The likes of Stoner and Schwantz join the fray as the unique event continues to showcase the best of motorsport.
Rain on Friday didn’t dampen spirits at the Goodwood Festival of Speed as the unique event continued to provide plenty to celebrate, and MotoGP™ was in the thick of the action. As on Thursday, Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3), Michele Pirro (Ducati Lenovo Team), Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing) headed up The Hill on their 2023 machines fresh from the track, joined by Dakota Mamola riding the LCR Honda Castrol-liveried Honda, and even more famous faces joined the Legend contingent too.
One big draw on Friday was 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz, with the American cutting a legendary figure as he made his way up the hillclimb on his Championship-winning bike, joined by the likes of 1987 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner and their fellow MotoGP™ Legends Randy Mamola and Kenny Roberts Jr. As well as, of course, the flotilla of 2023 machinery – and more!
The Legends corner also boasted another familiar face used to visiting the top step: Casey Stoner. The Australian is no stranger to Goodwood either and returns to the event in 2023 as part of the extra-special MotoGP™ contingent, riding his bike from 2008 sporting that number 1.
STILL TO COME
Reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and teammate Enea Bastianini are ready to roll over the weekend, as well as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder. Binder was already at the event on Friday soaking in the atmosphere, and he’ll be suited and booted to head up The Hill on Saturday and Sunday.
BRAD BINDER: “It looks awesome, it’s so cool to walk around here and see all the amazing machines of the present and the past. It’s been super cool so far, managed to see quite a lot already and I’m definitely looking forward to taking my KTM up The Hill. There are so may cool things around, I think it’s hard to choose one. But when I have a couple of hours off tomorrow or in between, I’m going to go and have a walk round and look, go incognito!”
At GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, Pol Espargaro hands over to Augusto Fernandez, and CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team’s Miguel Oliveira joins the fray for Aprilia on Saturday. More Legends are yet to saddle up too, including Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan and Alex Crivillé.
WHERE TO FIND US & HOW TO WATCH
On site, the MotoGP™ delegation is based in the Ballroom Paddock near the Drivers’ Club – the perfect showcase to allow fans an awesome overview of the teams prepping the machines. And if you can’t make it? We have incredible coverage of the event.
MotoGP™’s hillclimb action is live streamed on motogp.com, making sure fans around the world can get involved in this unique celebration of the sport. There’s also a selection of photos and round-ups of the action each day of the festival, so make sure to come back for more tomorrow!
QUOTES
CASEY STONER: “I’ve been coming here since 2006, I think it’s my fifth or sixth time here. So we’ve experienced this many times! For me, it’s an incredible event. There aren’t many places in the world that you can come to one area and see so much history as well as all the new products. And not only that, you get to see most of the cars and bikes all going up The Hill and actually being started, not just on display. I think it’s a fantastic event with so many people under one roof – well, there’s no roof. In one place! As a fan, I would definitely be coming to this event.
“It’s a bit slippery when it’s wet but overall it’s a great way to give the crowd something they normally don’t get to see. To see the range of bikes from the 1900s all the way through to what we have currently and the latest MotoGP bikes. It’s a really special event for it. Same with the cars! It can a little tricky, this track, but overall it’s always enjoyable and it’s great to catch up with friends.”
KEVIN SCHWANTZ: “Goodwood is always such a great experience. The weather’s taken a little bit away from it today, you know the ride up is a bit more fun when it’s dry! But still, the experience of being here, the house and driveway, all the people, the fans, there’s so much going on and there are so many special people here, whether it’s guys I’ve raced against, new generations of racers, previous generations to me. And so many four wheel guys, all kinds of really special people and it’s a real honour to be here. It’s a pretty special year for all of us, and it’s my 30th anniversary of my Championship.
“I get to get back on my old bike, I was just talking about it with my crew chief. Some of the races we did, ‘92, ’93, ‘94, he was my crew chief, and getting back on that bike you start to think about some of the stuff we did on it. Some of the great accomplishments, some of the great failures, the crashes, just all the different places that racing has taken us throughout the years. The experience of starting the Grand Prix season… I think in ’88 we had 12 or 13 races, to 15 or 16 when we finished. And so many places throughout the world we got to see, people we got to meet. And fans all over the world.”
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Original post on modernclassicbikes.co.uk and published by Frank Duggan. Frank is the Founder and Editor of Modern Classic Motorcycle News, an independent motorcycle publication covering modern classic motorcycles, roadsters, scramblers, cruisers, electric motorcycles and the wider motorcycle industry.
