March 22, 2006 The MotoGP circus gets underway this weekend with the Gran Premio de Espana at the Jerez circuit – the first of 17 Grands Prix in 14 countries that will make up the 2006 season for motorcycling’s equivalent to Formula One. Amongst the many promotional activities underway to heighten the launch of the new season is a display of concept Grand Prix machines created by Savannah College of Art and Design industrial design students. Two full-scale display models of the futuristic grand prix motorcycles will travel to different races across America as part of the promotional activities and we were fortunate to be able to obtain high resolution images of the concept machines.
hirteen students from SCAD Industrial Design Professor Jesus Rojas’ class began the process of designing the concept motorcycles ten weeks ago with 130 separate sketches. The final design is a result of the students focusing on ergonomically correct seat height and wheel distance. Following the sketching process, the students built clay models to preview what was ultimately unveiled today.
The next stop for the bikes is the AMA Superbike Championships at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 21-23, 2006. The motorcycles also will be on display at the 2006 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix MotoGP race, July 21-23, at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.