By Adrian Musolino
October 19th 2009 @ 6:01am
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Motorbike racing is the only remaining gladiatorial sport
Italian rider Valentino Rossi of Yamaha rides during practise for the 2008 Australian MotoGP at Philip Island, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008. AAP Image/Martin Philbe
“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games,” said Ernest Hemingway. He obviously wasn’t adverse to blood and guts in his sporting tastes, and he certainly would have been a fan of MotoGP.
Yesterday the world’s greatest riders hit speeds in excess of 320km/h as they dipped into the frighteningly fast turn one at Phillip Island – one of the world’s greatest race-tracks.
Yet, for the majority of the casual sporting fans who sat down to watch the Australian Grand Prix, rather than accepting it as a true sporting contest, it was probably dismissed as a bunch of crazies banging handlebars at breakneck speed.
Casual fans probably watched out of curious interest, or perhaps to perversely watch the inevitable spills, but it amazes me that the antics of Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner and co are not more widely followed and applauded.
It’s not just in Australia. Aside from Italy and Spain, motorbike racing fails to capture the attention of the mainstream around the world.
The sport is often genuinely thrilling, much more of a spectacle than Formula 1. There are few things as exhilarating and spine tingling as the start of a motorbike race. And the riders, namely Rossi and Lorenzo, ensure the crowd is entertained through their post-race antics.
Perhaps the sport struggles for acceptance because it scares the hell out of most people.
Motorbike racing is the closest descended to the ancestral gladiatorial games with riders risking life and limb.
Fatalities still occur and injuries are common. Disaster lurks at every corner.
Riders race on when other sportsmen would be forced to the sidelines. Broken bones, collarbones and wrists are just obstacles they have to ride around.
The injuries sustained by crashing motorbikes are horrific when compared to other sports.
Mick Doohan had his legs fused together so one could nourish off the other, and then went on to win five world championships.
Jorge Lorenzo raced to a podium last season with a broken ankle. Dani Pedrosa has had knee, arm and hip injuries requiring multiple surgeries, yet he hasn’t missed a race this season. A catalogue of horrific injuries fills the history books of the sport.
The media likes to propagate the idea that AFL footballers and rugby players are as tough as they come. But, when it comes to toughness, the two-wheeled brigade are in a league of their own.
They are the modern day gladiators.
Also, motorbike racing shouldn’t be lumped with the tired old stereotypes that plague their four-wheeled brethren.
According to the sceptics, a sport in which you are seated cannot be considered a true athletic test and, therefore, is not deserving of the ‘sport’ tag.
But motorbike racers hardly enjoy a comfortable ride on bikes. It requires immense upper body strength to haul the bikes at those speeds, especially when the bike isn’t co-operating.
They should be deemed as great athletes, despite the fact their bikes are motorised.
Sadly, for some at least, the efforts of the riders was still viewed as an extreme sport masquerading as a mainstream one.
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Brett McKay said | October 19th 2009 @ 7:13am | Report comment
What a weekend for Australian motorsport – first Stoner yesterday at the Island, and then early this morning Mark Webber wins in Brazil!!
I couldn’t believe some of the speeds being mentioned yesterday during the MotoGP telecast, and then on top of that they were talking lean angles upwards of 60 degrees!! And that there are some corners where the elbow can touch tarmac too!!! Crazy talk….
Jeff Baxter said | October 19th 2009 @ 7:31am | Report comment
Is it an Australian thing to belittle other sports in order to feel secure about your own? So rugby players don’t carry injuries, play with seemingly dozens of painkiller injections? Boxers don’t fight through the most unbelievable pain? I’ve sadly seen fights where boxers have ended up in comas or dead. Not because of one shot but because they have kepted on fighting long after they should have stopped.
Moto GP is a great sport but it’s not the last gladiatorial sport.
Redb said | October 19th 2009 @ 8:03am | Report comment
you want tough? read up on Andrew McAuley (kayaker). Man versus nature is the toughest opponent of all.
Redb
True Tah said | October 19th 2009 @ 8:20am | Report comment
Adrian
there are plenty of gladiatorial sports remaining in the world, motorcycle racing included. In terms of team sports I guess American football, rugby union, rugby league, ice hockey and buzkashki would meet that category, as they are collision sports which involve a fair degree of violence inherent in the game itself, and I guess they all involve a degree of putting your body on the line for your team.
In terms of individual sports, boxing would have to be closest thing to gladiatorial combat these days. Some other sports which are gladiatorial would include MMA, surfing, bull fighting, rodeo.
I think in general though, gladiatorial sports are not generally popular worldwide anymore. And this might explain the lack of interest by Australians in the Motor GP, although I would fathom a guess that most Aussies would know that Casey Stoner is a champion motorcyclist. This might have something to do with the fact that on the whole, men are generally far weaker and unfit relative to say a few hundred years ago.
Hoy said | October 19th 2009 @ 8:44am | Report comment
I love it how the participants in this sport talk about their fellow competitors. Yesterday Rossi knew he had been well and truly bettered, and admitted it.
In a world where heads are swelling everywhere, this to me seemed rather refreshing. No talk of blaming the bike or anything, he said “I wanted to win, but today, no way”.
Maybe that is just Rossi. A truly great sportsman.
megatron said | October 19th 2009 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
Rossi is the greater sportsman because he is human and lovable. So rare these days.
Michael B said | October 19th 2009 @ 9:22am | Report comment
To imply that other sports like Rugby League, Rugby, American Football, Boxing, Kick Boxing and some of the other contact sports are not gladiatorial is down right offensive to those who have played it. It also shows how little the author knows or appreciates about these sports.
I wouldn’t call AFL tough these days. Back in the 80’s and 90’s , yes, but not now. Andy D has made the game softer to appeal to the concerned Mummy’s of the world who don’t want little Johnny to get injured.
Redb said | October 19th 2009 @ 10:16am | Report comment
Whilst I would agree with True Tah that the NFL, Rugby and RL are more collision sports by their nature, from a gladitorial perspective especially on the MCG, when the umpire holds the ball aloft, the crowd roars and two opposing ruckmen jump at each other in their quest for the ball – that is gladitorial like. As is man on man marking contests – big forward against big defender.
Redb
OldManEmu said | October 19th 2009 @ 10:02am | Report comment
Nice Adrian – I enjoyed that.
Roarers – I dont think Adrian said that Footballers were not Gladiators – he said Moto GP riders were just more gladiatorial – bit hard to object to that in so far as it goes as a statement of opinion.
One can only marvel at the injuries the Moto GP guys experience and then return from.
Is it true that Mick Doohan had his fingers broken and re-set so that they were permanently bent in the handlar bar grip? If so that is amazing commitment.
My opinion is that Athletics is the true sport of Gladiators particularly the marathon and other long ditance events. If you fail you only have yourself to blame and if you succeed only yourself to credit. True enough athletes have coaches and can train in groups but when the gun fires it is human versus human. This is where I htink athletics differs from MotoGP in which there is the enormous element of technology and the support crew.
AndyRoo said | October 19th 2009 @ 10:15am | Report comment
“Is it true that Mick Doohan had his fingers broken and re-set so that they were permanently bent in the handlar bar grip? If so that is amazing commitment”
I remember seeing that, not to mention how many bones they have all broken. I think their are other sports that are also quite galditorial but I don’t mind the motor bike guys getting their day in the sun.
They deserve it.
paul childs said | October 19th 2009 @ 10:31am | Report comment
No MIck Doohan didnt have his fingers permantely set to the handle bar shape…
he had a hydraulic thumb throttle brake fitted to the left hand handle bar.
because he couldnt use his right leg for the rear foot brake.
so he had to learn how to use his clutch and his foot brake with his left hand..
this requires great skill, because you use your rear brake to back slide the bike into corners.
paul childs said | October 19th 2009 @ 10:18am | Report comment
How refreshing to find someone who knows and appreciates Motorbike racing. There is alot more to racing bikes than it would seem, I speak from experience, you need balance, lightning reflexes, upper and lower body strength, peripheral vision, coordination, timing, having your body in the right place at the right time to make a high speed turn, counter steering the bike in to the turn, all of these things happen in a split second at over 300kms, these men are super gladiators they dont have 4 wheels under them or steel frames around them to protect them i know what its like to come of at over 200 kms.
these gladiators only have a tyre patch not much bigger than a Australian 50 cent coin these gladiators are doing speeds the same as the F1 cars at some of these tracks. The list of things involved in racing a bike i have only scratched the surface on. next time you watch a motor bike race just watch the riders what they are doing the consentration the throttle control. for me there is no greater sport.
James said | October 19th 2009 @ 11:38am | Report comment
Didn’t Doohan have his legs fused together for like two weeks?!!?!! So that the damaged one could help feed off the good one. That’s insane stuff.
megatron said | October 19th 2009 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
What separates motorbike racing from others in the gladitorial sense is the fact the riders can so easily be killed. Few mainstream sports exist in which the possibilty of death is so real. I watched that world superbikes race in which that British rider (apologies I don’t remember his name) fell and was killed when he was hit at speed by another bike and he was basically dead instantly. His body in the middle of the track. That sort of crash could happen in any motorbike race considering how closely they race
Adrian Musolino said | October 19th 2009 @ 6:32pm | Report comment
Thanks for the comments folks.
Megatron, the rider you are referring to is Craig Jones. He was killed in a World Supersport race at Brands Hatch in the UK last year. He was hit by Australia’s Andrew Pitt.
megatron said | October 19th 2009 @ 7:29pm | Report comment
Thanks for clarifying.
paul childs said | October 25th 2009 @ 9:06pm | Report comment
congrats Casey Stoner on winning the Malaysian grand prix, and a big congrats to Valentino Rossi for winning his 9th world title… he has won a title in every class of motorcycle GP racing…. the only other person to do that is Giacomo Agostini..Valentino is a legend of all legends…. a true gladiator of the sport…and also congrats to Jeremy Burgess and his team… without them Yamaha would not have the results that they do.
Adrian Musolino said | October 25th 2009 @ 9:15pm | Report comment
The conditions they rode in today at Sepang prove how tough the riders are. Riding in those terrible conditions requires an immense amount of concentration, skill and finesse.
Stoner was in a different league today. It’s building nicely for next season when he’ll be fit and ready to go against Rossi and an ever-improving Lorenzo.
David said | October 19th 2009 @ 3:22pm | Report comment
And let’s not forget the mental strength required. Stoner and Rossi lapped Phillip Island 27 times yesterday with a second between the best and worst times. That takes incredible concentration and skill at an average speed (AVERAGE SPEED) of 176km/h.
And what about the courage and conviction to get back on the bike after a practice spill at 200-plus kilometres and hour and push just as hard on the spare bike? As anyone who’s ever had a car crash will know, it takes a while to get confidence back. Not these guys, at least not the great ones.
BTW, those powerslides at turn 3 were awesome.
Matt said | October 19th 2009 @ 6:05pm | Report comment
Guys, don’t forget that another World Champion was crowned for Australia in motorcycling at the weekend in Jason Crump.
He becomes the first ever Australian three times World Speedway Champion – the ULTIMATE motorcycling contest – they race 500cc bikes (the same as Doohan and Gardner rode) on dirt with no brakes.
We also have the World Under-21 Champion (Darcy Ward) and World Sidecar Champions (Mick Headland and Paul Waters).
Great article Adrian. You have to see MotoGP first hand to appreciate it for what it is.
paul childs said | October 22nd 2009 @ 9:25am | Report comment
not quite right they rode with 500 cc motors, but not the same motor they only produced half the power of gp bikes but never the less they ride at high speed and with no brakes very gutsy men and women and lets not leave out the women. they to race bikes and swing on side cars dirt and road remember sidecars especially bitumen are the most dangerous out of all. more people are killed in sidecars, than any other sport. and alot of women swing on the back. Alison Messina swung on the back of Vince Messina road sidecar, for quite a few years, and they held titles. i remember one year when we were racing, at phillip island Alison and Vince were T boned at the run off from honda corner, where Alison was seriously injuried, but she got straight back on after her injuries were healed and race again.
Tom said | October 19th 2009 @ 8:38pm | Report comment
To belittle F1 drivers because they sit down is ridiculous (I know you technically didn’t make that claim, but still…) If that were true I suppose cyclists aren’t proper athletes. In spite of the fact they don’t have to move around like motorbike riders, they still corner far, far faster than MotoGP bikes, and hence require ridiculous reflexes. See Richard Hammond’s attempt at getting an F1 car around a track if you want any idea of how hard it is. This is not to mention the races are longer as well.
Marlon said | October 19th 2009 @ 9:47pm | Report comment
Can not say that I agree.
paul childs said | October 22nd 2009 @ 1:08pm | Report comment
sorry but pushbike riders dont do over 200kms around corners like gp bikes or have knees on the grond because of 60 degrees to the ground sorry.
Tom said | October 22nd 2009 @ 6:22pm | Report comment
I wasn’t comparing the two sports, just saying that the ’sceptic’ claim in the article that motor sports cannot be considered true sports as the athletes in them sit down is ridiculous, as if it were true cycling would not be a true sport.
James said | October 21st 2009 @ 5:56pm | Report comment
For anyone who doubts the courage and gladiatorial aspects of motorbike racing – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rjMBg798KA
Mick from Giralang said | October 22nd 2009 @ 4:48pm | Report comment
I wasn’t a motorsport fan until I sat down and watched that Phillip Island race that Stoner won on the weekend. The courage, skill and sheer spectacle of that event was rivetting.
How do those bikes stay upright at those cornering angles?
Adrian Musolino said | October 22nd 2009 @ 5:53pm | Report comment
It’s great to see so many casual fans enjoyed what they saw from the Australian MotoGP. It wasn’t the most exciting of battles compared to previous races – you have to check out some of the great battles of the 500cc era – but the intensity of the contest between Casey and Valentino was great.
The sport deserves a wider audience and let’s hope it keeps growing in Australia.
For those of you new to motorbike racing and eager to find out more, I’d recommend watching a doco called ‘Faster’ which is available in most stores. Here’s the trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEMmKyR11yM
It’s a good introduction to the sport for newbies and gives a good insight into the mindset of the riders.
paul childs said | October 25th 2009 @ 9:08pm | Report comment
congrats Casey Stoner on winning the Malaysian grand prix, and a big congrats to Valentino Rossi for winning his 9th world title… he has won a title in every class of motorcycle GP racing…. the only other person to do that is Giacomo Agostini..Valentino is a legend of all legends…. a true gladiator of the sport…and also congrats to Jeremy Burgess and his team… without them Yamaha would not have the results that they do.