Ducati Monster Forum

Sorry if this topic's been covered, tried a few searches:

How do you guys feel the skillsets of a MotoGP rider and an Isle of Mann TT rider compare?  I've been watching numerous Isle of Man TT races as well as past MotoGP races.  For both events it's been said that only a handful of people are able to actually handle a MotoGP bike or memorize the mountain course for a 130mph lap average.  The skills involved in both are monumental, but they also seem to specialized for the specific purpose, as in rider vs rider (motoGP) or rider vs the course (IOM).

With those skillsets in mind, do you think an IOMTT rider could win in MotoGP, and could a MotoGP rider compete in the IOMTT?  Would Rossi bite the dust on the mountain, and would Martin have difficulty keeping up with Stoner?

No (other than Hodgson.  Edit:  oh, you said win.  Then no.).  Yes, with a few years practice on the course under his belt.  

it's like comparing a supermoto racer and a supercross racer....the both have the same controls to deal with...but the thinking of application and timing and reading of conditions are where it differs...


that, and the courses and conditions experienced on any given course....

whenever you discuss track riding with laypeople, inevitably you hear something about hot crazy that is.. do you basejump/skydive/etc also.. can't believe you put your knee on the ground, etc etc

we all know that it's not really that big a deal.  sure trying to out-brake someone at 200mph is a different animal altogether, but it's not.. i dunno.. wrestling gorillas or something.

imo, the IOM is not in this category.  that shit IS crazy.

IIRC, Hailwood was good at both.
But, that was back when there wasn't much difference between IoM and GP.

Comes down to a penalty for rider error or mechanical failure.
MotoGP is relatively tolerant.
IOM and other Road Racing, not so much.

Personally, I'll ride canyons and do track days.
BASE jump or jump out of a perfectly good airplane?
No way in hell.

I was thinking of a similar comparison between WRC and F1 drivers. Sebastian Loeb is dominant in WRC, but I don't think he'd be very good at F1, and Kimi was good at F1 and he's struggled so far by pushing the car too much.

I think it'd be similar in MotoGP vs IOMTT. Maybe not.

I think the motogp guys would look at the course and the walls and ditches and people sitting 2" from the course and say....

you guys are make the beast with two backsing nuts.

which of course they are.

there's footage from the tv coverage of last year's race of rossi doing exactly that

I think the GP guys would win there if they chose to take the risks, but good luck with that.  GP guys have the skill to win, but wouldn't throw away their salaries and endorsement deals for the chance at lowsiding/highsiding into a wall/ditch/barracade/crowd/building.  I'd like to think that if the IOMTT racers had the pure skill set, they would be racing elsewhere and earning a relatively safe living in comparison.

Salaries and endorsements aside, my thoughts are that an IOM TT rider would adapt more easily to a MotoGP environment than the reverse, at least more quickly.  It's certainly something I would like to see, John McGuinness and Guy Martin in the pack with Stoner and Hayden.  With the same training opportunities I imagine any skilled MotoGP rider would be able to handle the IOM as well; I think I heard someone say it usually took an average of 3 years to memorize the course properly.

btw, skydiving, not such a big deal, the chute naturally wants to open, very difficult to make it not open.  Los Angeles traffic is far more dangerous IMO.


I think they have the skillset, but it's more of a tradition and a passion thing to keep them doing the IOM.  So many of the current team riders had family who participated in the past.

Valentino Rossi at the Isle Of Man TT 2009 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tojHoqp8WIQ#normal)

Realizing that this is a couple of decades out of date, here's Kevin Schwantz at Macau, just for fun...

1988 Macau Kevin Schwantz (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRv_nJDAbM0#normal)

Also, to build on SpeedDog's remark, the TT was a points-scoring member of the GP world chanpionship until 1977. Agostini, Sheene and others had started boycotting it due to lack of safety precautions starting in the early-70's. 

Im pretty sure that once upon a time the TT was part of the GP.
Don

Meh....

Mladin won't ride at Loudon either...

maybe it's a good thing he's retired. [evil]

IOM....pansys

if there was only one race i could watch per year nw200 would be it hands down
08 NW200 Superbike Race 1 (part 1) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMda8LrOqaU#normal) Understand the tradition behind the iom but i don't find it anywhere near as insane as the nw200

McGuinness and Martin are two of my fav riders...could they hang in GP, no. They are batshit insane though. I've no doubt rossi would rock the IOM if he tried...i could see stoner winning it too. Neither of them would because of the risk. They're aiming for a shot to be the BEST in the world at the top of motorcycle racing, why throw it and everything else away for something we already knew. If rossi won it no one would be surprised, he's the man.

...in the rain. and he wasn't the only one.

I won't ride there in the rain either....'cuz I suck.

Still.... [evil]

It's OK...

Bruton Smith will build a world class track and NH will take the Laguna date. [evil]

Nate are you on new meds?

Only for blood pressure...

the insanity is inherent. ;)