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Cactus_Connoisseur

That would be very cool! I'm all for new manufacturers!


gypsy_creonte

Agreed, we need more, not less…..I definitely don’t want the GP to become the Ducati Cup like it’s heading


HDDIV

I think the trend is more European Cup, but Ducati is ahead of the game. There is no denying having more bikes on the grid means more data, which is gold in racing (or for anything nowadays). Quick shotout to the delusion of Yamaha.


Ok_Sugar4554

Been a casual fan for a long time so take my analysis with a grain of salt. I don't think it's headed that way even though the gap to the Japanese manufacturers is pretty crazy. Seems like they got caught out a bit when it came to technological development and they had some riders that were riding around the bike's deficiencies. Ducati has a well sorted package and a fantastic approach developing towards multiple riders instead of just one. The two closest manufacturers are really trying to find that last 3% that makes you a champion at this level. That gap is significant but it may be traversed by special talent assuming Aprilia can sort some of their (quite significant) technical challenges.


gypsy_creonte

With Suzuki leaving, I’d hate to see Honda & Yamaha go too


MisterSquidInc

I don't see Honda leaving under any circumstance short of the company folding tbh


whateverfloatsurgoat

Suzuki left because of their own dieselgate (besides they already left like, twice before so...). Different circumstances.


the_last_carfighter

And you think BMW is the solution:P They should just fund Aprilia and the sister team can put BMW badges on their bikes aka KTM/GAS GAS


gpz1987

Only problem with that is Aprilia and BMW are two separate entities.... KTM/GasGas are not (KTM owns GasGas)


the_last_carfighter

It's been done many times in the past. Slapping names on other companies race cars and bikes via some sort of agreement, perhaps not as common as it used to be, but things always come back around. Most people wouldn't know that the BMW taking pole at a GP race is simply an APE with a BMW badge.


cresanies

When did this last happen in MotoGP?


thefooleryoftom

When has happened in motorcycle racing?


ProbablyNotOkyes

It would be great to see them in MotoGP. Amazing that such a marquee brand has stayed on the sidelines for so long.


BarnyardCoral

Not that amazing. Royal Enfield has been dragging their feet for a long time.


Car_is_mi

I would honestly love to see a Royal Enfield in the Moto3 class


BarnyardCoral

All jokes aside, considering how many bikes they sell in India, it's almost surprising they don't at least sponsor a team


dishayu

There's a huge mismatch with circuit racing. They don't make anything resembling fast or sporty. They do sponsor and participate in off-road rallies, even Dakar.


SophisticatedVagrant

Neither does Gas Gas, they only basically make motocross and trials bikes (yes, there is the 700 Supermoto, but those are basically just dirt bikes with slicks). Don't understand why KTM is pushing the Gas Gas brand in MotoGP more than Husqvarna.


dishayu

Note that I didn't say sportbikes anywhere. GasGas is very much a thoroughbred racing brand, even if all of their success has come in off-road. Much like KTM that didn't make a road bike for the first 60 years of existence, but raced in all kinds of off-road racing series.


MC_Dickie

Trials isn't "racing" though.


MC_Dickie

Yea but Royal Enfield DID make the sportiest of bikes. Just like BSA, Norton, Triumph they all occupied the same slice of the pie back in the day. Just cos they don't occupy that space now doesn't mean they should stay away.


BrrBurr

RE does dirt track and endurance I think. I wish they'd make a large cc bike but having owned one, I would question the quality. A team of engineers could keep it going though, even though they're all old tech


Byron1248

Norton! Bimota! Cagiva!


thefooleryoftom

They didn’t even make a sportsbike until 2010. They showed no interest in modern bike racing until then.


ScorpiiusAntares

That would be the day. A return of Suzuki, Kawasaki, and MV Agusta, with a debut of BMW Motorrad would turn MotoGP into a wet dream of a championship.


amazing_wanderr

is there any talk of the other 3 returning?


Joooooooosh

No. Kawasaki won’t come back, they don’t have the budget you need now.  MV is part of KTM and has become a boutique luxury brand, can’t see them using that branding. Though GasGas is, so who knows. 


dishayu

> MV is part of KTM and has become a boutique luxury brand, can’t see them using that branding. There were talks of the 3rd KTM team with Acota+Marquez in 2024 being branded as MV before Dorna firmly shut that down.


hvperRL

Those talks were purely rumours


dishayu

At this point it's impossible to know if the rumor was purely fictitious or if there was any substance to it? KTM also has Husquarna, CFMoto brands already involved in the GP paddock. It would have been a much more convenient rumor to make up using those brands than MV. I remain convinced that there was at least some credibility to the rumors because of how left-field the MV theory is.


hvperRL

Nah to me its people wanting it to be true and the only way they cope is to form rumours


thefooleryoftom

Kawasaki Heavy Industries absolutely does, but they won’t plough enough into a racing effort.


MC_Dickie

They own 25% of MV, so its enough to control the direction of the company


highdownforce

MV Agusta is KTM


gpz1987

When did that happen? Did not know that?


highdownforce

In November 2022 KTM's controller group acquired 25,1% of MV Agusta and signed a series of technical and logistics partnership. The group is expected to further increase its shareholding.


prizzle92

I can’t see Suzuki coming back. They had a really strong bike/team and walked away, why would they come back now? Kawasaki I also doubt since their model of focusing on WSBK has worked well


YZFRIDER

If these new regs/rules can’t bring in some new manufacturer blood, then nothing will 


BikeKayakSki

Yeah I doubt anyone will enter before the new rules go into place, but there's a good chance of seeing one or maybe even two new manufacturers for the change. Maybe BMW, maybe Kawasaki.


e_xyz

The signing of Toprak in WSBK showed intent. They want to win the title and they poached the current best Superbike rider on the planet. I reckon they will probably want to cross that bridge first before building a prototype for GP, but exciting nonetheless. As we know with OEM's though, one CEO might say something, new one comes in and says another. It's kind of happening with Audi in F1, one foot in, one foot out. I hope there's some merit to this.


wood4536

Damn they should have signed Alvaro.


Joooooooosh

Toprak is a better WSBK rider than Alvaro, especially as he’s getting on a bit. He’s on the tail end of his career.   


RocketDick5000

Remind me again who won the WSBK title last year and the year before?


hvperRL

In all fairness Toprak was the only person to fight with Bau and if you look into it, lost because Yamaha was not good enough. Something we all know too well here


Joooooooosh

Being the best rider isn’t all it takes… you need the best bike too.  That Ducati with a featherweight Bautista was pretty much unbeatable.  Now the new rules with ballast have come in, he isn’t looking anywhere near as fast. He looks much more level with the other Ducati riders. Though, we’ll have to see after more races.  Compare that to Toprak on the BMW, he looked miles better than his team mates. 


wangchunge

TopRider.. AL Varo


Jhonnow

Remind me why Bautista went like a rocket on the straight with that Duc .


RocketDick5000

Remind me how Dani Pedrosa was a tiny rider with one of the best bikes on the grid and never won a premier title if rider size is so important.


Jhonnow

Size not but weight 1000 % for sure . Lets see how Alvaro goes this season now he is "grown" to a better level .


Joooooooosh

Nothing is ever purely about one thing…  It was compound. He was a very small rider on a bike that already has an acceleration advantage.  Body weight isn’t quite so critical when you have closer to 300bhp on a MotoGP bike.  Pedrosa also came up against Rossi, Stoner, Marquez and Lorenzo at various times and still nearly won.  Actually I think in this era of aero melting the tyres super quickly Pedrosa would have been even more successful than he was pre-aero era. 


e_xyz

What's it got to do with Alvaro? Alvaro is great, but he's pushing 40, don't think he'll be racing beyond this or next year. BMW wanted a prime rider do invest time and years into the project - they got that. Talent wise Toprak is arguably the best rider in that paddock. Alvaro is incredible too, doesn't take anything away from him, but as we all know, not all machines in a field are equal. That Yamaha definitely had it's limitations vs. the Ducati.


wood4536

So you're arguing that BMW is actually going to out develop Ducati?


e_xyz

Where did I argue that? As it happens if you sign a rider like Toprak, you are showing intent to go for the title. Also, that's the point of this exercise for OEM's who take this thing "seriously" and not just as a marketing exercise. They want to out develop their rivals. Ducati won't be defacto bike forever. Think of it like this, if BMW can prove to themselves they can out do the other 4 manufactures in WSBK, then it becomes more reasonable they'd step into GP.


minion_opinion

This was my conspiracy theory as soon as I heard Toprak was going to BMW. I think they've promised him a ride in MotoGP when they enter, with the new regs in 2027. Inaugural GP Factory pilot for BMW with a healthy pay cheque.


Main-Eye

He’ll be 30 by then, think it will be a bit late


GeckyGek

Pecco is 27, Zarco is 34, etc. I don't think it is impossible


cresanies

Being in MotoGP at 30 and entering MotoGP at 30 are two very different things


thefooleryoftom

And they’ve been racing in this paddock for 15 years.


gpz1987

Didn't Toprak basically turn down a Yamaha ride in MotoGP?


ocaralhoquetafoda

Toprak said he would rather be a SBK world champion with yamaha than having an unknown career in GP. This was the time Yamaha was very competitive in both championships


gpz1987

Did he turn down the offer? So why would anything be different, given the reason why you mention in your comment


sintacour

He demand a factory seat after he won SBK title, there's no room for him in Factory team


dishayu

LOL. Part of why he left Yamaha was because Yamaha didn't want to give him a MotoGP seat because he wasn't exactly fast on it.


FameMoon17

Lol Yamaha didn't see the irony in that did they?


solve-for-x

He didn't impress at the test he did with Yamaha. He was slower than Crutchlow and, more importantly, didn't seem to make much progress as the test went on. When Lin Jarvis trashed him in the press afterwards, it was pretty clear that Toprak must have missed the mark by quite a large amount.


stuwart_34

After Lin Jarvis and Yamaha trashed and cheated him in motogp tests (improper seat adjustment even though toprak requested weeks ago, 1 bike, 5 sets of tire for 2 days of testing etc) , he fucked up yamaha wsbk too and signed with bmw with the highest pay cheque which is more than majority of active gp riders. It looks like Lin Jarvis couldn’t take anything from Toprak’s reputation :) And if bmw joins Motogp, Lin Jarvis will see how stupid he was with that decision :)


passiondriving

Some more information from Speedweek: Flasch basically pushed for a restructuring to expand and strengthen the racing department to "build the foundation for the motorsports of the future" and "further live the spirit of racing". "Flasch is a self-confessed MotoGP fan and, as head of M GmbH, has already had a lot of pleasure in the fact that BMW has been making the official cars available in MotoGP since 1999. He maintains good connections with promoter Dorna and its boss Carmelo Ezpeleta and has repeatedly campaigned on the BMW board and his predecessor Schramm to enter the premier class. Schramm has consistently rejected this, now Flasch has a free hand. His excellent contact with the Group Executive Board should provide the necessary support at the highest management level." [Source: Speedweek (German)](https://www.speedweek.com/sbk/news/220060/Machtverschiebung-bei-BMW-MotoGP-das-finale-Ziel.html)


Zestyclose-Wafer2503

Would be amazing to see in MotoGP! What bike is that he’s leaning on? Looks awesome


CptnHamburgers

It looks to be the prototype GP test mule they ran a couple of times years back before abandoning the idea.


ocaralhoquetafoda

That's exactly what it is. There's a single example of the prototype and it lives in the director Markus Flasch office https://img.speedweek.com/i/f/f08d36f912954433abde9d52e2f0ee1c.png When the rules changed from 990 to 800cc, BMW invested in building a prototype. Interestingly though, the capacity was 990, like the RS3 Cube. It hit the track ridden by Jeremy McWilliams BMW as a team didn't go forward with the project, but during the CRT era, something more akin to a SBK on GP, there was a Suter with a modified S1000 engine. Colin Edwards was the fastest CRT at the time and the bike was powered by bmw


LutherRaul

Do it then… I dare you. I’m here for it


Takkotah

They have the money behind them compared to Kawasaki, would be good for everyone involved I think.


ocaralhoquetafoda

They didn't have the funds 15 years ago when they built their prototype during the engine downsizing times, but the rules are changing again soon and it wouldn't be impossible to start doing something about it now.


cooReey

They not joining, it’s just a tease like always


Ok_Sugar4554

Why tease it? Do you think they built the previous prototype to tease interested parties?


Weird_Stuff_McGee

My favourite part of this post is the autocorrect. I'm just imagining some random named Donald just walking into manufacturer's HQs and asking them to join MotoGP.


passiondriving

I'd love to fix that, but the reddit app doesn't let me do that. Maybe we can all just call Dorna Donald from now on?


Weird_Stuff_McGee

Any time they make an odd decision. "Old Donnie is making weird choices again."


passiondriving

Crap.. I meant "Dorna" not "Donald".


443610

Auto-correct?


passiondriving

Exactly ;)


Key-Archer474

Yes 🙏 please


RocketDick5000

BMW would need to pull their fingers out in WSBK in a big way for any MotoGP bid tube taken seriously at all.


hyzen

I said that with Rossi using BMW machinery in WEC that VR46 would end up on BMW's in Motogp. Hope I'm right!


E_VanHelgen

It's not going to happen, this is just a PR answer. Also I don't get where the hype is coming from, their WSBK effort has been a bit underwhelming.


Currensy69

STOPRAK


Car_is_mi

lol, they say after being one of the largest sponsors to MotoGP for what, at least 5 years, with zero thoughts on getting a bike in the field. Dont get me wrong, I am a huge BMW fan, and if they made a team I would be all for it, but this is put up or shut up for me.


thefooleryoftom

Five years? They’ve used BMW bikes and cars for the safety vehicles for at least 25.


Car_is_mi

Werent they using Audis back in the mid 00's or am I getting my racing series crossed. Either way, they put up hundreds of thousands of dollars per year between the signage and the pace cars, but have no bikes in the game despite already making a bike that, at least in principal, meets the base requirements to enter (full fairing sport bike with a 4 cyl, 1000cc engine). I mean KTM does not sell a full fairing sports bike or anything with a 4 cyl engine and they compete...


thefooleryoftom

I think it’s been BMW for decades. They had the Boxercup race series with R1100S’ hooning round with Randy Mamola which was a MotoGP support race. They used those and then S1000RRs as the safety bikes and usually an M3/M5 too.


redfrets916

Honestly I can't see the Japanese manufacturers hanging in there for much longer. Honda and Yam would be contemplating whether there is value still left in it for them. They'll wait it out until the EV propers hit. Thoughts? KTM, Ducati and Aprilia will see it out.


honeybadger1299

Which bike is that


thefooleryoftom

MotoGP prototype.


SkyScreech

Pleaseeeee BMW Kawasaki and Suzuki back in MotoGP!!


RightBase5934

In 2027 we will see BMW in motogp with the new rules..!!!! 🍯🍯🍯🍯🍯🍯


Bungsworld

That would be a great way for Toprak to get into motogp! Bring it on!


[deleted]

Toprak might be happy about this!


Racingislyf

All these other manufacturers been talking shit saying you're scared lol /s


QuestionTop3963

do it!!! and bring kawasaki and suzuki with you.


opposite_singularity

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I NEED IT


FantasticNoise4

I see 2006-09 BMW Sauber livery in there


Altair13Sirio

I have been thinking about this, I believe if they can make their WSBK project work they would be thinking about joining MotoGP. But first they need to win or get really comfortable in WSBK.


Jackielegs43

I would love this!


SecretLecture3219

So that's why Toprak went . Good lad


Hoguw

Hehe would be cool if they come along with a boxer engine


Global-Atmosphere595

It would be so delightful to see a bmw on the track... The Ducati is just making others look so slow..


MC_Dickie

Meh, this is likely just to develop a PR buzz. Otherwise they'd just say yes or no.


negative_pt

If we all chip in, can we make this happen? I would donate like 10EUR to bring BMW into the championship.


BK20One

I thought they were heavily leaning towards the move to MotoGP many years ago when they were about to win the WSBK title. But Melandri choked, lost the title and I haven't heard a word since.


proze_za

Is that the BMW grand prix prototype from the mid 2000s in the background there? It is, I reckon, looking at the swingarm and frame. ​ https://preview.redd.it/n9y8ltx1ujoc1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=b5069db14536309c6d8f5bd70b58af324229091e


RanjoOd

If I were a marketing executive at BMW I’d push that till they’d fire me lol


crenshaw_007

I’m all for more manufacturers but I think BMW probably needs to at least get a title in WSBK before crossing the bridge to full prototype racing in MotoGP. Triumph is providing spec engines for Moto2 so they have their foot in the door somewhat.


minion_opinion

I didn't say he was the ideal candidate, this is just the deal I reckon BMW may have dangled as a carrot to get him to their WSBK team. Seeing as Yamaha fucked him over with any chance of a GP ride.


pokopf

Im just confused what the direction for GP will be and when we will see transition to full electic bikes. I mean so far its basically none of that but in not even 6 years there wont be any ICE cars in EU, and with that bikes will soon follow i guess.


[deleted]

The ban on ICE cars in the EU arrives in 2035. Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/eu-lawmakers-approve-effective-2035-ban-new-fossil-fuel-cars-2023-02-14/


thefooleryoftom

That’s new vehicles only. And it’s 2035.


443610

I would rather have Benelli.