When watching a Moto GP race race on TV or
in person, it can be hard to appreciate just
how much riding technique and technology that
goes behind riding a motorcycle at that level.
For the average spectator, a lot of the technical
talk around the motorcycles setups, and riding
techniques is just a bunch of gibberish. But
there is something that most spectators tend
to notice though, which is that the riders
all have slightly different riding styles.
Over the history of motorcycle racing, these
differences in riding style have often been
controversial, and surely lot of heated debates
have gone down over a couple of beers with
the friends after watching the races.
So in todays Speed & Noise episode we will
explore how the modern day Moto GP riding
styles came to be.
The very first production series motorcycle
sold was the 1894 German Hildebrand & Wolfmüller,
and a couple of years later the first motorcycle
races were held in France. These races eventually
developed into Grand Prix racing, held at
both purpose built race tracks and on regular
roads, which
would be the basis for modern Moto GP racing.
One of the most famous road races started
in 1907, called the 'International Auto-Cycle Tourist
Trophy’, today known as the Isle of Man
TT.
The very first distinctive riding style of
those earlier years was used by successful
British racer Freddie Frith, 1909-1988, who
leaned his body out from the corners. Yes
that is right, he leaned out from the bike.
Or in other words, the opposite of how modern
day Moto GP bikes are ridden.
During these early years successful Italian
racer Tazio Nuvolari, 1892-1953, used the
same style of riding winning Grand Prix races
in Italy on his 350cc Bianchi motorcycle.
So why exactly did Freddie and Tazio lean
out from the corner? There is no reliable
source quoting them, but John Surtees, four
time Motorcycle World champion of the 1950s,
wrote in his 1960s booklet that: “My theory
is that each style is appropriate to its time.
Pre-war racing machines had larger wheels,
a higher center of gravity, and a high, compact
riding position. These factors combined to
demand more physical effort for banking the
machine from side to side, and the effort
naturally tended to push the rider’s body
the other way.”
Indeed John was right about the machines of
that time, they had large 21 inch wheels and
a very high center of gravity. Just have a
look at this 1929 350 CC Velocette that Freddie
rode during his first Isle of man TTs.
Another reason to lean outwards on these motorcycles
were that they had rigid frames, with no rear
suspension, which made them wobble laterally
when leaned over. By forcing the bike to lean
over the chassis were allowed to flex, which
gave some in-corner suspension.
The tendency to wobble also meant that using
a forceful counter steering maneuver could
result in a crash when entering the corners.
So the riders had to use quite a bit of strength
to lean the motorcycles over. So just as Surtees
mentioned, by leaning out, they could push
the bikes beneath them.
The next really distinctive riding style in
Grand Prix racing was popularized by British
racer Geoff Duke,1923-2015, multiple road
racing world champion.
His then progressive style was to “Be with
the bike”, always centered in the saddle
with his upper body at the same angle of lean
as the machine. As the years passed, he became
known for his view that the coming knee-down,
slide-to-the-inside style “just a fad that
will pass.”
Kel Carruthers said this about Duke: “For
his time, Duke’s style was progressive.
Before him, many riders leaned the bike but
kept themselves more upright.”
Dukes first success came abroad a 1950 Manx
Norton, a motorcycle that had a twin-loop
chassis as well as hydraulic front and rear
suspension. The engine of the Norton was also
significantly lower down as compared to the
older bikes. All of this contributed to a
bike that was easier to lean over.
So Duke was able to maintain a centered position
when leaning the bike over, since he was not
required to use as much force as the riders
of the previous generations. Sitting centered
on the bike at all times had a big advantage:
Lowering aerodynamic drag. Considering the
low power output of the machines of that era,
it is not a big surprise that this riding
style was so successful at the time. 
On a side note, Duke was also responsible
for popularizing the one-piece leather suit
for racing. Which he developed with a local
tailor, with the purpose of minimizing aerodynamic
drag.
During the 1950s and into the 60s, the tires
used for racing were all-weather drainage
grooved tires made out of hard rubber, which
was the only rubber that would last for a
full race.
So with the limited grip of the hard rubber,
everything had to be done very gradual. John
Surtees wrote in his 1960s booklet: “The
best line is that which takes you through
a corner at the highest possible speed in
one smooth sweep.” This style would for
years be called ‘cornering as if on rails’.
During this same time, the cornering speeds
were increasing and with it came steeper lean
angles. Eventually the lean angles achieved
made the exhaust pipe and foot pegs hit the
ground, because of this several riders started
hanging slightly off to the inside, among
those John Surtees, who wrote: “The idea
is to keep the machine as upright as possible
for maximum traction. That way, I can use
more power and speed in a bend than if I stay
in line with the machine or lean outward;
for I would then have to put the machine itself
down a little farther, and that would mean
easing the throttle to keep the back wheel
from breaking away.”
This style of riding was adopted and perfected
during the 1960s into the 1970s by two of
the most famous motorcycle racers in history,
namely Mike Hailwood,1940-1981, with 9 World
championship titles and Giacomo Agostini,1942,
with 15 World championship titles.
During champion years of Ago’ and Hailwood,
less famous riders were working on a new riding
style to improve their cornering speed, and
by the beginning of the 1970s this new style
of leaning into the corners was emerging.
This new style was to point the inside knee
into the corner, as well as leaning into it.
Who actually invented the knee down technique
is not entirely obvious. According to some
articles it was Finnish rider Jarno Saarinen,1945-1973,
who invented the technique. Other sources
point towards British racers John Cooper,
1938, and Paul Smart, 1943, who appear to
be riding with their knees out it several
pictures from 1970s motorcycle magazines.
Although it is unclear who first invented
the technique, the racer who would popularize
it was American racer Kenny Roberts, 1951.
Roberts had observed Saarinen’s knee down
technique during a race at Ontario Motor Speedway.
He copied the style and began exaggerating
the motion, moving his body even further into
the turn.
Because his knee would actually hid the ground
while cornering, Roberts started using duct
tape as knee pads so that he could slide his
knee on the ground. This eventually led to
the introduction of purpose built knee pucks,
used by all motorcycle road racers today.
This was not the only new riding style Roberts
popularized. He had learned to race on dirt,
where traction is limited and turns are negotiated
by breaking the rear wheel loose and steering
the bike with the rear wheel.
Roberts experience with dirt riding and the
introduction of powerful two stroke engines,
that gave power suddenly and not progressively,
mounted in under dimensioned chassis, led
him to use a technique known today as: ‘point
and shoot’. This means to get the bike turned
early in the corner, then lift it up to plant
the back tire for maximum acceleration out
of the corner. 
After Roberts came several bar raisers, who
replicated and perfected his style. Among
those were Americans Freddy Spencer,1961,
and Eddie Lawson, 1958, as well as Australian
Wayne Gardner, 1959.
Eventually the old arching riding styles became
relevant again because of technological innovation
in chassis design and ‘big bang’ engines,
which allowed for a more linear power delivery.
This led to a battle between of styles, with
some riders using ‘point and shoot’, while
others utilized a ‘riding-on-rails’ style.
Leading into the 90s one of the most dominant
racers were Australian Mick Doohan, 1965.
Doohan ended up winning 5 World championships
in the premier class.
His line style was that of ‘point and shoot’
but his body position was something no one
had successfully used earlier or ever since.
He sat crossed up, pushing his lower body
far out on the bike but not following with
his upper body. Doohan slowly changed this
body position over the years to a more conventional
one.
If you are in any way interested in motorcycle
racing, you know who is up next. Valentino
Rossi, 1979, 9 times Grand Prix World champion,
who just like Ago’ and King Kenny changed
the game completely.
What was so special about Rossi’s style,
is that his style is to be flexible, or in
other words he adapts how he rides to the
machinery, the track, the competition and
the tires. He could both rail around corners,
or back it in sideways, whatever resulted
in being the fastest, Rossi would do.
Several bar raisers emerged during Rossi’s
champion years, who would eventually beat
him, among those Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, 1987,
and Australian Casey Stoner, 1985.
As Rossi, Lorenzo and Stoner were raising
the bar riding style wise, the engineers were
working hard on electronic traction control
and tire technology.
This development saw the emerging of a new
game changing style, that of Spaniard Marc
Marquez, 1993. 
He seems to have endless bravery and bravado
as he slides the front wheel hard into corners,
something that would have resulted in an instant
crash only a few years ago. When Marquez came
in and won Moto GP in his rookie year, he
came in riding the bike with no pre-conception
of what should be possible, and thus he created
a completely new style of riding with extreme
lean angles, pushing the tires harder than
ever before seen.
So with that, the story of how the Moto GP
riding styles have emerged is complete, but
only for now. Since there will always be new
styles emerging from game changers in the
future.
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