Will there ever be a Lewis Hamilton of MotoGP, a black king of motorcycle racing? Of course there will be.
Who does best at what often has much to do with culture, race, class and geography, but while international motorcycle racing is an overwhelmingly white sport, a black racer has already climbed the highest heights. American James Stewart has won world and US championships in motocross and Supercross. Thus it is only a matter of time before a black, Asian or Chinese racer gets to the top of MotoGP.
But despite the success of Hamilton and Stewart, the odds are stacked against black people in car and ‘bike racing. I’ve spent three decades working in motor sport and my own experience tells me that the paddock is more racist than most areas of modern life.
Only weeks ago I heard a well-respected figure in the higher echelons of ‘bike and car racing refer to Hamilton as “Sooty”, and we all know that this person is by no means the first to hit the twice Formula 1 champ with a racist slur.
It’s the same in MotoGP. I’m not suggesting that the paddock is a ferment of racism – there are many kind, intelligent and liberal-minded people around – but I believe there’s more racism within than without.