The daffodils are in full bloom, the motor mowers are buzzing like a 50-cc Grand Prix from a different era. Spring has at last arrived, MotoGP™ is back and the icing on the cake, British riders are winning Grands Prix. Nothing better to dispel those lockdown blues. This is without doubt my favourite weekend of the year. I am prepared to forfeit that hour of sleep to lap up the delights of daylight at 7pm on Sunday night. It felt pretty good already and then Sam Lowes came along and made so much better.
Do not let us pretend, it is mighty tough being a British rider, journalist and especially fan in MotoGP™. One World title in the last 44 years thanks to Danny Kent six years ago. Despite the sterling efforts of Scott Redding, Lowes and Jeremy McWilliams, no British World rider has been crowned 250cc/Moto2™ World Champion for a staggering 50 years. Phil Read won the 1971 250cc World Championship riding the twin-cylinder Yamaha and that was that. We have sat back and admired and applauded competing against, writing and commentating on and watching the likes of Roberts, Doohan, Rossi, Stoner and Marquez in action but there has always been that nagging regret at the back of the brain – why are none of these brilliant riders from our shores?
That is why we really do appreciate and savour what happened in that opening Moto2™ race of the season. No British rider has ever won in the 17 years of Grands Prix racing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. In the daylight or under the floodlights ‘God Save The Queen’ had never boomed out over the desert sand until this Sunday.
The last British rider to win the opening Grand Prix of the season in any class was Barry Sheene. He won the opening round the 500cc World Championship at the San Carlos circuit in Venezuela in 1979 but eventually finished third in the Championship behind Kenny Roberts and Virginio Ferrari.
The first British rider to win the opening race, in any Grand Prix category, since the great Barry Sheene in 1979! ????????
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) March 28, 2021
How does that sound, @SamLowes_22? ????#Moto2 | #QatarGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/12MlpYtqUp
The story goes on. Incredibly you have to go back another 11 years to find the last British rider to win the opening round of the 250cc/Moto2 World Championship. Bill Ivy, riding the works Yamaha, beat Ginger Molloy on the Bultaco by over three minutes to win the 250cc race at the 1968 West German Grand Prix round the legendary Nürburgring 7.747 kms road circuit. After an acrimonious season of conflict with Yamaha teammate Phil Read, Ivy eventually finished second in the Championship behind Read.
The perfect weekend, and even England and Oxford United won on the football pitch. Play it again Sam, do it again to make Easter even more special than usual. No great surprise, the last British rider to win the opening two Grands Prix of the season was Barry Sheene. In 1976 he won the opening three rounds of the 500cc World Championship in Le Mans, Salzburgring and Mugello. Take note Sam, he went on to win the World title.
Spring has finally arrived and even the sun may shine to celebrate Easter Sunday and another British Grand Prix victory – what lockdown!