BSB and Moto GP for 2018
This week we have a guest blog from Mark Powell:
Mark in the Paddock
Unlike Formula 1 where if you’re in the fastest car you’ve got a pretty good chance of the title if you can beat your team mate, motorcycle racing is completely different. The teams can setup the perfect bike but it’s all down to what the rider can do when the flag drops. I’ve witnessed many a championship where the best rider has won, not the best bike.
BSB "British Superbikes"
Bradley Ray
This years BSB promises to be one of the most exciting and hardest to predict. The fact that Bradley Ray managed to conquer Donington with two impressive wins at the first round underlines this.
Will Shakey’s (Shane Byrne) dominance finally come to an end, can the Pocket Rocket (Leon Haslam) exact his revenge after his terrible luck at the last round of the 2017 season, could there be a new young gun ready to claim the crown?
My personal view is there could well be a new champion this year and in a way I hope there is, but who could it be? We’d be interested on your thoughts on who will be champion......
Who will be in the showdown for the last three meetings? I wouldn’t bet against Bradley Ray being in there.
I have probably interviewed Bradley more than any other rider over the years and the fact that he won the first two races doesn’t come as much of a shock to me. When I was filming and interviewing for BSB TV I would be told on the morning of a meeting which category I would be covering for that event and which riders to concentrate on. But when it came to the younger riders, I would always totally ignore what I was asked to do. Firstly, I only ever went into the filming side of the sport so that I could help the support teams get more coverage and a higher profile on tv, so there was no way when I was asked to film and interview the youngest riders I was ever going to only interview the top three. I would basically run round all day trying to find any rider in the class for a short interview and most of the time this would be their first experience of being in front of a camera.
I can still remember the first time I interviewed Bradley Ray, a mass of curly brown hair and thick rimmed glasses. My normal tactic with any young rider doing their first interview was to put them at ease and make sure that they realised I was only interested in making them look good on film and if they messed it up I’d just film it again until they were happy with it. Bradley was different right from the start, supremely confident in his own abilities and a real pleasure to interview - in fact if I remember correctly it was a first take. Even though he was very young you could tell that there was something about him. I know it’s a cliché to say but Bradley had an old head on young shoulders and always seemed to have the ability to see the bigger picture of where he could go in this sport. I hope he’s the one that can really shake things up and get into the top six and maybe finish on the top step.
Brands Hatch "Indy" Circuit 13th to 15th April
Looking forward to this weekend. I fully expect Leon Haslam and Luke Mossey to be well up for this one and don’t forget it was only twelve months ago that Luke stunned everyone to win both races. Shakey will definitely be up there fighting at the front at his home track and I also think Bradley Ray will be raising some more eyebrows. You can’t discount James Ellison either - he’s always good at Brands and lastly let’s not forget Josh Brook and his ridiculous moustache. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he can win but the tash is very, very amusing!
MOTO GP
Oops!
Moto GP 2018 has certainly started with a bang and looks set to be an exciting season! I think we all know Marquez and Dovizioso are going to be up at the pointy end but is there anyone else in with a chance? And will the season be remembered for all the wrong reasons? Let’s hope that the riders can give Marquez the benefit of the doubt after his two wheeled bumper car antics in Argentina and concentrate on trying to beat him. Having said that their patience must be wearing thin by now. Obviously there could an innocent explanation like Rossi has a Marquez magnet built into his rear wheel.
Red Bull "Grand Prix of the Americas" 22nd April
Well I’m going to make a bold prediction! Marc Marquez to win! He’ll probably fall off now but that is the only way I can see anyone beating him. In fact the organisers might as well hand him the points! But who will join him on the podium?
Dovizioso has to be in with a chance as does an in-form Cal Crutchlow. Valentino Rossi will still be fuming over Argentina so I expect him to be right up there, and who knows where Dani Pedrosa will finish? On his day it could be second but if he’s not feeling it he might not even score a point! And let’s not forget Maverick Vinales and Johann Zarco, both riders are quality and have a good chance to fight for the podium.
Please leave your comments below.
