Top 10 Grand Prix bikes from the last decade
The last 10 years have seen changes to Grand Prix racing with a name change to MotoGP, a shift from two to four stroke and engine capacity. As this decade is coming to an end here are the bikes that have defined this era
10. Aprilia RS3 Cube - 2003
Insane, crazy, mental, and terrifying; words that sum up the beast that was the Aprilia RS3 Cube. On paper the Cube was a revolution in Grand Prix bikes with a 990cc triple engine built by Cosworth and an electronic fly-by-wire throttle. The most memorable moments for 2003 were the Cube’s tendency to launch it’s rider in to the air and when the bike transformed in to a two-wheel fireball and singed the back of the Colin Edwards.
09. Proton KR3 - 2002
1:31.9 was the lap that clinched the final two-stroke pole with Jeremy McWilliams around Phillip Island; with the silver Proton KR3 heading an all two-stroke front row. Neither McWilliams nor Nobuatsu Aoki troubled the top five on the KR3, but over a single lap around Phillip Island both McWilliams and Aoki were able to take full advantage of the lightweight 500cc triple and exploit the high corner speed around the circuit.
08. KTM 125 - 2005
Harald Bartol pieced together the 125 KTM in a small workshop in Austria to take on the might of Aprilia and Honda. The orange machine had possibly the best opportunity in 2005 with Mika Kallio at the controls, that if it wasn’t for an unexpected slipstream pass by team mate, Gabor Talmasci at Qatar. Kallio finished the year with second place in the championship, a commendable performance for a team that lacked the budget of the larger factories.
