupasquier, his family, friends, and team, and we fervently hope he makes a full recovery.
Dupasquier’s crash unmasks the elephant in the room of motorcycle racing. No matter what you do to circuits, no matter how far you push back walls, how much run off you add, it remains a dangerous sport.
If one rider falls in front of another, and is hit by the bike, serious injury, or much worse, is almost inevitable.
The only thing missing was the crowds. It was good to be back at Mugello, the most glorious jewel in the MotoGP calendar.
Like all jewels, Mugello comes with sharp edges that need handling with care, and it took rookies and regulars alike some time to get used to the sheer speed at which they blasted down the straight.
Brad Binder had been impressed. “This morning was my first time ever at Mugello on the GP bike so it took me a while to find my feet and figure out where to go because it’s a bit different to how I remember it in Moto2; the straight is quite a bit quicker!” the South African said, with a fine sense for understatement. “Turn 1 is a lot more on the limit to find a good marker.”
Contrary to expectations, Johann Zarco’s top speed record of 362.4 km/h set at Qatar was not broken, the Frenchman’s temporary Pramac teammate Michele Pirro managing a paltry 357.6 km/h in FP2.
It may not have been faster than the top speed at Qatar, but it certainly feels a lot faster.
There is nowhere that encapsulates the essence of motorcycle racing like Mugello.
The track snakes along the sides of the Tuscan valley in which it sits, echoing the country roads and mountain passes where racing first started, shortly after enough motorcycles had been made for riders to challenge each other to tests of skill and bravery.
That is precisely what Mugello is: a test of skill and bravery, of rider and machine, of guts and brains. Calculating risk is everything, both from the technical and human perspective.
Episode 209 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this show previews the upcoming Italian GP at Mugello.
On the mics, we have Steve English, David Emmett, Neil Morrison, and Adam Wheeler, as they get us ready for the on-track action coming this weekend.
Call it braking news (sorry, sorry) as Italian brake manufacturer Brembo has just acquired the entirety of Spanish brake company J.Juan for a reported €70 million ($85 million) in cash.
The move is said to center around Brembo’s desire to invest more in the motorcycle sector of its business, where J.Juan has made an increasing number of inroads with OEM and aftermarket fitment.
Fantic Motor has closed a deal that sees the Italian company buying 100% of the Motori Minarelli operation from Yamaha Motor Europe – a move that is said to strengthen the partnership between the two motorcycle manufacturers.
The beancounters are working hard to close the books on 2020, which means we are starting to see our first reports on the total economic situation from last year.
With factory closures, disrupted supply chains, and stay-at-home orders featuring heavily in the first-half of the year, the coronavirus decimated motorcycle sales worldwide.
Then, the second-half of the year saw a huge bump in two-wheel interest, buoyed by economic relief efforts, delayed sales trends, and a renewed interest in the ultimate social-distancing machine.
This makes for a grab bag of perspectives when it comes to motorcycles sales, and nothing could be more true than what Ducati Motor Holding is reporting today.
Episode 163 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one sees David Emmett and Neil Morrison on the mics, as the dynamic duo looks at the second round at the Misano circuit, better known as the Emilia-Romagna GP.
As usual, there is to discuss from this latest round of the MotoGP Championship, and the guys pile on a massive amount of insight into what happened in Italy. We think you will find their conversation to be quite interesting.