Where's all the Japanese ?

[weeksy]

Sitting watching a GP from 1999 and noticed just how many Japanese riders there are. When you think back there's been LOADS of exceptionally good GP/etc riders, but at the moment we have barely a few throughout the classes.

Why ?

You'd assume the Japanese manufacturers would be pushing riders in lower classes to get someone to the pointy end of GP ?

[Yorick]

Similarly, there's a big lack of Yanks. And Aussies to a extent.

[weeksy]

Similarly, there's a big lack of Yanks. And Aussies to a extent.

True, but the Aussies don't sell that many bikes arguably due to population being lower, the Americans, that's a weird one as they clearly sell loads, but arguably not as many are in the sort of style that would be seen on tracks.

[Yorick]

Interestingly, only 6 countries have produced 500/MotoGP champions.

[weeksy]

Interestingly, only 6 countries have produced 500/MotoGP champions.

I think that's partly because we've had several mutli championship winners like Rossi, Doohan, Marquez... So there's a lot less to go around.

I wonder how much of it down to the Japanese not having the bigger bikes in their country ? But wasn't that always the case and why we all used to have imported 400s etc ?

[Skub]

Interestingly, only 6 countries have produced 500/MotoGP champions.

I think that's partly because we've had several mutli championship winners like Rossi, Doohan, Marquez... So there's a lot less to go around.

I wonder how much of it down to the Japanese not having the bigger bikes in their country ? But wasn't that always the case and why we all used to have imported 400s etc ?

The Japs have some very competitive domestic series,so there is no shortage of racers as such. Maybe it's because MotoGP is so dominated by the never-ending stream of talent from Spain and Italy and their whole system is set up to bring them on smoothly from kids to adults. Or perhaps it's a sponsorship thing too. Lots of really big European sponsors.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Race Replicas aren't currently fashionable in Japan, and haven't been for about 20 years, so I suspect there's not much interest in motorcycle racing in Japan, the same goes for the USA.
It's really only Spain, Italy and the UK were race replicas are big business, the rest of the world is a bit more grown up in it's motorcycle taste.

[Skub]

Race Replicas aren't currently fashionable in Japan, and haven't been for about 20 years, so I suspect there's not much interest in motorcycle racing in Japan, the same goes for the USA.
It's really only Spain, Italy and the UK were race replicas are big business, the rest of the world is a bit more grown old in it's motorcycle taste.

ftfy