Video: Ben Bostrom vs. Roger Lee Hayden at Homestead

One of our favorite parts about MotoGP’s recent coverage are the slow-motion shots of riders going through corners, especially when the Dorna folk in the switchroom line-up a few riders through the same turn, giving us a sampling of the different riding styles that exist in the premier class. It is through this sort of coverage that you begin to see the real art behind riding a motorcycle at speed, not the brute force brawl that it looks like in real-time.

Here we have another side-by-side comparison, quite literally actually. Dropping a 1-2 qualifying session at Homestead this year, Roger Lee Hayden was fastest on his National Guard Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 (1’22.746), while Ben Bostrom qualified 2nd on his Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 (1’22.857). What is interesting in this video is the subtle differences between the two riders, which results in over a one-tenth of a second difference at the finish line.

With the camera located in the rear and facing forward, we get a great shot of how Roger and Ben move their bodies on the bikes. Roger doesn’t get too far off the seat, but also minimizes his body movements, whereas Ben gets more of a butt cheek off the seat pad in the turns, but often does a double-movement when coming back off the corner. You could watch this video a dozen times and still not pick it all the way apart.

Interesting stuff. Leave your notes in the comments.