For the 2012 edition we made some major changes to the layout. Not only did the lower, grid page receive a black background similar to the upper, photo page, but to help the Sunday to Saturday crowd, we added shading for the weekend days.

We really appreciated (and still do!) how so many of our loyal readers who must adapt themselves to the Monday-Sunday format continue to do so each year. So this was intended to help make the adjustment a bit easier. We’ve received a very positive response to this layout, and continue with it to this day.

The typography saw more refinements for readability and balance with the new black background. David’s commentary was getting more detailed, and thus longer, so a smaller typeface was required beneath the images to accommodate his insightful remarks. Still, looking back at this edition I find several instances of the typography I think we’ve improved since 2012.

Riders featured: Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards, Jorge Lorenzo, Carlos Checa, Ben Spies, Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, Stefan Bradl, Marco Simoncelli.

You may have noticed that Jorge Lorenzo shows up often in the promo images. We usually use May for the sample page because it’s the first one to have a good combination of both MotoGP and WSBK race events so that first time buyers can easily see how we represent the two series’ schedules with the red and blue bars.

Several images stand out to me in this calendar, the first being the close up of the Ducati GP11.1, which I did not publish before it appeared in the calendar. At the time, with Rossi on their bike, Ducati was very protective of their technology and getting a clear shot of the uncovered bike like this was extremely rare. Not only does this shot illustrate how the swing arm connects to the engine, which in turn becomes a stressed member of the bike’s suspension, but it shows clearly the GP 11.1 stamped into the block.

The image of Dani Pedrosa is similar in several ways to the previous year’s image of Fabrizio, and Stefan Bradl having crashed at Assen is another low moment for the future Moto2 champ.

Yet another echo from the previous year is the December image of Marco Simoncelli. Where in 2011 Shoya Tomizawa had occupied the final slot, in 2012 David had to write yet another obituary. We both hoped that this two-year trend would end here, and he’s not had to conclude the commentary in this tragic fashion since then.

The back cover on the 2012 calendar also showed something new, as for the first time we used an image behind the collection of thumbnails, Casey Stoner dragging his elbow at Catalunya’s Turn 5.

Rumor has it that the 2015 MotoMatters calendar can be purchased here.

Up next on the following page, the 2013 and 2014 calendars: