According to the Ducati press release, the nine times world champion said that "...the shoulder is painful - especially under braking, when the front hurts, where they stitched the tendon." Rossi wasn't all downbeat however:  "Movement is stable enough, and we're also doing not so bad with endurance, but apart from that, it hurts a lot and isn't very strong."

So what can we gain from this when trying to guess what threat Rossi poses to reigning champ Jorge Lorenzo? Probably not much as like that other great champion, Barry Sheene, the Italian has always been superb at manipulating the media and getting in the heads of their rivals. Both riders have reputations for utterly destroying team mates and rivals both on and off  the track, meaning that this could be a ruse to lure his rivals into a false sense of security. As always, you can debate this and other issues surrounding the coming season all day, but questions will only be answered at the first Grand Prix in Qatar.

                          

A bit of history (Een beetje geschiedenis)

The Dutch TT was first held in 1925 on roads around the town of Assen and became an international event two years later. However despite the TT, a national championship failed to become firmly established, despite several attempts. In fact, for many years, the TT was the only motorcycle race held in Holland. A championship centred around Zandvoort, Assen, Tubbergen and Etten was held in the 50's but soon died out.

The Koninklijke Nederlandse Motorrijders Vereniging (translated as the Royal Dutch Motorcycle Riders Association) was the main organising body in the country, yet was reluctant to set up a championship in the late 60's.  So under the stewardship of  the Nederlandse Motorrijders Bond (translated as the Dutch Motorcycle Riders Association) a Dutch road-racing championship was set up in 1967, using public road circuits around the country (plus the odd sojourn into Belgium). This proved to be immediately popular and in the early days an enthusiastic rider could take part in an NMB meeting with a stock machine if he was quick enough.

The first NMB road race was held was held at Reusel on the 2nd April 1967 and was the first of fifteen races held by the club that year. The KNMV carried on holding the TT at Assen and several races at Hengelo, Oldebroek and Zandvoort, plus international meetings at Tubbergen and the Zandvoort 6 hours. However, it was the NMB that had a championship and it attracted a lot of competitors, despite its underdog status. However, the KNMV then decided to start a championship of their own, giving more choice for competitors and racing fans.

Gathering pace

With two competing organisations running two different championships, there seemed to be a meeting or two every weekend. However, the trump card of FIM recognition was held in the hands of the KNMV, a factor that would become more important as the 1970's wore on. The KNMV did not recognise the KNB and was referred to as "De Zwarte Bond" (The Black Club), leading to a rivalry between the organisations. The venues for both championships were primarily public road circuits; these were usually  narrow, single lane roads that were lined with trees and lamp posts. To get a better idea, take a look at this 1974 meeting at Oldenbroek:

Many layouts came and went, but the mainstays of Dutch road racing were Tubbergen, Hengelo, Oss, Tolbert, Helmond and Ammerzoden. The KNMV also ran the odd race on the Flemish Belgian circuits of Nivelles and St Joris ten Distel. In addition to the standard meetings for all classes, the KNB put on special events such as the Helmond 200 miles race and the special 24 hours of Oss. Take a look at the preparations for the 1972 race below.

Health and Safety would have a fit! Watch out for the trees!

Moving up

It was at events such as these up and down the country that top KNB racers such as Jack Middelburg and Boet Van Dulman cut their teeth. However if their careers were to progress onto the international stage then they would have to cross the line and join the Dutch number one rider, Wil Hartog, at the KNMV.

Part 2 on it's way.

                          

As for the rest of you, the 2011 racing season looks set to be an interesting one from Seb Vettel's defence of his F1 title, Valentino Rossi's transfer to Ducati, Tin tops being bashed in BTCC, German Touring Car spilling out of Germany once more and the Roman Emperor defending his title in World Superbikes.

I for one, am looking forward to it and I'll try and post a few of my thoughts on each championship soon.

                          

Cooper extend British F3 tyre deal

Cooper are to continue as control tyre supplier and title sponsor to the British Formula 3 Championship, having taken over from Avon in 2009. Avon had previously been the sole supplier to the series for 27 years.

Avon continue to supply British GT

Avon will supply the British GT Championship until 2014, a contract they have held since 2006. The new contract will start in 2012.

                          

125cc

World champion Marc Marquez's departure for Moto2 has meant that there will be new riders at Ajo Motorsport, the Spaniards old team. Elfren Vasquez and Johann Zarco will be hoping that they will be able to enjoy the same bike performance that helped Marquez to his championship this year. Bradley Smith has also left the Aspar 125cc team to move up to the Moto2 class, with Hector Faubel returning to the lightest class to take the Englishman's seat. Nico Terol will remain as an Aspar rider in the 125cc class and is surely the bookies favourite for the championship.

Despite 'Our Bradley' leaving to tackle the bigger bikes, we still have a British rider to look out for in the 125's. Danny Webb performed well last year for the Andalucia Cajasol Aprillia team,  finishing in the top 10 in nearly every race and should hopefully be able to do well again next season.

Moto2

The second Moto2 season looks to be just as competitive as the inaugural 2010 campaign. Reigning champion Toni Elias will not be defending his title, as he will be riding for LCR Honda in the MotoGP class. His Team Gresini Moriwaki ride will be taken by Yuki Takahashi and the second seat will be warmed by Michele Pirro. World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu, after his impressive showing in Portugal and Spain, will be riding full time for the Technomag CIP team in the Moto2 championship.

The Tech 3 team will be fielding Mike Di Meglio and Bradley Smith on their home made chassis for 2011. It will be interesting to see if Smith takes to the class in the same impressive way that Scott Redding did. Di Meglio has been in a bit of a rut performance-wise since moving up to the then 250's in 2009. The 2008 125cc World Champion hasn't set the world alight since then, so it may be sink or swim for him this year.

Scott Redding continues with Marc VDS Racing, with whom he has a new two year contract. The seventeen year old was superb last year, putting in great performances including second in Australia and cutting through the field in Portugal to finish fourth. 2010 125cc World Champion Marc Marquez will move up to Moto2 with his Monlau Competicion team, a team built around him with a Suter chassis and Repsol sponsorship.

It goes without saying that this years top dogs will probably figure prominently in the class again in 2011. Expect to see Andrea Iannone, Julian Simon, Gabor Talmasci and Jules Cluzel right in contention at the front.

MotoGP

2011 looks set to be one of the most exciting seasons in the premier class for quite a while. This is simply because the pieces of the jigsaw have been thrown up in the air. Honda are fielding a three pronged works assault with Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovisioso and Dani Pedrosa. Stoner seemed to take to the Honda like a duck to water in the Valencia end of season test. There are rumours already of a team management split, which means we may see a falling out or two between riders and/or management before long!

2010 MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo will start the season as outright team leader of the factory Yamaha team. The Spaniard was Mr Precision and Consistency during 2010, ruthlessly churning out the wins and podiums, making himself THE man Valentino Rossi has to beat, more so than Stoner or Pedrosa could. Lorenzo is joined by Ben Spies, 2009 World Superbike Champion and 2010 MotoGP Rookie of the year. The 26 year old Texan was massively impressive on the Tech 3 Yamaha during 2010, including a third at Silverstone and a second at Indianapolis.  Will he join the 'aliens'?

Valentino Rossi is now embarking on the Italian bike fan's ultimate dream: An Italian racing god on THE Italian race bike. His initial outing on the bike during the Valencia test was disappointingly slow, but as we've seen before, you never know with the nine times world champion. He could have been working on something specific or maybe he was just sandbagging. Or maybe the bike is just dire.

Moto2 champ Tony Elias is back with LCR Honda, moving Randy De Puniet onto a Pramac Ducati. Marco Simoncelli (admittedly one of my favourites) continues with San Carlo Gresini Honda, keep an eye out for him in 2011. Colin Edwards will have another Superbike rider to look after this year, as Britain's Cal Crutchlow is making the switch. Good to see another Brit in the top class!

                          

Out on the open road

The MotoGP  World Championship is officially known as the FIM Road Racing World Championship, however the modern calendar consists now exclusively of purpose-built racetracks. Of the current venues, Assen is the only track left with any public road roots. Yet back in 1978, the calendar was a mix of permanent tracks and real road circuits.

Maybe the most famous (and feared) of these was Spa-Francorchamps, an eight mile circuit made up entirely of public roads in Belgium. A superb track whose appalling safety record saw it abandoned by Formula after the 1970 race, it nevertheless carried on hosting premier motorcycle and sports car events throughout the 70's. Take a look at the film below where you will see bikes racing in1977 at high speed on stretches of dangerously unprotected highway (The film intercut with racing at Imola as well; so if the track has road markings, then it is filmed at Spa and Imola if not).

The 1978 event was a damp affair, a typical situation for Spa where it could be sunny and dry at the start finish line, and playing host to a downpour at the Masta Kink. Despite not having encountered a track such as Spa before, Roberts was on the pace, but it was Sheene who shot off into the lead on the first lap with Hartog following. Sheene had dominated at Spa the previous year, setting a lap record with an average lap speed that is still the fastest of all time. However this year, he had to settle for third as team mate Wil Hartog took the win with Roberts second.

Champion fight-back

The Swedish Grand Prix at Karlskoga saw the defending champion well and truly back in the saddle, taking a dominant win with only Hartog able to keep in contention. Karlskoga could have actually been built for Sheene, as he took seven Grand Prix wins there in the 125cc and 500cc classes. Roberts had a troubled weekend, picking up an injury during qualifying and could only manage seventh in the race. Sheene's win put in back in the lead of the championship by two points, having 82 points to Robert's 80. The end of the season was approaching, but there were still some stiff challenges ahead.

The next race would be the Finnish Grand Prix on the street circuit of Imatra. It was a circuit that was feared by the riders, due to it's fast and brutal nature, laid out in a way that would be inconceivable today. Using a roughly rectangular layout on roads in and around the town, the circuit was lined with trees, houses and lamp-posts with little protection for riders who lose control of their 'Cheval de fer'. In fact, a railway ran alongside one section of the track and riders had to race at speed over a railway crossing once a lap!

In the event, both Sheene and Roberts retired from the event due to mechanical failure, leaving street circuit specialist Wil Hartog to take the spoils of victory ahead of Takazumi Katayama and Johnny Cecotto. Britain's Steve Parrish finished a well deserved fifth behind local favourite Teppi Lansivuori. With both main protagonists failing to put points on the board, the next round at Silverstone would be even more tense. Sheene was particularly disappointed as his qualifying pace between the lamp posts and trees was much faster than anyone else, and despite his poor start, he got straight back into contention before the Suzuki let him down.

Head to head

Silverstone was hosting the British Grand Prix for the second time since the British round was moved from the Isle of Man to the Northamptonshire circuit in 1977. Tensions were coming to a head as the championship was still winnable for both protagonists, as Murray Walker takes up the story:

1978 : Courses Motos Silverstone
Uploaded by froadster. - Car, truck, and motorcycle videos.

In the end, Roberts won first time out on a track that he'd not raced on before, with privateer Steve Manship riding the race of his life to beat Sheene to second place. This left the championship on a knife edge going into the last round with Roberts on 95 points and Sheene on 92. If the American won, then he would become the first US 500cc World Champion. If Sheene won and Roberts finished lower than second, then the Englishman would claim his third World Championship in a row. If Roberts managed second to a Sheene victory, then there would be a draw, unfortunately I cannot find out what would have been done in that case!

Green Hell

The last round for the 500cc class was at the feared Nurburgring, 14 miles of every conceivable corner and gradient, surrounded by trees, unforgiving barriers and sheer drops behind said barriers. Kenny Roberts would not have encountered anything similar in his US racing career, but fortunately he was able to learn the track in both 250cc and 500cc practice sessions. The 250cc championship was being sewn up by the South African Kork Ballington on the Kawasaki, so Roberts had not taken part in the 250cc race at Silverstone, preferring to concentrate on the 500c title.

Here is a film of the event, unfortunately unless you speak German, you may be at a loss to work out what is going on!

In the event, Italian Virginio Ferrari won his first Grand Prix on the daunting circuit despite being dogged lap after lap by Johnny Cecotto and Kenny Roberts. Ferrari took the chequered flag with Cecotto breathing down his neck. Roberts  eased off in the last lap or so due to Sheene being unable to keep up with the lead group in fourth, in fact giving the championship to the American. Some sources say that Roberts deliberately slowed down for the Englishman to see him cross the line ahead, just to rub it in. However, the good natured hand-shaking of the top riders at the end of the race is a stark contrast to the pathetic posturing in the Park Fermé after this year's Malaysian Grand Prix.

So there we have it, Kenny Roberts became the first American 500c Motorcycle World Champion, beating his arch-rival to take the title at the first time of trying. He would go on to claim the championship the following two seasons as well. As for Sheene, there would be plenty more victories ahead, but he would never again claim the world championship. However, there were several other battles between the two including the phenomenal fight at the 1979 British Grand Prix, a story that shall be saved for another time.

                          

Marc Webber could only manage fifth on the grid, whereas Vettel started from pole with a clear track ahead of him. On the first lap, Michael Schumacher spun and was immediately hit by Tonio Luizzi. It was a very nasty accident that both drivers were lucky to escape from. However was this incident that would impact profoundly on the rest of the race, as during the following safety car period Petrov and Nico Rosberg made pit stops for hard compound tyres that allowed them to last the whole race. Despite rejoining last, they were then able to move up the order as their rivals pitted. Eventually Alonso and Webber caught the Russian's Renault.

For lap after lap, despite some forceful harrying, Fernando Alonso could not get past Petrov's Renault. Once again it was the classic case of modern F1 aerodynamics and modern track design coming together to nullify opportunities to overtake. Marc Webber also appeared to be unable to get close to the Ferrari, even when the Spaniard made mistakes and left the track momentarily. Therefore we were treated to a typical display of modern F1: flash, glitz and a procession of more expensive hardware than a parade in Red Square in the 1970's. Yet there was no real racing.

It has to be said (and it's been said elsewhere by more authoritative writers than myself) that it was one of the most boring races I have every seen. A real snooze-fest to round off what has been one of the most exciting seasons for years. Why? Well, I believe that it is because the Yas Marina track is one of the worst tracks that F1 uses.  Hermann Tilke's company was given a blank canvas and a blank cheque, yet he still managed to design an awful layout that stops any racing from taking place. For a start, they have a chicane leading into a hairpin! If that doesn't encapsulate poor planning on their part, I really don't know!

However, let's not forget to congratulate Sebastien Vettel on becoming the youngest ever world champion. Despite being overshadowed by his team mate earlier in the year, he has shown winning form in the last few races.  While his winning of the title was a surprise, it is no less deserved.

                          

It was an awful day for Red Bull, with Marc Webber losing control of his car, hitting the wall and bouncing back across the track, taking out Nico Rosberg as he did so. Seb Vettel's Renault engine exploded in a ball of smoke, flame and shards of metal while leading the race.  I have to admit that I would really like to see Marc Webber win the championship, but if he has one more race like this then Alonso will be able to romp home to a third championship.

Jensen Button had a bad race with an ill-handling McLaren, but team mate Lewis Hamilton seemed to be in his element, finishing a superb second. Michael Schumacher continued his good run of form by finishing a racy fourth, has he got the car working to his liking at last?

As for the track, there was so much rain and spray from the tyres, that I actually couldn't see that much of it...

                          

Setting the scene

Britain's Barry Sheene had been 500cc world champion for the last two years riding for Team Heron Suzuki and went into the 1978 season looking to defend his title. He would be partnered by Dutch Champion Wil Hartog and the American Pat Hennen on the factory Suzuki RGA500, the successor to the RG500, the bike that had taken Sheene to his two previous titles. The Englishman was seen as the new king of premier-class motorcycle road-racing with a fast and flashy style that had taken on and beaten the established stars of the era such as Agostini and Read.  Equally at home on the technical, twisty challenges of Jarama or the fearlessly tackling the flat-out open roads of Spa-Franchorchamps, Sheene was a formidable opponent.

Barry Sheene and team mate, Pat Hennen.

Kenny Roberts, a double AMA Grand National champion and winner of the 1975 Indy Mile, was coming to race in the world championship for the first time with a factory supported Yamaha team headed by former 250cc world champion, Kel Carruthers. The American was entered in both the 500cc and 250cc classes in order to get used to European style road racing in a short period of time.

Despite his huge reputation in the American domestic series and superb showings in the Transatlantic Trophy, Roberts was a relatively unknown quantity. However he had appeared in the 250cc race at the Dutch TT four years previously, cutting an unusual sight as he cornered with his knee right down on the asphalt and spinning the rear wheel on his way to a superb second place. His then unusual riding style was an important ingredient in his performance during 1978 and would soon be copied many riders that came after him.

However, this was by no means seen as a two horse race in the build-up to the new season. Sheene and Roberts would be facing tough competition from Johnny Cecotto, Wil Hartog, Marco 'Crazy horse' Luccinelli, Virginio Ferrari, 350cc world champion Takazumi Katayama, Teppi Lansivouri, TT winner Tom Herron and the aforementioned Pat Hennen amongst others.

Turning up the heat in San Carlos

The first race of the season was the Venezuelan Grand Prix in San Carlos. Despite the hopes of a home win for pole-sitter Johnny Cecotto, the Venezuelan crowd would see their man retire from the race as Barry Sheene overcame the oppressive heat to win the first Grand Prix of the season. The race saw the first four places filled out by Suzuki machinery with team mate Hennen in second, American Steve Baker in third and Britain's Steve Parrish in fourth. Roberts, who had started from an impressive 2nd on the grid, retired with mechanical failure. However, his qualifying performance and the win in the 250cc race, made for a superb début.

For an idea of the atmosphere at that first Grand Prix of the season take a look at this film of the race:

Scorchio!

Roberts hits the ground running

The Continental Circus returned to Europe for the second round of the Championship at Spanish Jarama circuit, near Madrid. Once again the Heron Suzuki's were on the pace, but it was Kenny Roberts who topped the time sheets in qualifying, taking pole position for both the 250cc and 500cc races. While not familiar with most of the tracks, the Yamaha rider was fast finding his feet.

Sheene's Chief Mechanic Martyn Osbourne, talking to Suzuki Magazine in 2005, said that the arrival of Roberts had a huge impact and forced the field to push harder:

"What Kenny did was lift the speeds up, like Spencer did later, or Rossi now. Riders like that come in and lift the lap speeds by half a second. The Yam wasn't that good, but Kenny could ride it bloody hard. Barry had to go with him."

Despite Kenny setting the pace at Jarama, he didn't have it his own way, his countryman Pat Hennen took the 500cc victory and Australian Gregg Hansford won for Kawasaki in the 250cc class. Roberts finished second in both races and Sheene, complaining of illness, finished fifth.

Building up speed

The Austrian Grand Prix was the next stop on the calendar. The Salzburgring was, and still is, a flat-out blast around the base of a mountainous valley. A series of fast curves linked by long straights with next to no run-off was a stiff challenge for those taking part in the third round of the world championship (this track was nothing compared to what awaited the riders later in the season, but would probably still terrify some of today's GP stars). There was no 250cc race at this round, so Roberts was able to concentrate on the 500cc class, posting second fastest time behind Johnny Cecotto. He managed to go one better in the race, winning his first 500cc Grand Prix with a healthy lead ahead of the Venezuelan and Sheene.

'King Kenny' in action: note the 'knee-down' cornering style.

Now on a roll, Roberts took the victory in the French Grand Prix 500cc race held at the nondescript Nogaro circuit and finished second in the 250cc class. Sheene finished third behind team mate Hennen, who at this point was looking just as big a threat to the Englishman as Roberts. The Nations Grand Prix held at Mugello saw Roberts winning the 500c once more and Sheene (continuing to suffer from illness) only managing fifth. Pat Hennen picked up another podium, continuing his hot streak of form. However, this was to be the American's last Grand Prix, as injuries suffered from a subsequent crash at the Isle of Man TT would finish his career.

Pressure builds

Robert's 500cc winning streak came to an end at Assen, home of the Dutch TT. It was around this time that the reigning world champion started to recover from the strange illness that had dogged his season since Spain. Roberts beat the Kawasaki's of Kork Ballington and Gregg Hansford to claim the 250cc TT, but both he and Sheene had to take a second and third respectively to Johnny Cecotto in the 500cc race. The previous years winner Wil Hartog took fifth and won the trophy for best Dutch rider (nice idea that you don't see any more).

At the halfway point in the season, Sheene was trailing Roberts with 57 points to the American's 64. The Suzuki rider would have to put in some great performances to overturn his rivals advantage. He would have his work cut out. Two of the remaining rounds (the Czechoslovakian and Yugoslavian Grand Prix) would not be hosting a 500cc race that year and several of the next Grand Prix would held on tracks that well and truly separated the men from the boys (Spa, Imatra and the Nurburgring). Fortunately, our heroes were definitely in the former camp.

                          

Interviewing the Ringmaster

The official Formula 1 website has a very interesting interview with Bernie Ecclestone  to coincide with his 80th birthday at the end of the month. Highlights include his views on the way teams suppress their drivers personalities and a World War Two encounter with a German fighter plane. The Guardian have also interviewed him and you can find it here.

Massa and the Alonso question

James Allen looks into the Ferrari team orders situation and how Philipe Massa has faired so far this season.

F1 expansion

F1 Journo Joe Saward ruminates on the arguments for F1 expansion into non-traditional countries. Should traditional venues keep their slots, just because they are great racetracks? Personally, I hope so!

The professional view

This column by the nail-hard 1987 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner never fails to be insightful. Read up about his views on last weekends Australian Grand Prix and his chat with Casey Stoner about his reasons for moving teams.

Moto3 generates manufacturer interest?

As part of it's continuous attempts to devalue the Motorcycle World Championship and it's different classes, Dorna will have the 125cc bikes consigned to history at the end of next year. In it's place will be the Moto3 class, obviously a two wheeled version of Formula 3. The MotoMatters website takes a look at the manufacturer interest surrounding this new class. Bring back the side-cars, I say.