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The one positive of MotoGP races without fans

OPINION: With most, if not all, of the 2020 MotoGP season to be run without fans, some atmosphere will disappear from races. But no fans means no booing directed at riders this year, and that will be a most welcome change

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson still says one of the highlights of his 40-plus-year career with the Canadian power trio was the Glasgow Apollo crowd loudly singing 'Closer to the Heart' during their 'Permanent Waves' tour in 1980 - a moment captured on the band's epic "Exit Stage Left" live album from 1981. And 1992 Formula 1 world champion Nigel Mansell famously said the noise of the Silverstone crowd actually gained him laptime.

The point of my constant display of affection for Rush and Mansell's hyperbole is this: Fans are an integral part of an event.

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Author Lewis Duncan

Lewis Duncan is Autosport's International Editor and primary motorcycle racing reporter. A motorsport fan from a young age, Lewis became interested in journalism when he won the star letter competition in the February 2012 issue of F1 Racing Magazine. A member of the Autosport Academy from 2017, Lewis became a freelance motorcycle racing correspondent for Autosport in 2019 before becoming a full-time staffer in 2020 as International Editor.

While MotoGP coverage is his priority, Lewis also covers World Superbikes and road racing across the Motorsport Network, and hosts the Tank Slappers Podcast. He has also occasionally commentated on 750 Motor Club meetings. Away from motorsport, Lewis is a keen record collector with a collection unashamedly largely featuring Iron Maiden and Rush and an avid guitar player.