marc marquez

[butler]

a new era begins , he can dominate for years already breaking the records .

[Edge]

Are you his marketing manager?  

[butler]

 Are you his marketing manager?  

you stick with the knitting 

[Edge]

you stick with the knitting  

 

Ah of course, his PR manager.

 

You stick to the buses Butler.   

 

Marc Marquez: Record breaker

Sunday, 10 November 2013

 

MotoGP™ has seen records tumble almost by the race across the 2013 season, as newcomer Marc Marquez took the premier class by storm en route to an historic title victory in his first season. It has certainly been a record-breaking year for the 20-year-old…

 

Records for the 2013 season

- Marquez is the first rookie to win the premier class world title since Kenny Roberts became 500 World Champion in 1978

- At the age of 20 years and 266 days Marquez is the youngest rider to win the premier class world title, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 21 years and 258 days of age when he won the 500 title in 1983, also riding a Honda

- Marquez is just the fourth rider in the 65-year history of Grand Prix racing to win world titles in three different categories, along with: Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and Valentino Rossi

2013 records en route to the title

- At the opening race of the year in Qatar, Marquez became the fourth youngest rider of all-time to finish on the podium in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, after Randy Mamola, Eduardo Salatino and Norick Abe

- At the first race of the year, Marquez set a new record for being the youngest rider ever to take the fastest lap of the race in the premier class, at the age of 20 years and 49 days. The previous record holder was Freddie Spencer, who was 20 years and 161 days old when he had his first race fastest lap in the 500 class at Misano in 1982

- His win at the Grand Prix of the Americas, at the age of just 20 years and 63 days, made him the youngest ever rider to win a premier class Grand Prix, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 20 years and 196 days old when he won the Belgian 500 GP at Spa-Francorchamps in 1982

- Qualifying on pole position in Austin, at the age of 20 years and 62 days, made Marquez the youngest ever rider to qualify on pole in the premier class, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 20 years and 153 days old when he qualified on pole for the first time in the 500 class at Jarama in 1982

- The victory in Austin also made Marquez the youngest ever rider in the 65-year history of World Championship Grand Prix racing to have won in three different classes, taking the record from his teammate Dani Pedrosa who achieved this at the age of 20 years and 227 days when he won in China in 2006

- Marquez is the first rider to have won on either their first or second start in the premier class for 15 years, since Max Biaggi won on his 500 debut at Suzuka in 1998

- He is the first rider since Jorge Lorenzo in 2008 to finish on the podium in his first two races in the premier class

- After podium finishes at the first two races, Marquez had joint leadership of the Riders’ Championship with Jorge Lorenzo and is the youngest rider ever to lead the premier class standings, taking the record from Jorge Lorenzo who headed the championship after winning at Estoril in 2008, at the age of 20 years and 345 days

- The win in Austin also gave Marquez the record of being the youngest ever rider to take back-to-back podium finishes in the premier class, taking the record from Randy Mamola who finished on the podium in Spain and then France in 1980, at the age of 20 years and 197 days.

- At the Spanish Grand Prix, Marc Marquez - at the age of 20 years and 77 days - became the youngest rider to finish on the podium at three successive premier class GP races, taking the record from Jorge Lorenzo who was 20 years and 345 days old when he has his third successive podium in 2008

- At the French Grand Prix, he became only the second rider to finish on the podium in his first four races in the premier class; the other rider to have achieved this was Max Biaggi in 1998

- The victories by Marc Marquez at the Sachsenring and Laguna Seca give him the record of the youngest rider of all-time to win back-to-back races in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, at the age of 20 years and 154 days, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 21 years and 104 days old when he won in South Africa and France in 1983, riding a Honda

- His wins at the Sachsenring and Laguna Seca also made Marquez the first rookie in the premier class to win back-to-back races since Kenny Roberts, in Austria and France in 1978

- His win at Indianapolis made Marquez only the second ever rookie in the premier class to win three successive GP races; the other is Kenny Roberts, who won in Austria, France and Italy in 1978

- The victories by Marquez at the Sachsenring, Laguna Seca and Indianapolis give him the record of the youngest rider of all-time to win three successive races in the premier class of Grand Prix racing at the age of 20 years and 182 days, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 21 years and 125 days old when he won in South Africa, France and Italy in 1983

- His win at the Czech GP gave Marquez the record of being the first rookie ever in the premier class to win four successive GP races

- His win at MotorLand Aragon was the sixth win of the year – the greatest number of wins ever in the premier class by a rookie rider

- The victories by Marc Marquez at the Sachsenring, Laguna Seca, Indianapolis and Brno give him the record of the youngest rider of all-time to win four successive races in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, at the age of 20 years and 189 days - a record previously held since 1962, set by Mike Hailwood at the age of 22 years and 139 days

- Marquez has finished in the top three 16 times in 2013 - the greatest number of podium finishes ever by a rookie in the premier class

- He has qualified on pole position nine times in 2013 – the greatest number of pole positions ever by a rookie in the premier class.

- His points’ total of 334 is the greatest number of points ever achieved during a rookie season in the premier class

[cuzzy]

He certainly has the goods to make it big time, and I don't mean in the Big League.  

 

Really enjoying the current MotoGP season, only wish Ducati would get that DOG back in the kennel where it belongs and develop a decent machine. ( They probably are 555 )

[layow]

After the fck up at ph isl. Did well to stay outta trouble.

How slow was lorenzo going at the start of the final race 555

 

Well done marc

[PepeLePew]

Marc had a great rookie year and deserved the title. Not taking anything away from that. Very quick, entertaining, natural talent and no doubt will be up there for years to come. Considering most, inc me, had him down as quick but crashes, give him a year to learn then challenge next year, he surprised in a big way with not just his speed but his consistency.

 

However Lorenzo in the 2nd half of the season was riding like a 2 wheeled genie! He had to win and win and that's what he did. He used the Yam to perfection and even though it lacks power in comparison he got it in front and made the Hondas chase him. A sign of a true great is someone who can add speed to the 2nd best machine and make it a contender. If ever there was a title that 2 riders equally deserved to win it was this years MGP. I never really warmed to him until this year but his ride to 4th with a fresh broken collarbone and then his late season fight back, roughing it up with the crazy kid made me a fan.

 

One interesting stat mentioned on BBC was that Jorge crashed 3 times this season and broke his collarbone twice. Marc crashed 12 times and didn't even break a finger nail. So there is at least one area that Marc can improve on

[Edge]

Marc had a great rookie year and deserved the title. Not taking anything away from that. Very quick, entertaining, natural talent and no doubt will be up there for years to come. Considering most, inc me, had him down as quick but crashes, give him a year to learn then challenge next year, he surprised in a big way with not just his speed but his consistency.

 

However Lorenzo in the 2nd half of the season was riding like a 2 wheeled genie! He had to win and win and that's what he did. He used the Yam to perfection and even though it lacks power in comparison he got it in front and made the Hondas chase him. A sign of a true great is someone who can add speed to the 2nd best machine and make it a contender. If ever there was a title that 2 riders equally deserved to win it was this years MGP. I never really warmed to him until this year but his ride to 4th with a fresh broken collarbone and then his late season fight back, roughing it up with the crazy kid made me a fan.

 

One interesting stat mentioned on BBC was that Jorge crashed 3 times this season and broke his collarbone twice. Marc crashed 12 times and didn't even break a finger nail. So there is at least one area that Marc can improve on

 

I never forgave Lor for the crass way he behaved as he took Rossi's title away and effectively forced him out of Yamaha - he was a complete cnut in those days (albeit an excellent rider) and I wished he'd drowned in that pond (joking). 

 

Compare that behaviour with how Maq has behaved this season - a true sportsman and a gentleman.

 

His Motogp rookie year, but with two World Championships already, he clearly was there to do more than make the Honda numbers up due to Casey dropping out.

 

I also recall Lor lecturing other riders about riding safely in the past, but that seems to have gone out of the window lately.

 

Huge regret that Simoncelli wasn't there.

Rossi seems to be coming to the end of his road.

Difficult to see that Cal's move to Ducati is about anything more than the money.

Lor will fight back, but it does look as though we're now into another period of Honda supremacy with Marc Marquez on board.

After some screw ups he had to ride carefully for the last couple of races, but no doubt he's looking forward to beating Lor race by race next season.

[PepeLePew]

Yes I was a big Vale fan and didn't appreciate Jorge arriving. That said it was hardly his fault he got signed. Rossi wasn't happy about it and the fact he was being beaten had more to do with him leaving than Jorges behaviour. Still he could have been more of a gent but hey ho, he's quick and you can do what you want if you win. Even copy your legend team mates special victory celebrations!

What turned me this season is how he dug deep and, particularly after his injury, came back, raised his game and took the fight to Marc. Yes he complained/s about safe racing but when no one listens and you get punted about F it, if you can't beat em join em and he did, with gusto! Was great to watch. Consider how good a rider we know Pedrosa is yet he couldn't touch Marc on the same machine whilst Jorge was beating him! I wouldn't rule out yamaha next year yet either. If Jorge takes his current form into next season Marc will have a lot of work to do to retain his title. 2 collarbones breaks cost him a lot of points. enough to easily cancel out Marcs inability to count to 10 and 1 non finish. The talent he showed in the last race! He made the Hondas (ok, Marc was cruising but Pedrosa wasn't!) look like push bikes the way he held them back for the first 10 laps.

 

No doubt Marc was a clear talent on his way to the top but no one expected him to the the title this year. Outstanding!

 

Yes Rossi does look to be slowing down. Jorge is fast but I don't think Rossi's speed diff is due to the bike only. Oh well we had a good run, it was fun. Particularly liked his poor starts, made for great entertaining racing.

 

Cal took the cash, can't blame him. He wasn't getting a decent factory ride any time soon. He's good but with the possible exception of Vale now I don't think he can touch the top 4 even on the same machine. Audi might inject new impetus into the race team. something needs to happen! Glad Bradley is staying. My favourite bit of the Gp is often the Monster Brolley dolleys. Whoever books them has a great eye

 

Scott redding should bring some fun to the party too.

[biggles]

"How slow was lorenzo going at the start of the final race 5"

 

I just thought it was part of his strategy and could have worked. It wasn't enough to beat marc, he had to get at least 2 other riders to overtake him as well to keep the championship. By slowing the race he increased the chance of that happening, or perhaps Marc tangling with another rider. Half way thru he realised it wasn't going to work and took off.

[Edge]

............................... By slowing the race he increased the chance of ...................... perhaps Marc tangling with another rider. Half way thru he realised it wasn't going to work and took off.

 

His tactics were predictable and clear to all and I think if he could have drawn Marc in he would have had him off the way he's been riding lately - just remembering the shoulder barge straight off the line after Marc had just had his shoulder put back in a few races ago.

 

Marc wasn't falling for it and nether was Dani and nobody else was a threat except perhaps Bautista, also on a Honda.

 

So Lor's dirty slowing tactics failed and he tried to get Marc to chase him.

 

Marc looked as though he could have gone after him and he did for a while, but either good sense or a team message said forget it, let him go, it's not worth the risk of going near him.

 

Looking forward to some honest head to head racing next season......hopefully.

[PepeLePew]

Oh both Dani and Marc fell for it. They had no choice. It was either try and get past him or get caught up by the chasing pack. It was fairly standard racing tactics and executed superbly, nothing dirty about it. Keeping 2 of the fastest riders in the world behind you is far more skilful than just riding off into the distance which he eventually did. Marc was of course riding for points and happy to be in a safe 3rd but Danni wanted the win and just didn't have it in him. It just showed how big the difference in speed was between the top 3 and the best of the rest in that they couldn't catch up even when given the chance!

 

If we are going to talk about dirty riding then you really have to look at Marc rather than Lorenzo. He was the one who ended the season with 2 penalty points. He was the one who banged into his team mate and caused him to crash. Now I'm not saying he deserved the points. I think he rode a great season but so did Jorge, who incidentally trumps Marc's slight dislocation with 2 breaks and an operation. Riding rough isn't Lorenzo's natural style but as it's how the chpshp was being won he had to adopt it and showed everyone how easy and effective it is. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Aggressive riding is always a joy to watch. I was a big fan of Simoncelli because he took no sh/£ and barged his way through if needed.

[Edge]

Oh ................... Marc fell for it. .......................

 

If Marc had fallen for it he'd have fallen, but the young boy did the right thing.

 

Sure Dani wanted it and he couldn't do it - he basically doesn't have the size for the rough stuff and he didn't get the start to get away from it.

 

Place your bets for next season is what it's about - Maq or Lor?

[PepeLePew]

Marc had no choice but to fall for it. If he hadn't he'd have been swamped by the slower riders. When he did get ahead he was quickly caught and passed again. He was lucky in that Dani was able to push Jorge just enough to stay away from the chasing pack. when Dani dropped down he had to try and push Jorge himself, which was risky but necessary. Jorge eventually gave up on plan A and went for it because 4th 5th and 6th were too slow! Marc was also smart enough to race for points once that happened. Dani's start was irrelevant (odd how last year his starts were rocket like but this year he seemed to lose that). He got ahead of Lorenzo twice during the first half but couldn't make it stick. Yes he weighs slightly less than a small TG but he can still play with the big boys. Valencia was down to his lack of comparative pace to JL.

 

Next year? Well I think you'd be mad to bet against either of them. Should be a good season. Can't see how you can write off Lorenzo's chances so easily. He won 8 races this season to Marc's 6. I see it being very close as long as their teams provide similar bikes to this year. With luck Dani will up his game a bit too. Only 3 wins this year he was definitely made to look average by J and M. Rossi was the only other winner.

[butler]

a few good posts there pepe you know your bikes

[Edge]

^^^

Except for being hooked on Ducatis.  

 

Never been a Honda fan - I love Yamahas, but I just hate Lorenzo.

 

Marc will kick his arse next season IMO.

[PepeLePew]

I love Ducati's yes, I blame Fogarty and the 916 squarely for that bane of my life

 

Japanese bikes meh! all the same to me so i have no partisan feelings regarding the team. I used to feel the same about Lorenzo as you, hated him with a passion. I was hoping Dani would put him in his place this season as he looked good last year. Never figured Marc would feel so at home on a full GP bike so quickly and take it to Jorge. What changed my mind was how Jorge reacted to that. He dug deep found extra speed and extra impetus. His ride to 4th on a Sunday after breaking a collar bone 48hrs before was outstanding. He held off Cal Crutchlow who was 100% fit! (How do they do that? most normal non racing people are out a month after such an injury! Imagine a footballer!)He changed his style, lent over more and got more aggressive. He's still a bit of a moaner, he'll never have the adoration that Rossi has and Marc is getting. If I could go for a beer with a GP rider he'd be a long way down the list (still well in front of Stoner though!) but his skill on a bike and particularly this seasons campaign have won me over and I no longer hate him. I don't really follow any one rider (or driver) I just have a list of riders who I'd like to see win and a list of riders I don't want to see on the top step. Not too many in the 2nd group now.

[Edge]

I love Ducati's yes, I blame Fogarty and the 916 squarely for that bane of my life

............................... If I could go for a beer with a GP rider he'd be a long way down the list (still well in front of Stoner though!) ........................

 

At least Casey could tame your favourite bike - nobody else has.

 

WSB was a different game altogether and there it worked (rules favoured it?) but if Carl had been that good he'd have made it to the top instead of just the odd wildcard on the Cagiva.

 

There is a reason why the fans like Rossi and Marquez.  

 

BTW - I wasn't comparing injuries, just the way Lor barged him at the start.

[PepeLePew]

Ha ha, even when Stoner rode a Duke I didn't like him winning. Personality mainly but also just a boring riding style. Not interesting to watch IMO.

 

Yes WSB was very different. This is an age old discussion but always a good one. Were the rules tilted in Ducatis favour and just how good was Carl really? Not that I was saying he was a riding god but now you mention it

 

Well the rules were definitely adjusted to allow Ducati to take part, and continually adjusted to try to keep the field equal. Not an easy task trying to equate twins with 4s. I like to think Ducati just played the game better. The others were free to produce twins if they thought it was advantageous. Honda finally got it and had a very successful twin in the RC. Homogolation was around 200 bikes I think and we have that to thank for a number of Ducati special editions, produced to be able to alter race bikes.

 

Carl not that good? Come on! He did ok for a rookie when he first went to mgp, not a great bike and I think he was just subbing for someone but held his own. Then he got a good seat in WSB and started his domination only returning to motogp for guest rides on uncompetitive machines (which he rode the nuts off and again did well considering). Why didn't he get offered a decent bike? Politics? His attitude and inability to bow and scrape when asked to? He was an arrogant fast rider and wasn't about to take anything offered just to race MGP. There is always the issue of him prefering the bigger bikes of course. they were 500s in his day but I'm sure if he'd made the switch to a good team he'd have had success. Maybe not the domination he found in WSB but wins and chpshps I'm sure of it. Add to that the fact that in 1999 WSB was the place to be. all the big race teams and manufacturers were there and MGP was struggling. Remember this is a guy who held the TT lap record and contested and won road races. Show me a current MGP rider who'd even attempt the TT course let alone win it. He also won a 24 hr Le Mans! Shifting chpshps and winning was never a problem for Carl.

 

Fans love Vale and Marc because as well as being fast they are (or appear to be) nice guys, good in interviews and are entertaining racers. Dani is nice, entertaining on track but crap at speaking! Now Jorge has started to entertain on track I've warmed to him.

 

I know you weren't comparing injuries but although I don't have a perfect memory of each race I'm pretty sure Marc started the barging when he bashed Lorenzo out of the way at the last corner at Jerez (amusingly I think they had just named it Lorenzo corner that weekend!). Jorge uncharacteristically didn't whinge and whine about it. He woke up and thought 'ok, if you want to play like that lets play!'. Great season!

[Edge]

Ha ha, even when Stoner rode a Duke I didn't like him winning. Personality mainly but also just a boring riding style. Not interesting to watch IMO.

.....................................

Carl not that good? ...................Why didn't he get offered a decent bike? Politics? His attitude and inability to bow and scrape when asked to? He was an arrogant fast rider and wasn't about to take anything offered just to race MGP. There is always the issue of him prefering the bigger bikes of course. they were 500s in his day but I'm sure if he'd made the switch to a good team he'd have had success. .............

 

Personality is a big issue just as it is in F1 (ask Vettel 555).

It isn't as simple as ability unfortunately and Lorenzo fcuked up big time with his antics as he displaced Rossi.

He has since learnt to be a little more gracious and that will serve him well as he in turns gets displaced.

 

Carl came across as an arrogant cnut off the track. 

I met him was in his company/zone twice. I recall once after breakfast at the hotel at Donington when a dedicated fan was cut dead as he tried to speak to him as he left.

Compare that with how Jamie Witham behaved (out in the bar the night after the race) and you have the two extremes in terms of personality.

Jamie did himself no favours punting his team manager (Rob Mackenzie) off at Melbourne Hairpin and wasn't as successful, but what a great guy.

In terms of why Carl's success didn't include reaching the premier division, perhaps you have to go back to when he deserted Honda in '97 for Ducati (Kocinski took the title on the Honda) albeit that was ultimately a good decision re' WSB. If he could have ridden the RC45 as well as he rode the (favoured 555) Ducati .....................

[PepeLePew]

Personality definitely counts in this age of multi media ( and multi 21!). Of course it's not as simple as ability when speaking for the masses but for myself in relation to Lorenzo, well I knew he was good even when I didn't like him but it was his attitude on the bike this year that turned me. Giving back to Marc what he'd been getting was un Lorenzo like, surprising and great to watch. Although after the Jerez incident he didn't comment but refused to shake hands with Marc by the end of the season they seemed very friendly post race regardless of what barging had been going on. He made a telling comment in an interview a week after admitting it was his fault for leaving the door open, that as race control had thought this was a fair move maybe he would need to be more aggressive in future. He of course managed to do that for the rest of the season without picking up any penalty points! I thought the incident would lead to a season of moaning and whining but it was the catalyst for some great racing instead.

 

Yes I don't think there is any doubt that Carl was/is arrogant and that this may have had an effect regarding whether teams would allow him to ride their bikes. It's a strange thing though, fame. Despite his attitude he was probably one of the most popular British riders after Barry Sheen. Even the late great Joey Dunlop, hugely popular, humble, shy but very friendly, never quite reached those heights. Possibly because WSB was massive and televised on mainstream channels at the time whereas TT and RR never has been but I remember Foggy stickers on cars and his face being all over the place whereas Joey was huge only amongst fellow riders.

 

Vettels problem, in my view, is that his true personality is clear when things are not going his way yet he puts on his happy carefree chappy face most of the time. That and the fact he's not a 'great' driver, just a quick one in a vastly dominant car. I think the best thing he has done to turn his recent popularity issue around has been donuts! Lets see if race fans are really that fickle next season when he returns to Europe.

 

Jamie Whitham comes across as a great bloke on TV and it's no surprise he'd be in the bar after the race with the fans. Joey of course was similar, in fact there are many stories of him holding court in the pub (he owned one as well) the night before a race!

[Edge]

....................... in relation to Lorenzo, well I knew he was good even ...............

............... He of course managed to do that for the rest of the season without picking up any penalty points! I thought the incident would lead to a season of moaning and whining but it was the catalyst for some great racing instead.

 

.......................... Despite his attitude he was probably one of the most popular British riders after Barry Sheen. Even the late great Joey Dunlop, hugely popular, humble, shy but very friendly, never quite reached those heights. Possibly because WSB was massive and televised on mainstream channels at the time whereas TT and RR never has been but I remember Foggy stickers on cars and his face being all over the place whereas Joey was huge only amongst fellow riders.

...................................................................

 

Lorenzo a good rider?

Well it was Rossi who said just after Lor signed for Yamaha that his greatest challenge next season would come from within his own team.

If Lor could just have done it differently i.e. with respect and even a little humility, his popularity would have been far greater than the history books will show.

He's learnt how to behave since then (or been told) but now we have Marc.  

 

Foggy mania was mostly to do with the popularity of WSB - the fact that riders could associate their own bikes with track bikes (especially the red feckers) and with guys like Russell & Slight, Kocinski and many others gracing the tracks it really was world class (just not premier class). The Brit following was massive, Assen was good (but not TT of course) Monza was OK, Albacete was quiet and Estoril was cancelled of those I went to.

Carl was also a great road racer, but those achievements, like Joey's and other greats are better known to the enthusiasts than the masses.

[PepeLePew]

Yes you make a good point, there was an exodus of riders into WSB in those days. So why has it swapped back now. A friend sponsors one of the 848 riders so I got to have a nose around the BSB paddock at Brands last year. Ostensibly they are the same bikes but in fact you can hardly recognise them from the road machine you can buy from the showroom. Were they closer to standard back in those days or have people just got bored with it a' la BTCC chpshp? Or has the fact that MGP now runs big 4 strokes put them back on the map. You could even buy a Ducati MGP bike, albeit modified to last a bit longer.

 

A lot of the top riders chose WSB over MGP in Carl's era. It has a strong claim to be the premier class of it's day.

 

Marc gave an interview yesterday. He said he had no problem with Jorges riding or tactics. The incident with Dani was looked into but no action taken and Marc also commented that he agreed and that they should allow riders to race like that because it adds to the show. I completely agree.

[Edge]

....................... Or has the fact that MGP now runs big 4 strokes put them back on the map. ..........................

 

A lot of the top riders chose WSB over MGP in Carl's era. It has a strong claim to be the premier class of it's day.

 

Marc gave an interview yesterday. He said he had no problem with Jorges riding or tactics. ........................

 

Owning a bike which at least resembles what is on the track is very important and that's how the manufacturers get their payback.

 

WSB was very successful for that reason as I recall it.

Basically, Motogp looked at the waning interest in the exotic 2strokes very few customers even thought of owning and riding on the roads (saw the odd RGV500 about) saw the success of WSB and no doubt came under pressure from the manufacturers.

The switch to 4strokes was clearly fundamental, but Motogp and its manufacturers completely revamped their whole act, including bike design and effectively stole the ground from under the Flamini brothers' feet.

That was my impression back then anyway and although WSB is still successful, it's very clearly second division and not where the top riders aspire to be.

The Brit' interest survives to an extent, probably partly due to BSB, but the glory days are gone and a semi serious spectator won't know many of the WSB riders.

 

The recent riding tactics up front, which are perhaps more common in the lower classes where Marc just came from, certainly make for more exciting racing and sharp intakes of breath.........as long as we don't get another Simoncelli disaster.

[PepeLePew]

We always hope everyone races and gets to come home but the sport is dangerous by it's very nature. Simoncelli's accident wasn't even down to spirited riding though he was certainly capable of it.

 

I've actually been wondering lately whether the intrinsic danger of bike racing is what has slowly made me switch from cars. I don't want to see any one get hurt but then certain sports are simply not worth watching/doing if they are made 100% safe.