MOTOGP PIT LANE

Michael Scott - a regular in the MotoGP paddock since 1984 and familiar to motorcycle racing fans worldwide through his best selling books on the likes of Wayne Rainey and Barry Sheene has been covering MotoGP since long before it was MotoGP. Remember two-strokes? Scott does.

- Michael Scott

A YEARS WORTH OF LESSONS

Wash away the old year, bring in the new. But be careful what you throw away with the bath-water. No babies. And none of the lessons learned in motorcycle grand prix racing’s 73rd year of playing “I can go faster than you”.

And what might these be, I hear you cry?

Some things became clear during a 2021 season which at the same time demonstrated how the honours are as frequently passed around among the participants as they are also sometimes hogged for years on end by just one of them.

It was Yamaha’s turn for the title. Or at least a Yamaha rider’s turn. Narrowly, given that Ducati secured the constructor honours. With fewer fast riders taking points from one another, one of them might have stopped Quartararo as well – but with a record eight bikes next season, this is a lesson that the Italian factory has ignored.