Here’s the latest news from the track.
MotoGP
Marc Marquez may have taken the MotoGP convincingly this year, but even the pint-sized madman has health issues. Marquez underwent surgery this week to improve his breathing; he suffered from a deviated septum, but doctors were apparently able to take care of the problem. Of course, whether it will make him any faster next year is another question.
And while Honda’s star was getting himself tuned up for action next year, Suzuki is busy trying to get themselves ready for action in 2015. See the video below.
WSB
It didn’t take the World Superbike championship long to start filling the empty slots in their schedule. As long as the track meets specifications, South Africa’s Welkom’s Phakisa Freeway will be back on the schedule for the 2014 season. The provisional calendar has the racers at the track on the October 19 weekend. WSB management is still looking to fill the final slot on the calendar, the first weekend of November. It’s supposed to take place overseas, not Europe, but they say the location is still to be determined – after the debacle surrounding this year’s India round, they’re probably taking extra care to make sure everything’s settled before announcing.
Electric racing
While FIM and the TTXGP are working together to put together a new global electric superbike series, a US racer has decided to take matters into his own hands and organize a production electric racing series. Arthur Kowitz, an AMA superbike pioneer from the ’70s and ’80s and winner of the 2008 AHRMA Vintage Superbike Heavyweight Championship (aboard his vintage Z1) is now working with the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association to put together an electric series that will run in conjunction with their vintage roadracing series.
They’ll be racing at tracks like Barber Motorsports Park, Daytona International Speedway, Miller Motorsports Park, Road America, and more. The plan is to use bikes from companies like Brammo and Zero. Who knows? If the series takes off at the grassroots level, maybe Erik Buell will take notice and build that electric superbike everyone suspects he’s planning.
You can find out more AHRMA details here.
I really hope suzuki are fast enough to make Motogp interesting.
As for the electric bikes, I recently saw the documentary “Charged” about the isle of man battery bikes. Love them or hate them, it was defiantly more interesting than anything gas powered I’ve seen all year. 😉