Funny Fast Guys

-


In MotoGP  and F1 you have the best racers in the world. Over the (many) years these championships have raged, fans have been treated to some incredible, heart wrenching, stunning, nails bitten down to the knuckles racing action and they show no sign of letting up any time soon.

This is great news obviously, but there are some concerning aspects associated with the sports that should be highlighted, and that is the issue of the funny fast guys.

Jack Miller and Daniel Ricciardo are two of the most loved names on the grid: Miller for MotoGP and Ricciardo for F1. Both are incredible racers in their own rights - Miller showing incredible tenacity when in the fight for podium positions and wins and Ricciardo the king of overtaking moves - however, the reason for their popularity seems to have less to do with their racing and more to do with their jokey media friendly personalities.

Don't get me wrong. I adore both racers and I have spent a long time watching videos of them joking around in press conferences or other media obligations. I'm definitely not complaining about their personalities.

What I am concerned by, is the almost ridiculous amount of media obligations that are sneaking their way into a Grand Prix weekend. What relevance does a 'what's in the box' challenge or 'social media questions' segment have to people racing around circuits at 300km/h? Why do racers have to answer inane questions about what they're currently bingeing on Netflix or which celebrities they're crushing on? 

I understand how important fan interaction is for these sports, after all without fans there wouldn't be any money to keep going. I just don't agree with the inanity of a lot of it. If there has to be a showing of personality for the fans, why can't it be relevant to the racing? Have the racers do commentary on old races in their spare time, or show them interacting with young fans on karting or motocross days.


I mentioned Ricciardo and Miller as prominent figures affected by this growing media circus because I truly think its having a detrimental effect for them. Recently Ricciardo's interview with Sky Sports caught my eye, where he said: 'It's not going to be a comedy show... I'm going there for business, I'm going there to improve the car.' And he's right to say that - but he shouldn't have to.

Similarly, an emotional Jack Miller after winning his first race in a legendary bout in Assen 2018 told the Parc Ferme reporter: 'I'm not an idiot.' 

Both men are fantastically talented - I would honestly put money on Jack Miller being in Title contention for the upcoming 2021 MotoGP season - but both are becoming frighteningly overshadowed by their larger than life media personalities. Neither should change how they act - they're both lovely guys as far as anyone can tell - but the obsession with celebrity culture, spurred on by the media's need for catchy sound bites and click bait headlines, is determined to focus on personality over talent.

Does this worrying trend bother you as a racing fan? Or am I gatekeeping people's enjoyment of racing? Lets have a chat about it in the comments!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Return of the King

-
Image
Marc Marquez declared fit for Race 3 So, unless you've been living under a rock, you may have noticed that a certain Marc Marquez has made his return to the MotoGP paddock. His return comes after a 9 month absence due to complications with an arm injury he picked up in the opening round of the delayed 2020 season.  Up and down social media, the question on everyone's mind and Twitter timeline, has been: 'how will he perform?' And from a pundit's point of view, let alone a fan's, it really is the most anticipated part of the 2021 season. Marc has been the reference for so many, for so long, and he truly is the most talented rider of his generation. For such a complication to arise, at the very pinnacle of his career, is a twist that not many, if any, could have possibly predicted.  But from my side - as both a fan and hopefully a future pundit - I'm just beyond thrilled to have him back in the paddock. Even if he comes dead last, which to be honest would be t
Read more

The Hate U Give (Discussion Post)

-
I'm going to do something a little different with this post, just because it's a rather more sensitive topic than anything I've posted previously. The other day I saw The Hate U Give film in cinemas and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. I'd love to review it properly but, honestly I don't think I could do a review any real justice with this film, because I don't think I can talk objectively about its subject matter. Therefore this will be a discussion post, or rather a stream of consciousness if you prefer, just so that I can discuss this film and get my thoughts in a sensible order. The Hate U Give stars Amandla Stenberg, of The Hunger Games and Darkest Minds fame, as Starr, the film's protagonist, a black girl from a poor area who goes to school with rich, white kids in the next town over. I've been captivated by Stenberg since her appearance in The Hunger Games, being of a similar age to her, and resolved then and there to
Read more

A Spooky Short Story

-
Drip, drip, drip. The rain steadily drops in though the hole in the roof, splashing into the bucket below the hole, each droplet strikingly loud in the utter silence of the room. The musty stench of moth eaten curtains is ever present, having eaten its way into the very fabric of the building decades ago. Dust lays, two inches thick, on every surface, tinting everything a dull, dirty grey. Cobwebs spiral out from every corner, the spiders who made them being long since dead, their corpses litter the carpet where they fell. The three occupants of the room however, do not seem to mind the dust, or the smell. They don't even appear to notice the steady dripping sound of the rain. Sat in a semi-circle, each on separate armchairs, they do not talk to each other, they do not look at each other. For all intents and purposes, they might as well each be in the room alone. Yet oddly, they mirror each other, arms dangling over the edges of their chairs, heads hung as if ashamed. They
Read more