MotoGP Also Almost Died

JAKARTA – MotoGP racing is not always glamorous, star-studded and spends a lot of money on the development of motorcycle technology. Not to mention the tumult of performances in a country, such as what is currently trending in Indonesia. This prototype motorcycle race almost died in the early 1990s.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, MotoGP, which was then still called the GP500, was filled with many stars. There is a racing duo from the United States, Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz who always race at the forefront of each series.

There is Nial McKenzie, a racer from Scotland. Mick Doohan from Australia was also very fresh at that time. Then France was represented by Jean-Philippe Ruggia. Eddie Lawson (USA) and Wayne Gardner (Australia) are getting old, but their presence is still respected.

Spectators still thronged every GP500 performance in the early 1990s, but most didn't realize that the teams competing on the track were gasping for air. The reasons are various, ranging from not enough funds to develop motorbikes to many riders being injured due to safety procedures that are not as stringent as today.

In the United States GP500 race at the Laguna Seca Circuit, California on April 8, 1990 for example. Of the 18 riders who fell, only 10 finished, eight others fell. Wayne Rainey as the champion with a time of 50 minutes 55.379 seconds. Mick Doohan was runner up with a time difference of 30.386 seconds. What an odd difference!

The order of 6-8 is occupied by Juan Gariga (Spain), Randy Mamola (USA), and Alex Barros (Brazil) 1 lap behind. While ranked 9th and 10th, Peter Linden (Sweden) and Nick Schassman (Switzerland) were even 3 laps behind. If both of them spent the whole round, the difference with Rainey could be as much as 4 minutes!

Compare with the current MotoGP era. In the era of modern motorbikes that are filled with electronic devices, the time difference between the champions and the distended rankings of the 22 participants is an average of 50 seconds.

The development of prototype motorcycles used in MotoGP is indeed super expensive. To form a reliable MotoGP team with a 50 percent chance of becoming a champion, it takes at least 10 million euros or around Rp. 157 billion. If you want to form a team with an 80-90 percent chance of winning, you need to dig deeper into your pocket for an additional 5 million euros, or around Rp. 78.5 billion.

That's why in 1990 there was a discourse that MotoGP would be better off with a lethal injection. Moreover, in 1988 the Superbike World Championship (WSBK) began to be held. Modified market motorcycle racing. The pace is not as fast as MotoGP, but the development costs are cheap.

"The person who came up with such an idea, must have been the result of contemplation in the bathroom. What is needed for the GP500 today is not to be killed or replaced by a stupid motorcycle called a superbike, but to invest more in developing motorcycle technology," said "King" Kenny Roberts, a legendary American racer who in 1990 was the owner of the championship team, Yamaha Roberts in an interview. with Motor Sport Magazine.

"I'm always looking for the extraordinary, and that's in the GP500. The GP500 is motor racing's biggest show, its pinnacle. The public wants to see a racer who goes really fast, and it's getting faster every year," said Roberts.

Roberts finally managed to knock the hearts of Yamaha officials to develop a new motorbike. In 1992 Yamaha developed the YZR500, which could not only be used by a factory team but could also be rented by an independent team or satellite.

Yamaha's move was imitated by Honda, which developed the NSR500V, and was also allowed to be used by the satellite team. Until now, this habit continues. The manufacturer develops the bike, while the satellite teams are creative to make it as fast as the factory team.

Now MotoGP is back to being lively, alive. Much more alive and thriving than 30 years ago, when this prototype motorcycle race nearly ran out of energy. The riders from the satellite team are able to race as fast as the factory team, because the motorbikes as their basic capital are of the same type.