The 2020 motorcycle racing season is almost upon us, and although the global Coronavirus pandemic is causing havoc to the schedule, there’s plenty to get excited about for when racing does resume.
We think that it’s going to be one of the most intriguing seasons for years. Here’s why…
A challenge to Jonathan Rea?
For five years now, Jonathan Rea and his Kawasaki have ruled world superbikes.
After dominating in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Carole Nash-backed star had to push hard to overcome the early season charge from Alvaro Bautista and the new Ducati V4R last year, but could 2020 be the season when he faces a multi-angled attack for his crown?
Whether it’s his fast new team-mate Alex Lowes, young gun Toprak Razgatlioglu and team-mate Michael van der Mark on the improved-for-2020 Yamaha YZF-R1, Honda’s hotly-anticipated new Fireblade, with Bautista and Leon Haslam at the helm, or the Ducatis with former MotoGP star Scott Redding and Wales’ Chaz Davies, this year’s world championship has a whole host of potential race winners and championship challengers.
Can Rea successfully defend his title? It would take a brave punter to bet against it, but for sure it’s going to be the most wide open title fight for many a year.
British Superbike’s young guns
The British superbike championship is always hard to predict. Over the years it’s been won by world championship level stars seeing out their careers at home (Niall Mackenzie, John Reynolds, Shane Byrne and so on), world stars looking to reinvent themselves (Leon Haslam, Neil Hodgson and Scott Redding), overseas stars looking to make a name for themselves (Troy Bayliss, Ryuichi Kiyonari and Josh Brookes, to name but three) as well as journeymen Brits and young guns on their way up, such as Leon Camier and Alex Lowes.
Indeed, the British superbike record books are full of world champions who got their first big bike action in BSB, but who never quite won the title – witness Cal Crutchlow, Tom Sykes and the great Jonathan Rea.
Australian Brookes is a big favourite to regain the title he last won in 2015, but we think 2020 could be one of those ‘I saw them there first’ years. At 16-years-old, the talented Staffordshire rider Storm Stacey (yes, that’s his real name!) is set to become the youngest ever BSB rider when he lines up on the grid at Silverstone on April 12. He moves to the main class after a successful year (finishing third) in the National Superstock 600 championship.
While few will expect Stacey to fight for podiums in 2020, he’s definitely one for the future and will look to the example set by Ryan Vickers, the 2018 Superstock 600 champ, as he moves up.
Like Stacey, Vickers will be riding a Kawasaki ZX-10RR. The recently turned 21 year old from Thetford had a baptism of fire in his debut superbike campaign last year, suffering a number of big crashes but showing flashes of speed along the way. He has been fast in winter testing though, and is fancied by many to make the top six showdown – and is maybe even an outside title contender.
Other young guns worth looking out for are Bradley Ray and Kyle Ryde. Both are 22 years old and with a bright future ahead of them.
The British supersport championship
While we’ll all be eagerly watching the British superbike championship this year, we’re also going to be keeping a close eye on the main support series, the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship.
The 600cc class was where the aforementioned Crutchlow, Sykes and Rea cut their teeth and has produced some stunning races over the years.
The past two seasons have been something of an exhibition for Jack Kennedy, but the Irishman’s move up to superbikes leaves things wide open for an exciting season with plenty of subplots: with youth versus experience, blue versus green and road based supersport bikes lining up against Moto2 style prototype machines.
Kennedy’s replacement at Yamaha is another young gun to watch. Highly rated 18-year-old Rory Skinner, the 2018 British Talent Cup champion, takes Kennedy’s vacant seat at the triple title winning Appleyard Macadam Yamaha team, alongside last year’s runner-up Brad Jones, who’s also just 22.
Lining up against them is an experienced Gearlink Kawasaki squad, with Aussie Ben Currie (the 2018 runner-up) moving back to the 600 class after a year in superbike, alongside multiple race winner James Westmoreland, 31. We’re expecting some tough battles between these four riders. Throw in some fast three-cylinder MV Agustas and Triumphs and we expect the class to provide some of the fiercest racing of 2020.
Adding to the excitement of the racing is the prototype British GP2 class, which uses less powerful (but lighter) Moto2 style machines. The two classes line up on the same grid and are capable of posting roughly the same lap times, but contest their own championships – although that won’t stop the riders dicing out on track and going for the bragging rights of the overall race win.
Racing into 2021?
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’re almost certainly aware of the global pandemic that is COVID-19, aka Coronavirus.
The attempt to control the spread of the virus has included travel restrictions and limitations on large scale public events, meaning that major motorcycle racing events have been among the high-profile sporting events to be postponed.
MotoGP’s opening round took place without the premier class (Moto2 and Moto3 took place as scheduled, as the teams and riders were already at the track, having tested there the week before) and the rounds in Thailand, Argentina and United States have all been put back to the end of the season, while world superbike has postponed its rounds in Qatar and Spain.
The current MotoGP calendar sees a mammoth eight rounds across five continents during a 10 week period in October and November. Dorna, the organisers of MotoGP, have said that they want to run all rounds to form a world championship and could well put back more of the planned European rounds.
What chance we’re still racing in December, and maybe even January 2021?
Rossi’s farewell tour?
Back in February Yamaha announced that Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo will ride for its factory team in 2021, meaning that there will be no place for the legendary Valentino Rossi in the Japanese manufacturer’s top tier outfit.
Yamaha has announced that it will make top line material available to the nine-time world champion should he wish to race next year, however the man himself remains non committal and wants to see how competitive he is in the opening rounds before making up his mind.
At 41, Rossi is undoubtedly in the twilight of his career. Could 2020 be the last time we see him riding at the highest level?
