Review: MotoGP 2011 Official Review DVD

The 2011 MotoGP season started with a bang in Qatar before ending with a whimper in Valencia. It was a year that saw plenty of elbow-to-elbow racing, ridiculously close finishes and, of course, the tragic passing of the sport’s larger-than-life character, Marco Simoncelli.

All the defining moments that made 2011 such an unforgettable year have made their way on to the official season review DVD, and with three hours worth of footage on offer, two-wheel racing fans are in for a right treat.

MotoGP 2011 – Official Review features comprehensive coverage from each of the 18 rounds, all fantastically edited to ensure that viewing never becomes tiresome, and an entire sit-through is indeed doable – which I can attest to.

Highlights on offer include Ben Spies’ maiden MotoGP victory, Dani Pedrosa’s return to race-winning form and, of course, the dominant fashion in which Casey Stoner secured his second MotoGP title and the last of the 800cc era.

There’s no denying that MotoGP 2011 does an amicable job as summary packages go. It tells the story of the season and even those with minimal interest in the sport may feel inclined to buy a set of biking leathers by the end of it. But what it fails to do is reflect and give perspective on some of the pivotal moments.

Take, for example, the controversial incident between Pedrosa and Simoncelli during the French MotoGP at Le Mans. A re-run of their coming together is shown and that’s it. No new camera angles, no post-race interviews with either rider, no analysis, nothing.

And that’s the weakest aspect of MotoGP 2011. As a reflection of the on-track action it cannot be faulted, but it really only ever tells half the story of the season, with the occasional news snippets all too brief and lacking any depth.

Criminally, there’s next to nothing on Loris Capirossi’s retirement. Surely a man whose career has spanned two decades would be ripe for a feature? Yet strangely, one is not to be found, with only a tearful press conference announcing his departure shown for a matter of seconds.

On the other hand, the way in which Simoncelli’s death is handled is to be applauded. Seriously, when the DVD spins its way up to the Malaysian Grand Prix, make sure you have some tissues to hand as it will tug even the sturdiest of heartstrings…

So, in summary, MotoGP 2011 does a fairly decent job of condensing last year’s action into a neat highlights package. The core item is fine and there’s plenty of on-track footage to make this a worthwhile purchase. But what it excels at in one area, it lacks in another. Namely fresh, never seen before, content – especially of the hindsight variety.
Rating: ★★★★★ (3/5)