Motorcycling
and the Pandemic

It is virtually impossible to get back on to the track at the same spot where we left it. That’s racing for you. And this ‘race’, the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus has been no different. We have been run down by this infection that has struck the entire planet harder than any in the past hundred years and which has brought the world to a standstill in a totally unexpected way, affecting all spheres of our lives and, distressingly, with fatal consequences for millions of people worldwide. It has also severely curtailed the majority of our social activities: work, school, the theatre, the stadium, private and public meetings and, in the context that concerns us here, sporting events.

Motorcycling for sport and leisure has been deeply affected, particularly in the secondary businesses sector. Just as the motorcycle manufacturing industry has been hit economically, the businesses dedicated to racers, organisers and motorcycles, and which represent one of the greatest volumes of trade in the world of sport, have been affected even more. You only need to think about the manufacturers of accessories needed for racing and spare parts for competition motorcycles.

Throughout the past year and this year so far, at both national and international level, we have seen how championships have been truncated: events without spectators, without sponsors and much less television coverage. It must be pointed out that some, such as the promoters of international championships, thanks to superhuman efforts and with the help of all those involved, have managed to run several series of events.

Host national federations are very concerned and determined to get their activities going again as quickly as possible, and sometimes by whatever means. A handful countries have taken this step thanks to a slowdown in infections, but all are hoping to get back to business and return to their tried and tested methods and the way things were before. But reality seems to be telling us that they will have to wait some time and there are many signs that things will never again be quite as they used to be.

Nevertheless, every adverse experience can teach us a great deal, and this very tough crisis has obliged us to take a pause, so that at first we did not know what to do. Now we know and we can take advantage of it to improve, reorganise or renovate our own house. It is valuable time that we can use to make our events better in the near future. It is better to prepare ourselves to produce better events and projects tomorrow than to make mediocre events today.

There are many things to think about, and one that really deserves our attention is the young boys and girls who are the seedbed of future champions and the future of our beautiful sport; we have lost two years in the process of growing our riders though loss of those who have stayed away from motorcycling and the thousands who have not been able to pursue their development.

For all these reasons, we at AIMA are working to build tomorrow because we need to get back part of what we have lost, and also because, although we are no longer the same, we are going to continue doing what we know how to do.