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Moto blog

The most beautiful race bike ever?

It was good to see my old HRC team mate Shinichi Itoh making his final Moto GP appearance last weekend at Motegi.  At 44 he was a bit off the pace compared to his younger team mates, but that didn't matter as it was a joy just to see him circulating on what I reckon is most stunning GP bike ever. And I gladly braved the pit lane walkabout chaos just to dribble and take a few snaps. Unfortunately he lost the front in one session trashing a complete set of body work but was back in action on race day to grab a few world championship points.

Mystic Mac's 2014 MotoGP predictions

There is no real off season in Moto GP.  Although we complain about being starved of racing, for those at the sharp end, in little more than two months they have new bikes to assemble, team staff to put in place and sponsors to nail down that will pay for it all.  This time frame is also tight for riders, as it seems more every year go straight under the surgeon’s knife after the last round and spend the short winter recuperating for the season ahead. The 2014 Moto GP championship looks like a cracker as apart from the ten full factory riders we now have at least eight non factory riders with properly competitive machinery.  We also have five Brits on the grid, two with podium potential.  Whatever happens though (providing you have BT Sport) you can just sit back and enjoy watching the incredible Marc Marquez do things that shouldn’t be possible. Speaking of whom, I didn’t believe a Rossi replacement would come this soon.  And when I say replacement, I mean a rider that is the full package.  Although in some ways quite different to Vale, he’s an equally phenomenal talent plus a very likeable character that appeals to the masses and although respectful to his rivals off track, deadly competitive in the heat of battle.  Being young and good looking he’s obviously a dream for sponsors and the sport in general.  Marquez has evolved in his own way but thankfully into a perfect replacement for our sport when the VR steps down.

Honda and Yamaha Pledge Support to Typhoon Victims in Philippines

Honda and Yamaha each offered aid to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan which struck the Philippines earlier this month. Initial estimates put the death tool at over 10,000 but Philippine President Benigno Aquino says the actual number maybe closer to 2,500. Still, the United Nations says more than 11 million people were affected by the typhoon, with about 673,000 displaced from their homes.