Biggest disappointments of 2020
The year in motorcycling was as much characterised by what didn't take place, as what did…With 2020 very nearly in our mirrors, here at bikesales we've paused to reflect on the year that was, both good and bad. And while there was still a heap of great things going down in motorcycling through the year, 2020 will go down in history as the 'Year of the Cancellation'.
News of a novel coronavirus first emerged in December, but come March – and the cancellation of the MotoGP class at the opening Grand Prix of Qatar – we knew we were in for a rough ride.
International travel all but stopped, lockdowns ensued, and the world headed online from the relative safety of home. And from March onwards, as the virus did what viruses do (whatever the hell they want!), businesses, industries and entire economies ground to a halt.
Of course, anything that involved large public gatherings was out (unless you were Donald Trump), and that meant a big fat red line through just about all the major bike events we know and love, both abroad and here in our own backyard.
An early local casualty was the much-loved Broadford Bike Bonanza in Victoria, the Easter event canned by organisers in mid-March.
From then the cancellations came thick and fast – the Finke Desert Race fell in March, the Hattah Desert Race following in mid-May, along with many, many others, at regional, state and national levels.
On the international scene, not even the top level of motorsport was immune. The disruption spread throughout MotoGP, WorldSBK and countless other top-tier theatres of two-wheeled competition.
The Isle of Man TT fell victim too – organisers even announcing it's also out for 2021 – followed by the Australian, British and Japanese motorcycle grands prix.
But then, with a pandemic that saw even the cancellation of the Olympic Games, an event previously only cancelled three times due to World War, it was anything but an ordinary year.
Thankfully, with 2020 in its final days, the world is hopefully facing a more optimistic future, with the rollout of vaccines and more effective medical treatments offering a shot at a better, less tumultuous 2021.
In any case, one thing we can say with certainty is that life is just better on two wheels, and that's something that's never going to change…
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