When the Fukushima reactor in Japan exploded after the earthquake a couple of months ago, the world held its breath expecting another Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster. Fortunately, the result was not as dire, but try telling that to the hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens who were exposed to higher than normal radiation levels and who were forced to evacuate their homes. Once the initial flurry had died down thoughts began to turn to the impact this disaster would have in the wider sense and the Japanese MotoGp event which was scheduled for Motegi, not that far away from the area, was postponed till a tentative date in October pending a scientific report on whether the event could be staged safely.
In the mean time, MotoGp teams and riders were vocal and forthcoming in their support of the Japanese people and of their Japanese employers. “We’re with you, Japan” flags and stickers adorned the grid as the teams tried to provide encouragement to the people whose lives had been devastated by this natural disaster. But, when the FIM announced that they were planning to definitely stage the event in October, several high profile riders, including World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo and current points leader, Casey Stoner, issued statements that they would NOT be attending. Understandably, battle lines between the two camps were immediately drawn.
On the one hand were the people who said that they shouldn’t be expected to expose themselves to high doses of radiation just to provide an entertainment and, on the other, those who perceived that the radiation risk by October would be minimal and that the riders and teams had an obligation to not only fulfill the terms of their contracts but also a moral obligation to support the Japanese factories that enable them to live a very lavish lifestyle and the Japanese people whom they claim to support.
Well, the final report is in and it shows that the chances of exposure to higher-than-normal levels of radiation are “negligible”.
So, as one who said that I didn’t think the riders SHOULD go, I’ve had to eat humble pie and admit that I was wrong. I wonder if Messrs Stoner and Lorenzo will be forced to do the same?
In other motorcycling news, Suzuki have defied the naysayers and turned the first sod on a production plant in the Philippines supposedly costing 19 million Euros. Indian company Bajaj now owns nearly 49% of KTM (though KTM have said that a controlling interest is totally out of the question) and this has led to a joint venture production of the KTM Duke 125 and Honda recently opened a manufacturing plant in Vietnam. Somewhere recently I also read that Ducati is opening an assembly plant in Thailand. Asia, it seems, with its insatiable appetite, may save the market, yet.
On another subject, the abject failure of BMW to make any impression in World Superbikes, I’m indebted to one of my regular contributors for this article from Cycle News, the online motorcycle magazine out of the US.
