We all love watching motorcycle track racing for the sheer skill and quality on show, however, every now and then we are stunned by some out of the ordinary moments. These are the moments that you will watch over and over and still not get your head around what you’ve just seen. From the idiotic to the heroic, this Top 10 will take you through goings on in the MotoGP, WSBK, BSB and the lesser known Magny-Cours Promosport Championship. These moments are all crazy in their own way… Please, don’t try them at home!
1. Romano Fenati grabs Stefano Manzi’s brake at 140mph
Probably the most talked about track racing incident in 2018, at the San Marino Grand Prix Marinelli Snipers’ Romano Fenati was so aggrieved with Stefano Manzi, he felt the need to pull the brake lever on his competitors bike.
We’ve never seen an incident quite like it, where a racer reaches across and purposely puts a rivals’ life at risk. With the bikes travelling at 140mph, it is quite remarkable Manzi managed to keep his bike upright and remain unharmed. The racer was then understandably black flagged.
Fenati has since been left to rue his idiotic behaviour, with team Marinelli Snipers cancelling his contract, the team he was due to join next season MV Agusta withdrawing their offer and Romano then retiring from racing. After such an incident there is no surprise that teams and Fenati himself have decided that motorcycle racing is just not for him.
2. British Superbike’s Jesse Trayler and Robin Harms fight
In the 2014 Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship race at Brands Hatch, both Jesse Trayler and Robbin Harms came off the track and onto the gravel. Rather than heading back to the paddock, or checking his bike, Harms went straight for Trayler who was still on the ground.
After a few punches and kicks, Harms was escorted away by marshals. Trayler appeared to be being checked on by marshals before he got to his feet and sprinted towards Harms who was walking away. He managed to land two punches to the side of Harms’ head/helmet before marshals separated the pair.
As a result of the clash, Harms was banned from competing in the next round at Oulton Park, while Trayler had to start from the back of the grid.
3. Jakub Kornfeil’s incredible save
A Moto3 race at the French Grand Prix saw Enea Bastianini come off of his bike at a corner. Rather unfortunately the bike slid right in front of the oncoming Jakub Kornfeil and at this point it looked like the man from the Czech Republic would come off of his bike too. Though, quite remarkably that was not the case.
Kornfeil took it in his stride, riding over the bike, using it as a ramp and leaping into the air as a result, landing on two wheels on the gravel and continuing his race as though nothing had happened.
To come from that height and land on two wheels travelling at the speed he was took great amount of skill and composure. Kornfeil later revealed it was what he learnt in motocross that saw him able to land the jump, saying he concentrated on keeping the gas.
He then went on to finish 6th in the race and his save has been labelled by many as the best MotoGP save of all time!
4. Motorbikes lock handlebars at Magny-Cours
At a damp Magny-Cours Promosport Championship one racer slid off his bike, which then went on to knock a competitor off of his machine. At this point you would expect the bikes to go their separate ways and the riders attempt to get back on. However, this was not the case on this very unique occasion.
The handlebars locked which turned the unfortunate event into more of a comedy sketch. The bikes were travelling at high speed in circles, making it impossible for the racers to unlock the bikes and continue racing. Instead, they make several attempts to separate the vehicles which are all unsuccessful.
Luckily, nobody was hurt as a result of the crash and it has since provided entertainment for people all over the world, with 10 million views on YouTube!
5. Oil slick sees 11 bikes slide off track
In the 2017 Moto3 race at the French GP, fluid on the track led to 11 racers all sliding onto the gravel in what can only be described as chaos. Racers were seen trying to dodge the wave of bikes which followed them, with most not being successful in avoiding what looked like painful collisions.
It is not every day you see almost half the field taken out on one corner, and it is also quite remarkable to hear that everyone was okay following this freak accident. The spill came from Adam Norrodin’s bike on the first lap, after he collided with Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Jakub Kornfeil and Tatsuki Suzuki. The second lap then saw Jorge Martin initially slide off the track, followed by a whole host of his competitors. Crazy scenes!
6. Johann Zarco runs over the line to pick up a point
Some of these crazy moments have been dangerous, some idiotic, and some rather amusing, this one from MotoGP star Johann Zarco can only be described as heroic!
At the San Marino GP in 2017 everything was going well for the Frenchman who sat in 7th, until his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 ran out of fuel during the final lap in Misano. Zarco didn’t let this end his race however and jumped off his bike and remarkably ran his 160-kilogram motorcycle up the home straight.
This quick thinking and courage didn’t go without reward, with Zarco finishing in 15th place ahead of Loris Baz and Karel Abraham, picking up a point for his troubles. We reckon he needed a lie-down after that, top effort!
7. Xavier Fores’ bike goes up in flames, with him still on it!
During qualifying for the Spanish World Superbike Championship race in 2017 Fores’ Ducati was a little bit too hot to handle, literally. Many would have panicked and jumped from the moving motorbike at first sight of the flames, Xavier however stayed on the bike for 10 whole seconds with the flames going up all around him.
He then hopped off the bike as the flames grew bigger and ran to safety. Unsurprisingly the Spaniard suffered nasty burns to his neck and elsewhere on his body, though we can’t help but think the injuries could have been a lot worse!
What’s most surprising about this story is that, despite his burns, Fores went on to participate in two races as part of the MotorLand Aragon circuit, where he placed 18th and 6th, hot work!
8. Marquez’s quick recovery
We’ve seen this clip going around social media, comparing it to footballers who lie on the floor after the slightest contact and couldn’t leave it out! Marquez did no such thing when he came off the track at high speed and took a mighty tumble in qualifying at the San Marino Grand Prix. After sliding into the gravel the world champion flipped and slid for some time, and it looked as though he may have done some serious damage as a result.
This was not the case however and he immediately got to his feet and sprinted away before hopping on a scooter which took him back to the paddock, where he then sprinted onto another bike and away he went as though nothing had happened.
Though he later said he ended up with a stone in his eye as a result of his visor opening when flying through the gravel. The Spaniard went on to qualify in fifth and finished the Sunday race as runner-up.
9. Fenati and Ajo clash in Moto3
It’s that man again; Romano Fenati’s temper sees him feature twice in our Top 10, this time for clashing with Niklas Ajo in the warm up session to the 2015 Moto3 race in Argentina. Fenati was infuriated with Ajo and let him know throughout the warm up session.
Starting with shouting at his competitor and kicking out before speeding away, Fenati let his feelings known towards the Finnish racer. He then is seen to carry on the argument while the warm up continued and when the bikes came to a halt, Romano’s fury didn’t.
Sat next to Ajo, Fenati can be seen hitting and shouting at his competitor, who quite remarkably had appeared rather relaxed up until this point. This is the moment Ajo lets a fellow racer know of Fenati’s crazy antics and while he’s looking away, the Italian reaches across, turns off his rival’s bike, and speeds away. This proved to be the final straw for Ajo who raises his middle finger towards Fenati and cannot get his bike up and running again.
This reckless performance from Fenati saw him pick up three penalty points for aggressive behaviour and poor sportsmanship.
10. MotoGP Argentina 2018
The 2018 Argentine Grand Prix played host not only to one crazy incident, but a whole host of bizarre events. It all started in qualifying, where Jack Miller was the only racer to switch to slick tyres due to the weather conditions. As the track started to dry other riders headed for the pits in order to fit the much needed slick tyres, this led to everyone other than Miller receiving grid penalties and moving 12 grid positions back. This saw the Aussie rider isolated in front of every other rider, which must have been a very strange experience.
Credit MotoGP official Facebook page
This was only the start of the madness, whilst on the grid Marc Marquez stalled his bike and was forced to bump start it. This saw him then ride the wrong way down the grid back to his starting position. This then added another penalty for the Spanish champion and moved him back to 19th.
Marquez was then involved in yet another incident, this time due to his riding style, which has been called aggressive on more than one occasion by racers and commentators alike. The major incident and one which saw him pick up a post-race penalty of 30 seconds, involved rival Valentino Rossi. Marquez was seen to force Rossi off of the track and onto the grass, which the Italian was unsurprising unimpressed with. Marquez crossed the line in 5th place, though his penalties saw him pushed back into 18th and Rossi recovered from the fall to end up 19th.
This race also saw Dani Pedrosa crash on the penultimate corner of the circuit, this was due to being forced onto a damp patch by Zarco. Pedrosa ended up being forced into the gravel and unable to finish the race.
The race was eventually won by Cal Crutchlow, though this was rather overshadowed by the crazy goings on before he crossed the line. Front starter Miller ended up finishing in 4th place, with Zarco and Rins also beating him to the line.
It really was one of the craziest races we’ve ever seen!