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What is the future of motorsports? Dorna and the top motorcycle racing discipline, MotoGP™, have recently announced that they know what it is … and they’re right.
The future consists of live on-board racing footage. No, not just your regular on-boarding but live 360-degree footage aboard the machines of some of the fastest athletes on two wheels, capturing what’s happening on the racetrack and in the life of the MotoGP™ superstars. This pioneer in the moto technology world is known as Zoetrope, stemming from the Greek terminology meaning “life turning.” The addition of Zoetrope is an excellent description of what the series showcases and is a stunning artistry that will allow viewers to be in the action with their favorite racers on the circuit.
You might be thinking, “hasn’t this been done before?”
You’d think, right? However, in 2016, Dorna envisioned this and introduced the initial concept of, what now seems to be, plain old 360-degree on-board technology for the first time. A year later, they decided to take another leap into the future of technology by making the viewing action live.
This immersive, virtual reality experience made its debut at the 2017 Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon in late-September aboard Yamaha Racing’s Maverick Viñales who is currently ranked third in the overall MotoGP™ point standings.
Before the official launch of Zoetrope, Dorna has also placed this new technology on the bikes of Johann Zarco, Pol Espargaro and Andrea Dovizioso since the French Grand Prix at Le Mans. Now live (pun intended) for the world to see, the series will provide this 360-degree footage to broadcasters, which will allow, not only fans to see the action on the track, but to give them the opportunity to get up-close and personal with the lifestyle sponsors of each racer.
To view additional footage from Zoetrope and the MotoGP™ series, visit MotoGP.com.
Watch Maverick Viñales’ pole lap at Aragon here.
Follow Shaun Melady on Instagram at @ShaunMelady.