Motorcycle racing, one of many kinds of vehicle racing,
takes place on tracks. Motorcycling became popular toward the end of the 19th century, when industrial engineers in developed countries applied the newly invented engine to the velocipede structure.
History
Many countries lay claim to this sport: Italy, Germany,
France, the United Kingdom, and the United States all
submitted patents of rough motor velocipedes, but
Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), developer of the Einspur machine (1885), is generally considered to be the
father of the motorcycle.
Initially, motorcycle competition was combined
with motor tricycles and automobiles; the first race exclusively for motorcycles was held in England in 1896.
Within a few years, the internal combustion engine had
surpassed the steam engine.
Experiments, crushing failures, successes, and hazardous attempts marked the early history of motorcycle
racing. Early motorcycle competitions were organized
over long distances, often linking the capitals of Europe.
But events often failed, with only a handful of competitors finishing the course, because technical preparation
and materials were not well enough developed to support the performances of the engine, whose capacity
had reached 1,000 or 1,200 cc in some cases. The FIM
tried to limit the power grades to 500 cc so as to avoid
accidents, wasteful expenditures, and risks to the racers
and spectators. These technical difficulties initiated improvements in motorcycles, and the search for recordbreaking performances stimulated further progress.
Competitions in the United States also generally
covered long distances, like the 200-mile (320-kilometer) Savannah (later Daytona) race. From the 1920s,
courses on dirt and circular tracks excited the passions
of U.S. spectators. The European circuits occurred in
towns or villages or on artificial unasphalted tracks.
After World War II an irreversible distinction slowly
emerged between heavier road and lighter racing motorcycles. The popularity of motorcycle racing diminished as the specialization of the competitions also divided the fans and, in the process, reduced their
number—notwithstanding the attendance at a German circuit race of 400,000 spectators in 1951. The
young generation watched Marlon Brando express his
rebellion on a motorcycle in The Wild One (1954), and
some years later Peter Fonda in Easy Rider (1969)
turned in a performance, this one on a personalized
Harley, that established the road motorcycle as symbol
of youthful protest.
Britain, Germany, and Italy dominated the sport,
with the best racers and the best motorcycles, until the
1960s, when the Japanese weighed in with Yamaha,
Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki. Sponsors and high technology forced the established European firms Guzzi,
Gilera, and BSA into retirement, for they could not afford to build high-powered racing motorcycles. From
1960 to 1995 Japan won 90 world titles for building motorcycles, but only 4 for racers. Perhaps as a result of
delayed industrialization, the Japanese racers lacked
the aggressive mentality and yearning to win necessary
to compete in motorcycle racing.
Industrialization has opened new markets for motorcycles in South America, Asia, and other newly developed areas. Starting in 1949, FIM organized the
world championship grand prix circuit. Racers had to
compete in a number of competitions, each one hosted
by a different country with a strong motorcycle racing
tradition. Recently, the grand prix circuit has expanded
to include Malaysia, Indonesia, and Venezuela in the
consolidated and traditional grand prix of Italy, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Sweden. In the 1970s, U.S. racers began to compete in the
grand prix as well. Supported by Marlboro and other
sponsors, the U.S. competitors won 13 of the last 18 titles from 1978 to 1995 in the 500 cc category. The daring of U.S. riders—who touched the asphalt with their
knees on bends, reducing the distance in curves and facilitating passing—increased the popularity of the
sport by reviving the old courageous style of Italian
racer Tazio Nuvolari (1892–1953), who protected his
elbow and his arm with cotton in order to reduce the
danger involved in touching the walls.
Rules and Play
The Tourist Trophy race near Douglas on Britain’s Isle
of Man, first staged in 1907, became legendary. Continental racers tried in vain to conquer the contest, succeeding only in 1935. The Tourist Trophy set the standard for other races and fixed the power
categories—250 cc, 350 cc, and 500 cc. In 1914 the
wearing of helmets in the race became mandatory. In
1977 FIM removed the event from the World Championship program after 129 deaths from 1907 to 1976.
After upgrading from the 50 cc to the 80 cc power
category in 1982, the FIM in 1989 eliminated contests
for the 80 cc and 350 cc categories and inaugurated superbike competitions for 750 cc to reduce the organization’s costs and better manage the grand prix circuit.
The racer who achieves the best overall time during the
grand prix gets 1 extra point. Until 1988 the winner got
15 points, the runner-up 12, and other competitors 10,
8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1; in 1989 the winner earned 20 points,
the runner-up 17, and the others 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 3,
and 1. The 125 cc is strictly reserved for monocyclindrical machines, 250 cc for bicylindrical units, and the
500 cc for four-cylinder bikes.
In the United States motorcycle racing was governed from 1903 by the Federation of American Motorcyclists and later by the Amateur Motorcycle Association (AMA).
Appeal of the Sport
Apart from the obvious fascination with speed and victory, aficionados were intrigued by the skill and danger
involved in the races. Collapses, accidents, and deaths
fed the myth of unlucky protagonists. The racer
seemed a rough and lonesome hero, facing long
courses that left him dusty, dirty, and tired. Nicknames
such as “death angel” and “black devil” convey the popular conception of the motorcycle victor: custodian of
dreams of freedom, always in near contact with death.
Particularly curious is the Italian word for racer, centauro. Like the centaur, a mythological man-horse, the
racer represents a union between man and motorcycle
that is indissoluble.
The shift to asphalt tracks, which occurred gradually beginning in the 1950s, reflected growing concerns
for safety; in fact, after the death of Leslie Graham
(1911–1953) and other outstanding champions in
1953, racers forced manufacturers to boycott the German grand prix.A new sort of racer emerged: no longer
heroic sacrificial victim, but professional racer and
prime actor who demanded safety rules and standards.
Not until the 1970s, however, when spectators were
moved back from the track, allowing racers a larger
area to slide in case of a fall and the space to avoid hitting spectators, did racers secure better conditions of
safety. Progress included also improved equipment—
Michelin introduced completely smooth tires in
1970—and other tools.
Women in Motorcycle Racing
Motorcycle racing is one of the last bastions of
machismo: the actual image of the woman in this sport
is that of a pin-up kissing the winner or the pom-pom
girl parading among the racers before the start. In
France and Italy during the early years of the sport,
courageous women did actually challenge men in the
field; in 1896 in France a championship was organized
exclusively for women. In subsequent years, however,
women participated only sporadically in this sporting
arena. The Frenchwoman Violette Morriss (1835–?)
world-record holder in shot put in the 1920s, caused a
scandal by enrolling in motorcycle competitions and
provoked admiration as well as condemnation for her
aggressiveness and bravery.When Beryl Swain (1926–)
finished the Tourist Trophy in 1962, the Tourist Trophy
Riders Association voted unanimously against allowing women into the competition in the future.
The lack of female competitors limits motorcycle
racing; in noncompetitive motorcycle sports, however,
women abound. Given people’s fondness for inherently
dangerous sports, motorcycle racing probably has a
flourishing future.
—GHERARDO BONINI
Bibliography: Hawkes, Ken. (1962) “Their Place Is in the
Stands.” World Sports 28, 8. Sucher, Harry V. (1990) Harley
Davidson. London: Bison Books.