[OT] [fantasty] MotoGP in 20 years?

Created as a joke reply here, I hope some of you can get a smile out of it while we either watch Suzuka 8H or hibernate until Brno.Let's go on a journey, to the year 2040. World War 3 (2021-2024) ravaged across the Asian continent, as a mixture of the oil crisis and civil unrest were abused in a quest for control. Collateral damage was low, but large areas of Russia, the Middle East and China hold massive graveyards of strongholds and armies. Emperor Donald Trump, half human half android, waited until most of the war was over, before committing the armies of the American Supreme States.As before, the world left the war behind to rebuild. Instead of a Cold War, there came a War for Sustainability: many nations focused on creating renewable energy sources, to form 'sustainable' countries. With the eyes of humanity finally opened, now is a time of prosperity and excellence..The ChampionshipAs technology and sustainability take hold, MotoGP continues to race in circles. Technological advances have sped up inevitable changes. The championship is run on a three-week pattern from March to November: two back-to-back races, one weekend off. On the off-weekend, the Formula One races take place. MotoGP is the pinnacle of racing on renewable energy sources, and a monarchy of post-war capital. Its riders are revered as gods, its teams praised for their efforts to mix cold technology with the human heart. MotoGP promises a bright future..The BikesWith the rise of (sentient) AI, electronic rider aids are banned in all sports, as it's considered slavery to have a (semi-)sentient computer do sports for human entertainment. The bikes are e-bikes, the switch to renewable energy having occurred in 2025. However, they're no longer the silent machines they used to be. Over 15 years of development, modern e-bikes have come to sound awfully similar to ancient two-stroke engines.The bikes are faster than ever and more stable than the bikes of the Fossil Age (MotoGP's petrol era, until 2025). Advances in reactive body armor have carried over from the war into MotoGP, with crashes still frequent but injury almost non-existent..The CalendarMotoGP is a 20-race championship. There is a high level of tradition surrounding the circuits, as many tracks are stalwarts of the sport. Most tracks have been revised to suit modern-day racing. The season:.The Iberian LaunchEstoril (modernized)Jerez (the Saucer section now floats over the finish straight).The American ReleaseTermas de Rio Hondo (additional grid slots added after the '18 Miller incident)Circuit of the Americas (demolished after Marquez's tenth successive victory in 2023, rebuilt as a Laguna Seca replica for 2025).The Asian RiseSepang (grand stands along the entire circuit, to fit everyone)Phillip Island (fishing ponds added along spectator areas).The European CampaignLe Mans (with one two-hour practice session and qualifying taking place on the full La Sarthe circuit)Barcelona (repaved yearly)Mugello (experimental force field replaces wall on front straight)Assen ('07 layout restored)Kimi Ring (not named after the F1 driver)Nurburg GP (with one 2-hour practice session and qualifying taking place on the full Nurburgring circuit)Brno (still awesome)Red Bull Ring (now includes a looping on every straight) (okay that's a joke)Misano (run in original counter-clockwise direction)Monster Monza (sponsored by Monster Energy)British Round (alternating between Brands Hatch and Donington every two seasonsValencia (still 18th round of the calendar).The Season FinalePhakisa Freeway (2 races of 30 minutes +1 lap)Spa-Francorchamps (2 races of 30 minutes +1 lap).The TeamsThe grid consists of 24 bikes from six manufacturers. Satellite and factory teams are no more: when the championship switched to e-bikes, each factory supplied four bikes in one team and it's been that way ever since. Full factory involvement makes the championship extremely competitive: only one factory failed to score a title in the last 15 years..Monster VR46 Yamaha Racing (5/15 titles)VR46 Yamaha Racing is run by Valentino Rossi, the legendary 10-times champion from the Fossil Age (also jokingly referring to Rossi's age). The team continuously consists of two Italian riders, and two American riders. The Italian bikes run the #5 and #8 number plates. The American half of the garage is led by Colin Edwards, and the bikes run the #6 and #9 plates..Repsol Solar #93 Honda Racing (5/15 titles)Repsol Solar Honda is run by Marc and Alex Marquez. The rivalries of the Fossil Age carried over to the modern GP, though it's all cordial now in fear of reprisal from the championship's organization (more on that later). The garage consists of two Spanish riders, and two Japanese riders: Repsol and Honda both run fierce national training camps to create ultimate racers..Great Barrier Reef Ducati (2/15 titles)Ducati realized that any issues they ever had, either in the now-defunct World Superbikes or MotoGP, disappeared whenever Australians rode their bikes. The Italians decided to re-brand to GBR Ducati and run only Ozzy riders. With two titles in the last decade, already equaling the amount they had in the Fossil Age, the strategy appears to be working. Team managers are Troy Bayliss and the winner of the last petrol season (2024): Jack Miller. With Casey Stoner as test rider, Ducati haven't lost a Phillip Island race since the introduction of the e-bikes..Espargabro Red Bull KTM (2/15 titles)The Austrian factory has risen to prominence, often winning races, though it's fallen shy of dominating. World War 3 events saw a massive build-up in motorized technology, and KTM took full advantage. The garage is led by Pol and Aleix Espargaro, who are both father to twins. The four twins race the four KTM motorcycles. Fortune is a cruel mistress though, as neither of Aleix' twins has yet won a race..Team MarcVDS Suzuki (1/15 titles)The sudden implosion of MarcVDS in 2018 came to make sense three years later. Apparently, Marc van der Straaten felt deeply insulted when a deal for satellite Suzukis had gone wrong. The vengeful Belgian scuttled his team, and focused on the stock market. Three years later, van der Straaten used his Estrella Galicia empire to completely buy up Suzuki Motor Corporation. MarcVDS would never be denied a Suzuki bike again..Andrea Aprilia Racing Team (0/15 titles)Aprilia had seen the switch from fossil to renewable coming, and decided to take a share of every single market. Their renewed efforts in Moto3 turned them, once again, into the dominant force of the lower class. However, victory in MotoGP still eludes them. The team is run by Aprilia veteran Andrea Iannone, often seen posing with the bikes and grid girls before races. Rumor has it that he is not the brains of the organization: Andrea Dovizioso is often seen scurrying around the garage..OrganizationWhen Valentino Rossi retired at the old age of 46, so did Carmelo Ezpeleta. He was succeeded by the diplomatic Dani Pedrosa. Taking over just as MotoGP switched to e-bikes, the diminutive Spaniard decided that if he was to never win a MotoGP championship, at least everyone who ever did would have to bow before him. Pedrosa's reign has been one of justice, but with the dark side of Dani's Iron Fist. (Literally. In his final race, he crashed and broke his right hand in a million pieces; its iron implants have allowed him to live knowing he'll never break the hand again.)Pedrosa's strategy to weed out toxicity has been ruthless as it is brilliant. Preferring sportsmanship over foul play, Pedrosa puts anyone (rider, mechanic, spectator...) who is guilty of sullying the sport's image in the #26 MotoGP Virtual Reality Simulator. There, the participant will experience 3 laps aboard a VR MotoGP machine. However, on the third lap, the user experiences a simulated crash selected from Pedrosa's career. The pain felt by Dani at the time is applied by electric shocks. This has ensured that VR46 Yamaha Racing and Repsol Solar #93 Honda Racing in particular have battled hard, but always fairly.The MotoGP Video Pass has become the main source of entertainment in the world. The Video Pass consists of MotoGP, but also Winter Southern Bikes Championship, endurance (Suzuka 8h, Le Mans 24h) and road racing (IOM), as well as national championships (MotoA, CEV, CIV, BSB). Commentators are Bradley Smith and Danilo Petrucci, with Cal Crutchlow as pit lane reporter. MotoGP's main source of communication is the subreddit r/MotoGP. Its only moderator is u/Fraud_93: the #26 Virtual Reality Simulator has ensured that redditors have behaved ever since its introduction..WSBKFrom 2031 onward, World Superbikes was replaced by the Winter Southern Bikes Championship (WSBK). Held during the MotoGP winter off season, the WSBK championship runs mostly on the southern hemisphere. WSBK races e-bikes, but only female racers. WSBK manufacturers are not allowed to partake in MotoGP: WSBK is raced by Kawasaki, Energica, MV Agusta, BMW, Triumph, and Zero Electric.The championship consists of 6 consecutive weekends with two races on Sunday, two weeks off around New Year, then another 6x2 races and one week off. The season finale consists of three races. Whoever wins the WSBK championship is allowed to race in MotoGP, switching places with one of the GP riders. So far, no-one has chosen to do so..Whatever happened to...Xavier Simeon: track announcer at Spa. Pays for the job.Thomas Luthi: unknown. No-one noticed where he went after MarcVDS's '18 implosionKarel Abraham: lawyer at DornaMaverick Viñales: ask YamahaScott Redding: Ice Speedway racerJorge Lorenzo: movie director. Best-known for 301: The Racing SpartanThere it is. SIC Yamaha, as a satellite team in the final years of MotoGP's Fossil Age, never had enough time to build up a reputation as profound as Tech3's.
Submitted July 29, 2018 at 10:31AM by twonha https://www.reddit.com/r/motogp/comments/92tnni/ot_fantasty_motogp_in_20_years/?utm_source=ifttt