One of the subjects of Mark Neale's latest film about MotoGP has already been claimed by the dangerous sport, writes Andrew Drummond.
MotoGP champions produce their best work on the track, so when English film-maker Mark Neale wanted them to talk, he took to the tarmac.
Neale's documentary feature film, Fastest, probes the 330kph-plus world of MotoGP including the heroes, rivalry, technology and dangers of the sport along with past, current and future contenders.
In a chilling reminder of the hazards linked to the two-wheeled sport, Italian competitor Marco Simoncelli was killed in October in a horrifying track tumble since the film's completion.
Minutes after the start of the Malaysian Grand Prix the 24-year-old Honda rider's bike veered across the track and into the path of other competitors, subsequently knocking off his helmet.
Known in MotoGP circles for his larrikin nature, Simoncelli was one of many riders who spoke with Neale for the making of Fastest.
"During the race you want to kill the other rider. But after the race you go to drink, have beer together," Simoncelli tells Neale, summarising the relationship between bikers.
While the film's focus is Italian rider Valentino Rossi's 10-year reign over the MotoGP world title, Neale interviews several competitors including Australian Casey Stoner, along with young guns Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.
Narrated by Ewan McGregor, the making of Fastest was largely a solo effort by Neale, who admits that growing up near a racetrack helped develop his fascination with bike racing.
Armed with a camera and thorough knowledge of the sport, Neale visited dozens of locations in Europe, Asia and America, speaking with team managers, pit crews and fans, as well as riders and their families.
"If you do your homework and you are genuinely interested, they respond," Neale said of the competitors.
"I shot a lot of the interviews alone - that helps make it more personal and intimate.
"Interviews in cars work well. The riders like to be in motion, they are more relaxed and it's a comfortable 'confessional' environment."
Therefore when not shown in file footage in competition or spraying champagne from a podium, the riders are at the wheel, jovial and chatty.
A sequel to Neale's 2003 documentary Faster, which also focused on the world of MotoGP, Fastest includes a series of thrilling race sequences on the world's top courses.
Neale has dedicated Fastest to Simoncelli.
- TimeOut / AAP