I'm sure many of you will have seen the fantastic film Faster, the story of the last year of the 500 cc two-strokes, and the first year of the MotoGP bikes. It's a sumptuously filmed and directed documentary, the restrained style of the commentary beautifully juxtaposing the white-knuckle action of onboard and trackside footage. For those of you who haven't seen it, you really are missing one of the best sports documentaries ever made.
Now the director of that great movie has made another film about MotoGP:
The Doctor, The Tornado And The Kentucky Kid
This film is about the 2005 US MotoGP round at Laguna Seca, a fantastic race won in a superb showing by Nicky Hayden, the race which turned Nicky, who had been struggling to be consistent until then, into a contender. Laguna is a fantastic track, with one of the most demanding and frightening sections in the world, as the riders crest a blind left-hander, travelling fast, before swooping down into the sweeping Corkscrew, heeled hard over with the suspension gone light from the crest, riding a fine line between glory and disaster. If Faster is anything to go by, this can only be a great movie. Check it out.
