THERE ARE some new kids in town - ones the existing inhabitants have been warned about. The boy racers were summoned recently in the hope they held the answer to a question dogging all MotoGP teams (bar one) since the dawn of the 21st century: how do you halt the success of what appears to be an unstoppable, unrivalled talent?
When Valentino Rossi won the 500cc World Championship in 2001 he was just 22. And the competition's rebranding as the MotoGP World Championship the following year made no difference to the Italian's success. He dominated the following four seasons - with two different teams.
After the 2003 season, Rossi set about proving to his many critics his success was not about the bike. With Yamaha, he won the 2004 and 2005 MotoGP titles. His dominance was total.
So what to do? Honda decided to go back to the drawing board by enlisting young riders for newly designed bikes.
In 2006, Honda claimed their first title since Rossi left, Nicky Hayden taking the crown by five points. Honda, however, were already working on a more permanent rival for Rossi.
In 2003, after just turning 18, Dani Pedrosa became 125cc world champion. He moved up to 250cc and took home the title after each of the following two seasons. Honda had witnessed this kind of meteoric rise before - with Rossi.
Early in 2006, Pedrosa got his chance in the top flight, and the way the small Spaniard threw the 1,000cc MotoGP machine around the Jerez corners left no one in doubt about his talent. He finished fifth overall at the end of Hayden's winning season.
Honda felt they were back in the big-time and traditionalists waited for their rivalry with Yamaha to resume. But if two's company, three's a crowd-pleaser.
Ducati had also put trust in youth. At the same time Pedrosa was cleaning up in the 125cc and 250cc classes, Casey Stoner - three weeks younger than the Spaniard - was on his back wheel. In 2005, the Australian emerged as Pedrosa's main obstacle to retaining the 250cc title, but Stoner crashed at his home grand prix at Phillip Island and had to be satisfied with second position.
The following season they renewed their rivalry, but this time in the top grade.
The irony is both Honda and Yamaha could have secured Stoner's services. The man from New South Wales was set to race for Yamaha in the 2006 MotoGP, when, at the last moment, the Japanese had second thoughts. Honda swooped and put a RC211V under Stoner, but, despite an eighth-place finish on his debut season, they weren't happy with how often their bike returned to the pits in more than one piece.
His ego - as well as parts of his body - bruised, Stoner moved to Ducati for the 59th edition of the world championship season.
And, by the end of the first four rounds of the 2007 season, with Stoner taking three wins to Rossi's victory at Jerez, no one was still talking about a Yamaha versus Honda shoot-out. Ducati had muscled in on the action.
Tens wins in the 18-round championship were enough to give Stoner the championship and Ducati sat proudly at the top of the manufacturers' classification, the first time the title was won by a team other than Honda or Yamaha since Suzuki's dominance ended in 1982.
Not since the rumours Rossi was jumping ship to Ducati, and not Yamaha (from Honda in 2001) has the Bologna-based company looked more capable of permanently breaking the big two's dominance.
It has led to a three-way split at the top of the MotoGP, and some incredible jousts. The downside? Their have been few duels off the track - this rivalry has been far too polite, all three quick to praise the others. There have been so many compliments flying even an intercounty GAA manager would be embarrassed.
Rivalries in MotoGP have not always been as respectful, and you feel that for everyone's sake some words need to be exchanged and some bikes need to be kicked.
Perhaps we need a Barry Sheene and Kenny Roberts moment. Murray Walker was commentator when the two famously battled for supremacy in 1979 at Silverstone: "And look at that! Barry Sheene, with absolute effrontery, not only looks over his shoulder but takes his left clutch hand off the handlebar and waves to Kenny Roberts."
Rossi himself has not always been afraid to show dislike of other riders. In 2001 at Suzuka, his compatriot Max Biaggi on a Yamaha appeared to elbow Rossi, forcing the Honda rider into the dirt (the two appeared to be playing their own version of Sega's old motorcycle game Road Rash). Rossi recovered and picked off the other competitors one by one before, eventually - with middle finger in the air - passing Biaggi. The two even came to blows after a race at the Montmelo circuit near Barcelona.
But, so far in 2008, Rossi, Pedrosa and Stoner have confined their rivalry to the track.
With 10 rounds completed, Stoner has four wins, Rossi three and Pedrosa two. Incredibly, of the 30 podium positions allocated so far, the three have shared no less than 23. Rossi leads in the standings with 187 points, to Pedrosa's 171 and Stoner's 167.
This weekend the world championship moves to the USA - the only round without a 125cc or 250cc race. MotoGP will be the only show in town. Pedrosa and Stoner are 22, the same age Rossi was when he claimed the crown for the first time seven years ago.
This battle may only just be getting started.
© 2008 The Irish Times
When Valentino Rossi won the 500cc World Championship in 2001 he was just 22. And the competition's rebranding as the MotoGP World Championship the following year made no difference to the Italian's success. He dominated the following four seasons - with two different teams.
After the 2003 season, Rossi set about proving to his many critics his success was not about the bike. With Yamaha, he won the 2004 and 2005 MotoGP titles. His dominance was total.
So what to do? Honda decided to go back to the drawing board by enlisting young riders for newly designed bikes.
In 2006, Honda claimed their first title since Rossi left, Nicky Hayden taking the crown by five points. Honda, however, were already working on a more permanent rival for Rossi.
In 2003, after just turning 18, Dani Pedrosa became 125cc world champion. He moved up to 250cc and took home the title after each of the following two seasons. Honda had witnessed this kind of meteoric rise before - with Rossi.
Early in 2006, Pedrosa got his chance in the top flight, and the way the small Spaniard threw the 1,000cc MotoGP machine around the Jerez corners left no one in doubt about his talent. He finished fifth overall at the end of Hayden's winning season.
Honda felt they were back in the big-time and traditionalists waited for their rivalry with Yamaha to resume. But if two's company, three's a crowd-pleaser.
Ducati had also put trust in youth. At the same time Pedrosa was cleaning up in the 125cc and 250cc classes, Casey Stoner - three weeks younger than the Spaniard - was on his back wheel. In 2005, the Australian emerged as Pedrosa's main obstacle to retaining the 250cc title, but Stoner crashed at his home grand prix at Phillip Island and had to be satisfied with second position.
The following season they renewed their rivalry, but this time in the top grade.
The irony is both Honda and Yamaha could have secured Stoner's services. The man from New South Wales was set to race for Yamaha in the 2006 MotoGP, when, at the last moment, the Japanese had second thoughts. Honda swooped and put a RC211V under Stoner, but, despite an eighth-place finish on his debut season, they weren't happy with how often their bike returned to the pits in more than one piece.
His ego - as well as parts of his body - bruised, Stoner moved to Ducati for the 59th edition of the world championship season.
And, by the end of the first four rounds of the 2007 season, with Stoner taking three wins to Rossi's victory at Jerez, no one was still talking about a Yamaha versus Honda shoot-out. Ducati had muscled in on the action.
Tens wins in the 18-round championship were enough to give Stoner the championship and Ducati sat proudly at the top of the manufacturers' classification, the first time the title was won by a team other than Honda or Yamaha since Suzuki's dominance ended in 1982.
Not since the rumours Rossi was jumping ship to Ducati, and not Yamaha (from Honda in 2001) has the Bologna-based company looked more capable of permanently breaking the big two's dominance.
It has led to a three-way split at the top of the MotoGP, and some incredible jousts. The downside? Their have been few duels off the track - this rivalry has been far too polite, all three quick to praise the others. There have been so many compliments flying even an intercounty GAA manager would be embarrassed.
Rivalries in MotoGP have not always been as respectful, and you feel that for everyone's sake some words need to be exchanged and some bikes need to be kicked.
Perhaps we need a Barry Sheene and Kenny Roberts moment. Murray Walker was commentator when the two famously battled for supremacy in 1979 at Silverstone: "And look at that! Barry Sheene, with absolute effrontery, not only looks over his shoulder but takes his left clutch hand off the handlebar and waves to Kenny Roberts."
Rossi himself has not always been afraid to show dislike of other riders. In 2001 at Suzuka, his compatriot Max Biaggi on a Yamaha appeared to elbow Rossi, forcing the Honda rider into the dirt (the two appeared to be playing their own version of Sega's old motorcycle game Road Rash). Rossi recovered and picked off the other competitors one by one before, eventually - with middle finger in the air - passing Biaggi. The two even came to blows after a race at the Montmelo circuit near Barcelona.
But, so far in 2008, Rossi, Pedrosa and Stoner have confined their rivalry to the track.
With 10 rounds completed, Stoner has four wins, Rossi three and Pedrosa two. Incredibly, of the 30 podium positions allocated so far, the three have shared no less than 23. Rossi leads in the standings with 187 points, to Pedrosa's 171 and Stoner's 167.
This weekend the world championship moves to the USA - the only round without a 125cc or 250cc race. MotoGP will be the only show in town. Pedrosa and Stoner are 22, the same age Rossi was when he claimed the crown for the first time seven years ago.
This battle may only just be getting started.
© 2008 The Irish Times
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