We stumbled upon this video and seeing the MotoGP watermark made us pay extra attention. Needless to say, we were not sorry for hitting the play button, just like we expected, as official footage from the Grand Prix organizers themselves is always very cool.
It's hard to tell if the bike in the video is a Moto3, Moto2 or MotoGP machine, but this is of a lesser importance. The main thing about this video is that it depicts how extensively damaging can friction be. That is, friction between the tarmac and anything scrubbing against it at high speed.
The video is rather self-explanatory and shows that it matters little if what you're putting up against the tarmac is metal, plastic, or other materials. Watching the footpeg disappear so quickly into thin air as the weight of the bike rests on it felt a bit disturbing, if you ask us.
Seeing the tarmac's abrasive action eat up an aluminium rod in seconds has really gotten us thinking about protective gear in a different way. Things are already dangerous and iffy during daily commutes at fairly decent speed, so thinking about a low-side at 160 km/h (100 mph) and sliding on the asphalt during a track Sunday send chills down the spine.
Hopefully, those who plan to ride hard, and not necessarily on the race track, will think twice before leaving home wearing sneakers, casual jeans, and a t-shirt. Crashing is usually hard when riding hard and it's really no use if you spent $1,500 on a Dainese D-Air Misano 1000 airbag jacket if it's in your closet when you come down.
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