High-risk and hair-raising: how MotoGP aims to hook new fans
Owned by Liberty Media, MotoGP is reshaping its marketing, messaging and reach - but turning intensity into mainstream appeal is a more complex task
Yamaha’s autonomous Motobot racing bike has attempted to beat Valentino Rossi’s time at Thunderhill Raceway Park, USA
With a targeted top speed of 124mph, the Motobot’s second development milestone is to beat Rossi’s time of 85.740sec around the two-mile circuit. Check out the video below.
The bike didn’t beat it, but Yamaha used the experiment as a learning process for the robot, which uses six actuators to gauge numerous factors including lean angle, altitude and speed. The robot itself rides a stock YZF-R1M, and manipulates the bars as a human would. Yamaha says that the technology has various real-world applications, and will “create new value for existing business and cultivate new business.”
Owned by Liberty Media, MotoGP is reshaping its marketing, messaging and reach - but turning intensity into mainstream appeal is a more complex task
Last weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix was another reminder that some things in MotoGP need to change
The French Grand Prix is one of MotoGP's greatest spectacle, but it's also the most demanding weekend for the riders who call France home
Jorge Martin announced himself as the new MotoGP championship favourite in France while Marc Márquez took another trip to hell, but it wasn’t all bad news for the reigning champion