Faster (2003 film)

Faster
Faster
Directed by	Mark Neale
Written by	Mark Neale
Produced by	Mark Neale; Ian MacLean; Chris Paine
Starring	Valentino Rossi ; Max Biaggi ; Garry McCoy ; John Hopkins
Narrated by	Ewan McGregor
Cinematography	Grant Gee
Edited by	Rochelle Watson
Music by	tomandandy
Distributed by	Slamdance on the Road
Release date	December 16, 2003(Cannes Film Festival);
Running time	103 minutes
Countries	United States; Spain
Language	English

Last updated November 16, 2023

Faster is a 2003 documentary film about the motorcycle road racing world championship, MotoGP. Filmed between 2001 and 2002^[1] by director Mark Neale, it features cinematography by music video director Grant Gee and is narrated by Ewan McGregor. It was succeeded by a 2-disc "Ultimate Collector's Edition" re-release in 2004 which included "Faster '03-'04 The Sequel". In 2006, The Doctor, The Tornado and The Kentucky Kid (or DTK) was released, followed by "Fastest" in 2011 and "Hitting the Apex" in 2015.

Overview

The film spotlights the MotoGP world championship, the premiere level of motorcycle road racing, which is a series of sixteen races on five continents contested by twenty-four riders. The film includes appearances by Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi, Australian veteran Garry McCoy and young American John Hopkins. Several former world champions are interviewed, including Mick Doohan, Kevin Schwantz, paralyzed former racer Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts and Barry Sheene.

The film depicts the bitter rivalry between Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi. Their personality clash is captured in television interviews and they lock horns both on and off the track.

Sections of the film feature Dr. Claudio Costa, a physician who follows the riders from track to track. Costa lends his unique style to mending broken bones and advising riders on their suitability to put their broken bodies back out on the track.

Garry McCoy's unique style is portrayed. McCoy somehow manages to spin up his rear tire while braking into corners. Despite breaking the "rules of riding" McCoy manages to nab fastest lap times and win races with his impossible style.

The film was produced by Los Angeles-based Spark Productions in association with Dorna Sports SL, the rights-holder for MotoGP, and shot around the world between 2001 and 2002. It was executive produced by Neale, Ian MacLean and Chris Paine.

The film premiered at Cannes in 2003.^[2]

Notable appearances

DVD

The film was released as a 2-disc DVD on November 16, 2004. In addition to the movie, extras include on-board camera footage from actual races, and a short sequel film called "Faster & Faster" on events after 2003 and the early stages of the 2004 season which mainly focused on Valentino Rossi's transition from Honda to Yamaha.

Related Research Articles

Manuel "Sete" Gibernau Bultó is a Spanish former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who is a 9-time 500cc/MotoGP race winner and a two-time overall runner-up in 2003 and 2004. His racing career spans three different eras of motorcycle racing, beginning with the two-stroke-dominated period prior to the 2002 season, and the four-stroke MotoGP era. He returned to racing in 2019 to compete in the electric-powered MotoE World Cup. Gibernau was one of the top riders in Grand Prix racing at the beginning of the MotoGP era.

Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi is an Italian former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who achieved six World Championships. With four 250 cc road race titles and two in World Superbikes, he is one of only two riders to score championships across both disciplines.

Kevin Schwantz is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He was the world champion of the 1993 FIM Road Racing World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha Motor Racing</span> Official Italian-Japanese factory team of Yamaha in MotoGP

Yamaha MotoGP Racing or Yamaha Factory Racing is the official Italian-Japanese factory team of Yamaha in MotoGP.

The 1992 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 44th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Honda secured the constructor's title in all three categories.

The 1994 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 46th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

The 1995 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 47th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

The 1996 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 48th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

The 1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 49th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

The 1989 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixth round of the 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 26–28 May 1989 at the Hockenheimring circuit.

The 1989 Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventh round of the 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 2–4 June 1989 at the Salzburgring.

The 1990 United States motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of April 6–8, 1990 at Laguna Seca.

The 1990 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourth race of the 1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 18–20 May 1990 at the Misano circuit.

The 1990 Yugoslavian motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventh round of the 1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 15–17 June 1990 at the Rijeka circuit.

The 1992 Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix was the penultimate round of the 1992 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 21–23 August 1992 at Interlagos.

Repsol Honda is the official factory team of the Honda Racing Corporation in the MotoGP class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, backed by principal sponsor Repsol.

The 2004 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the penultimate round of the 2004 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 15–17 October 2004 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

The 2000 South African motorcycle Grand Prix was the first round of the 2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 19 March 2000 at Phakisa Freeway.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing sponsorship liveries have been used since the late 1960s, replacing the previously used national colours. With sponsors becoming more important with the rising costs in the motorcycle CC classes, many teams wanted to be able to display the logos of their sponsors as clearly as possible.

References

↑ Foundas, Scott (April 7, 2004). "Filmed over the course of the 2001 and 2002 racing seasons". Variety.com.
↑ "FASTER had its world premiere at the 2003 Cannes International Film Festival". Faster Mmovie. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20.

External links

Faster at the Official Movie Site
Faster at IMDb
Faster at AllMovie

This article about a sports-related documentary film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Foundas, Scott (April 7, 2004). "Filmed over the course of the 2001 and 2002 racing seasons". Variety.com.

[2] "FASTER had its world premiere at the 2003 Cannes International Film Festival". Faster Mmovie. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20.

[1]

[2]