MotoGP is a motor sport discipline that originated in Japan, but is now enjoyed around the world. It is an open-air motorcycle race and was first held in Japan in the late 1920s as part of the World Touring Car Championship, which was a joint event with Formula One. The first year’s race went to Ooty, in South Africa, and was won by Jo Joost Migt. The tradition then moved to Italy and was known as the GPorama. It became an instant hit when it was introduced to the rest of the world and the races have remained popular ever since.
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is probably the premier category of motorcycle street racing events held over road tracks designated by the Féedration Internationale de Motocross au Marche. The Grand Prix races are a competition between teams of three, where each team competes with two different bikes. Each team attempts to complete its lap within the time allowed by the track, and the winning team is declared the winner. The cars are usually powered either by a normal motorcycle engine, an engine with special modifications and by hybrid or electric motors.
In addition to being raced on tracks, MOTOGP also tests various aspects of the machinery on real tracks. For this purpose, special racing courses are used. There is actually very little room for error in these tests and the teams have to show what they can do with real bikes and not just a virtual replica. The course includes turns, jumps, blind curves and other obstacles that make it much more difficult to drive the bike over the track. The course is usually short, just as in real races, and the drivers and their bikes have to be very maneuverable in order to get around curves.
The top twelve teams of each class are determined by how many points they have at the end of the race day. The teams have to accumulate the most points in order to finish in first place. The top twelve are then presented with a Riders Reward, which includes an extra bike, if they have one, free use of the pit garage for the next year, plus bonus points for each stage of the championship. The bonus points are based on how many riders actually finish the race in first place, as well as how many seconds they beat their opponents.
Riders Rewards are worth more than the fastest two riders, though, and any team that doesn’t have a top 12 grid positions finish will not earn points. The top twelve teams then move onto the second category, where the bikes have to be light enough to get up the speed traps. The weight of the bike has to be less than 13 percent of the team’s weight, and the engines have to be compatible with the bikes. If either of these criteria is not met, then the team will be eliminated from the competition.
The final category is the kTM, or mini motocross bikes. These bikes were introduced to the sport in 1998, and many countries have developed their own versions of the sport. In kTM competitions, bikes are judged strictly on performance rather than looks, and the rules are different than those in most other MOTOGP races. Because of the significant differences between the kTM bikes and the others, it can be pretty difficult to tell them apart. Teams have to build several different versions of their bike to maximize its capabilities, so even if you know your version doesn’t have the fastest speed or the best agility, it might be a good idea to build another kTM for the sake of participation.