how much riding technique and technology that goes behind riding a motorcycle at that level.

For the average spectator, a lot of the technical talk around the motorcycles setups, and riding

techniques is just a bunch of gibberish. But there is something that most spectators tend

to notice though, which is that the riders all have slightly different riding styles.

Over the history of motorcycle racing, these differences in riding style have often been

controversial, and surely lot of heated debates have gone down over a couple of beers with

the friends after watching the races.

So in todays Speed & Noise episode we will explore how the modern day Moto GP riding

styles came to be.

The very first production series motorcycle sold was the 1894 German Hildebrand & Wolfmüller,

and a couple of years later the first motorcycle races were held in France. These races eventually

developed into Grand Prix racing, held at both purpose built race tracks and on regular

roads, which would be the basis for modern Moto GP racing.

One of the most famous road races started in 1907, called the 'International Auto-Cycle Tourist

Trophy', today known as the Isle of Man TT.

The very first distinctive riding style of those earlier years was used by successful

British racer Freddie Frith, 1909-1988, who leaned his body out from the corners. Yes

that is right, he leaned out from the bike. Or in other words, the opposite of how modern

day Moto GP bikes are ridden. During these early years successful Italian

racer Tazio Nuvolari, 1892-1953, used the same style of riding winning Grand Prix races

in Italy on his 350cc Bianchi motorcycle.

So why exactly did Freddie and Tazio lean out from the corner? There is no reliable

source quoting them, but John Surtees, four time Motorcycle World champion of the 1950s,

wrote in his 1960s booklet that: “My theory is that each style is appropriate to its time.

Pre-war racing machines had larger wheels, a higher center of gravity, and a high, compact

riding position. These factors combined to demand more physical effort for banking the

machine from side to side, and the effort naturally tended to push the rider's body

the other way.”

Indeed John was right about the machines of that time, they had large 21 inch wheels and

a very high center of gravity. Just have a look at this 1929 350 CC Velocette that Freddie

rode during his first Isle of man TTs.

Another reason to lean outwards on these motorcycles were that they had rigid frames, with no rear

suspension, which made them wobble laterally when leaned over. By forcing the bike to lean

over the chassis were allowed to flex, which gave some in-corner suspension.

The tendency to wobble also meant that using a forceful counter steering maneuver could

result in a crash when entering the corners. So the riders had to use quite a bit of strength

to lean the motorcycles over. So just as Surtees mentioned, by leaning out, they could push

the bikes beneath them.

The next really distinctive riding style in Grand Prix racing was popularized by British

racer Geoff Duke,1923-2015, multiple road racing world champion.

His then progressive style was to “Be with the bike”, always centered in the saddle

with his upper body at the same angle of lean as the machine. As the years passed, he became

known for his view that the coming knee-down, slide-to-the-inside style “just a fad that

will pass.” Kel Carruthers said this about Duke: “For

his time, Duke's style was progressive. Before him, many riders leaned the bike but

kept themselves more upright.”

Dukes first success came abroad a 1950 Manx Norton, a motorcycle that had a twin-loop

chassis as well as hydraulic front and rear suspension. The engine of the Norton was also

significantly lower down as compared to the older bikes. All of this contributed to a

bike that was easier to lean over.

So Duke was able to maintain a centered position when leaning the bike over, since he was not

required to use as much force as the riders of the previous generations. Sitting centered

on the bike at all times had a big advantage: Lowering aerodynamic drag. Considering the

low power output of the machines of that era, it is not a big surprise that this riding

style was so successful at the time. 

On a side note, Duke was also responsible for popularizing the one-piece leather suit

for racing. Which he developed with a local tailor, with the purpose of minimizing aerodynamic

drag.

During the 1950s and into the 60s, the tires used for racing were all-weather drainage

grooved tires made out of hard rubber, which was the only rubber that would last for a

full race.

So with the limited grip of the hard rubber, everything had to be done very gradual. John

Surtees wrote in his 1960s booklet: “The best line is that which takes you through

a corner at the highest possible speed in one smooth sweep.” This style would for

years be called 'cornering as if on rails'. During this same time, the cornering speeds

were increasing and with it came steeper lean angles. Eventually the lean angles achieved

made the exhaust pipe and foot pegs hit the ground, because of this several riders started

hanging slightly off to the inside, among those John Surtees, who wrote: “The idea

is to keep the machine as upright as possible for maximum traction. That way, I can use

more power and speed in a bend than if I stay in line with the machine or lean outward;

for I would then have to put the machine itself down a little farther, and that would mean

easing the throttle to keep the back wheel from breaking away.”

This style of riding was adopted and perfected during the 1960s into the 1970s by two of

the most famous motorcycle racers in history, namely Mike Hailwood,1940-1981, with 9 World

championship titles and Giacomo Agostini,1942, with 15 World championship titles.

During champion years of Ago' and Hailwood, less famous riders were working on a new riding

style to improve their cornering speed, and by the beginning of the 1970s this new style

of leaning into the corners was emerging. This new style was to point the inside knee

into the corner, as well as leaning into it.

Who actually invented the knee down technique is not entirely obvious. According to some

articles it was Finnish rider Jarno Saarinen,1945-1973, who invented the technique. Other sources

point towards British racers John Cooper, 1938, and Paul Smart, 1943, who appear to

be riding with their knees out it several pictures from 1970s motorcycle magazines.

Although it is unclear who first invented the technique, the racer who would popularize

it was American racer Kenny Roberts, 1951. Roberts had observed Saarinen's knee down

technique during a race at Ontario Motor Speedway. He copied the style and began exaggerating

the motion, moving his body even further into the turn.

Because his knee would actually hid the ground while cornering, Roberts started using duct

tape as knee pads so that he could slide his knee on the ground. This eventually led to

the introduction of purpose built knee pucks, used by all motorcycle road racers today.

This was not the only new riding style Roberts popularized. He had learned to race on dirt,

where traction is limited and turns are negotiated by breaking the rear wheel loose and steering

the bike with the rear wheel.

Roberts experience with dirt riding and the introduction of powerful two stroke engines,

that gave power suddenly and not progressively, mounted in under dimensioned chassis, led

him to use a technique known today as: 'point and shoot'. This means to get the bike turned

early in the corner, then lift it up to plant the back tire for maximum acceleration out

of the corner. 

After Roberts came several bar raisers, who replicated and perfected his style. Among

those were Americans Freddy Spencer,1961, and Eddie Lawson, 1958, as well as Australian

Wayne Gardner, 1959.

Eventually the old arching riding styles became relevant again because of technological innovation

in chassis design and 'big bang' engines, which allowed for a more linear power delivery.

This led to a battle between of styles, with some riders using 'point and shoot', while

others utilized a 'riding-on-rails' style.

Leading into the 90s one of the most dominant racers were Australian Mick Doohan, 1965.

Doohan ended up winning 5 World championships in the premier class.

His line style was that of 'point and shoot' but his body position was something no one

had successfully used earlier or ever since. He sat crossed up, pushing his lower body

far out on the bike but not following with his upper body. Doohan slowly changed this

body position over the years to a more conventional one.

If you are in any way interested in motorcycle racing, you know who is up next. Valentino

Rossi, 1979, 9 times Grand Prix World champion, who just like Ago' and King Kenny changed

the game completely.

What was so special about Rossi's style, is that his style is to be flexible, or in

other words he adapts how he rides to the machinery, the track, the competition and

the tires. He could both rail around corners, or back it in sideways, whatever resulted

in being the fastest, Rossi would do.

Several bar raisers emerged during Rossi's champion years, who would eventually beat

him, among those Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, 1987, and Australian Casey Stoner, 1985.

As Rossi, Lorenzo and Stoner were raising the bar riding style wise, the engineers were

working hard on electronic traction control and tire technology.

This development saw the emerging of a new game changing style, that of Spaniard Marc

Marquez, 1993. 

He seems to have endless bravery and bravado as he slides the front wheel hard into corners,

something that would have resulted in an instant crash only a few years ago. When Marquez came

in and won Moto GP in his rookie year, he came in riding the bike with no pre-conception

of what should be possible, and thus he created a completely new style of riding with extreme

lean angles, pushing the tires harder than ever before seen.

So with that, the story of how the Moto GP riding styles have emerged is complete, but

only for now. Since there will always be new styles emerging from game changers in the

future.

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