I love going fast. That’s one of the reasons I love riding motorbikes. But going fast is just so dangerous, isn’t it? Well, no not really. I don’t think it is, anyway. Because we all know that it’s not going really fast that hurts, it tends to be the... Read more
Numbers recently released say that there was a 16% reduction in road deaths in 2020. That’s across the board; cars, bikes, everything. It’s clearly not because everyone has all of a sudden got better at driving, though. It’s because most of us spent the majority of 2020 locked up... Read more
What would you rather be, the fastest rider in the world, or the World Champion? Because those two things don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Joan Mir reminded us of that last year, when he won the MotoGP World Championship after only standing on top of the podium once.... Read more
Did you watch MotoGP at the weekend? If so, you’ll have no doubt wondered what on earth caused Enea Bastianini’s Ducati to be skating along the floor as the rest of the riders approached the grid. I certainly did. And it wasn’t until halfway through the race that we... Read more
Every day bad drivers cause accidents on the road. Most of the time nobody gets hurt, there’s an insurance claim or two to fix a bent bumper and everyone lives happily ever after. Sometimes it’s a lot worse. Sometimes cars, bikes, and worse, lives are destroyed. So road traffic... Read more
For some of us, the occasional crash is an unavoidable part of motorcycling. It certainly seems to be for me, anyway. If it happens, it happens, there’s no point in worrying about it. That said, it’s definitely possible to make a bad situation worse. To help you avoid it,... Read more
If you were watching the Moto3 race from Qatar last weekend, you’ll have seen the crash between Jeremy Alcoba and John McPhee. But in case you haven’t, I’ll tell you what happened. Alcoba clipped the back of Darryn Binder’s bike, hit the deck and sent his bike flying into... Read more
I think I’ve got a problem. I can’t stop crashing. And unfortunately it’s not a new phenomenon. I’ve spent my whole life riding, and usually crashing motorbikes. You’d have thought that someone who’s spent 25 years riding (and racing) bikes at any given opportunity ought to be half decent... Read more
You could probably argue that I’m not the best person to be doling out advice on how to avoid a crash. I have, after all, crashed more bikes than I care to remember. But, on the other side of the coin, perhaps I can help you learn from my... Read more
It’s usually about this time of year that some race team or another issues a press release about their star racer spannering themselves on a motocross bike. Although you’ve quite often got to read between the lines to figure out exactly what went on. They’ll usually refer to it... Read more
Over the years, I’ve been admitted to hospital more times than I can remember, and every single time it’s been after an incident involving a motorbike. I soon learnt that injuries are the true cost of bike racing. Bones-wise, I’m running out of things to break; I’ve done both... Read more
Racing is a bit like having a poo: push too hard and it’ll end in a bloody mess. I’ve spent 2014 racing in the Ducati TriOptions Cup alongside the British Superbikes, and on one fateful Saturday afternoon at Silverstone, my ambition far outweighed my talent. When you see P1... Read more
