[kropotkin thinks...] - Barcelona MotoGP Preview: Aprilia's New Home GP

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Barcelona MotoGP Preview: Aprilia's New Home GP If MotoGP itself has a home round, it is Barcelona. Dorna, the company that runs the series, has its operational offices here. The official main office is in Madrid, a modest affair for handling the legal and financial side of the company, but Barcelona is where the people who run the company, organize the races, and broadcast them around the world are located.

It's not just Dorna either. Teams, media, riders (or at least, the riders who haven't earned enough not to have to live in Andorra), a lot of people involved in MotoGP live in and around Barcelona. In fact, if you wanted to wipe out MotoGP, two small nukes, one on Barcelona and one on Cattolica in Italy would be enough to do the job.

The track at Barcelona is worthy of a MotoGP round. It is big, it is fast, and it is packed with fans on race day. It is one of the few tracks on the calendar where a MotoGP machine does not have to be reined in, where the bikes can be given full power in sixth gear. And it is a track where rider skill and the hubris to carry just that little bit more corner speed can pay dividends.

Flat out

It starts with the front straight. Coming off the fast final turn, the bikes carry a lot of speed onto the straight, which they convert into some of the highest top speeds on the calendar. Last year, Aleix Espargaro hit 356.4 km/h, and half the grid hit over 350 km/h during the race.


David EmmettWed, 22/May/2024 - 23:56

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