MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Ferris wheels, stunt shows, the Day of Champions, a stage full of riders every day. And yet only 41,000 turned up on race day. A conundrum for Silverstone

Pecco Bagnaia returned from the summer break, dealt with criticism of his holiday drinking and driving crash, and went on to ride one of the best races of his career.

KTM brought new exhausts which improve the throttle connection for the rider. Tested in Jerez, this is the final version

The problem with the long exhausts, the riders said, was that it was much quieter, and they had to recalibrate how they were riding

Andrea Dovizioso announced he would not be back after Misano. The right decision, given his struggles with the Yamaha. A fantastic career comes to an end

Jack Miller is engaged a proxy battle with Toprak Razgatlioglu over who can do the best stoppies in pit lane. It's a tough call

You do want to be careful how the rear comes down, though

The Day of Champions and auctions throughout the weekend raised £206,550 to help bring primary healthcare to remote regions of Africa. A fantastic result for a worthy cause

Aleix Espargaro paid the price for pushing the hard rear tire too early during FP4 at Silverstone. He still rode a good race, but sat on the grid knowing how much he was about to suffer

Another race, another crash for Joan Mir. There is a piece of the puzzle missing for the Spaniard, and he is putting too much pressure on himself as a result

Under the tank cover: quick release fuel hoses going from the fuel pump to the injectors

Alberto Puig has faced a barrage of criticism over the failure of Honda to be competitive. But he is taking the flak for failures higher up the chain of command at HRC

Note the lack of a swingarm spoiler on the Ducati. It has been gone for a long time. Ideas don't last long in MotoGP before they get superseded

Miguel Oliveira qualified down in thirteenth, and was frustrated not to get through to Q2. But he still managed to make his way forward to sixth by the end of the race

The secret to Maverick Viñales' success? Being made to feel part of the family.

Enea Bastianini went missing before the summer break, but came storming back at Silverstone, taking fourth despite a missing wing

Fabio Quartararo's Long Lap penalty proved costly, despite his practicing it repeatedly

The latest innovation: fins on the tail (an unregulated part of the bike) to aid braking stability

Saying hello to old friends. Former MotoGP commentator Steve Day popped in for a visit from his day job commentating for BSB

Next year, back to the Wing. Better facilities, but a smaller paddock and a big chunk of grass between pit wall and the track

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