MotoGP News and Discussion Thread

[esteven]

Troy Bayliss returns to the track on a Ducati race bike! The Australian rider, who will follow this weekend’s Superbike action at Monza from the Ducati garage, will test the Desmosedici GP9 from May 12th to 14th at the Italian circuit of Mugello, alongside the team’s official MotoGP test rider Vittoriano Guareschi.

The test has been planned for a while and will be repeated during the year at future official sessions of the Test Team. Ducati can thus count on the feedback of a three times world champion, whose talent and experience will contribute to the continuous development work carried out on the Desmosedici GP9 and GP10

It will be interesting to see Troy's time after some time off.

[Oldtony]

Sounds as if Ducatti have decided that their GP bikes only speak Australian
If that's the language they need to get the feedback good on them. None of the other nationality riders they have tried in GP seem to know how to talk to the beast.

[nayr37]

Sounds as if Ducatti have decided that their GP bikes only speak Australian
If that's the language they need to get the feedback good on them. None of the other nationality riders they have tried in GP seem to know how to talk to the beast.

Has there been a detailed write up about the specific issues involved and why Casey can adapt while the others (all world champions too!) dont seem to find confidence?...Im just interested in a more definite answer. But I suppose if they knew the answer they would have a solution by now.

Q. What would happen if Casey gets hurt, would they even be in the top 10? seriously?

[Mothers Worry]

Stoner: Traction control is here to stay

From autosport.com:

Stoner: Traction control is here to stay

Thursday, July 30th 2009, 11:39 GMT

Casey Stoner thinks there is no chance of MotoGP removing traction control as the system has proved to be such a safety benefit.

Riders have regularly complained that electronics now play too great a role in controlling MotoGP bikes, and there were further calls for rider aids to be reduced or removed after suggestions that even riding in the wet practice sessions at Donington Park last weekend had become too easy.

But while Stoner concurred with the sentiment, he cannot envisage the rule-makers agreeing to remove traction control.

"I completely agree. The problem is they won't go back now," he said. "There are 70 or 80 per cent less broken bones than there were before, there are less accidents, less problems, and how are we going to go back now? There's no way when there's a safety issue.

"It's saved a lot of people a lot of pain. Jorge [Lorenzo] and I have proved that you can still have a flick-off. But honestly if it was still 500cc or even the early 1000cc days people would still be flying through the air and hurting themselves."

Stoner added that he had been using traction control more in recent races after changes to the Ducati's electronics, and that it had proved helpful despite his personal dislike of it.

"We've only found a good system since Catalunya. We found something that's helped tame the Ducati and calmed a down a lot," he said.

"Up to that point I never had TC cuts, I never liked the feeling of it and I still don't. But you can't live without them. When you do make that big mistake it is there to save you.

"For me it takes a lot of the power of the bike away as well. You can slide it to a certain degree, but it is taking a lot away from the bikes. It seems like everyone's focusing on it now.

"For the last couple of years we didn't have nearly as much as we've had since Catalunya. And I hate to admit it, but it is helping. But before that point, I hated any cuts during a lap. I felt it just hindered me and I wasn't able to ride like I wanted. Unfortunately when you're struggling in those long corners at Catalunya and it's easy to spin up, it does help you."

He believes traction control is starting to become one of the most important elements of MotoGP engine performance.

"They've got all their cuts between the firing orders, it's getting really complicated now," said Stoner. "It's starting to be designed around the engine management system."

[Mothers Worry]

MotoGP's 1000cc move gets green light 

From autosport.com:

MotoGP's 1000cc move gets green light 

Saturday, December 12th 2009, 09:41 GMT

MotoGP's switch to 1000cc engines from 2012 has been passed by motorcycle racing's government body, the FIM.

The change has been mooted since the summer, and was officially approved during yesterday's Grand Prix Commission meeting.

Only the basic engine concept has been revealed so far - with the capacity being up to 1000cc and the engines having four cylinders and a maximum bore of 81 millimetres. FIM president Vito Ippolito said that further details would follow soon, but that this should be sufficient for the manufacturers to begin preparing for 2012.

"This base will give all the manufacturers the opportunity to start work," he said.

"At the beginning of next year we will produce the new rules in a more complete format, but that is the basis; 2012 will be the year of a new era of MotoGP."

MotoGP commercial rights-holder Carmelo Ezpeleta added that further meetings to fine-tune the format would take place before next season's championship commences.

"This has been approved and between now and the start of the 2010 season we will have another two meetings to define the rest of the specifications for this new class," he said.

There have been concerns that changing to 1000cc engines would bring MotoGP too close to World Superbike rules, although Ippolito has previously suggested that the FIM feels engine similarity would be irrelevant as the crucial differentiation between the two classes is that MotoGP bikes are pure racing prototypes whereas Superbikes have road origins.

MotoGP started with 990cc engines when it superseded the 500cc world championship in 2002, but the engine capacity was reduced to 800cc from the start of the 2007 season.

However this change failed to keep reduce cornering speeds as had been hoped, and led to criticism from leading riders who felt the lower power and greater importance of electrical systems such as traction control meant MotoGP was no longer sufficiently challenging.

[Mothers Worry]

FIM: 1000cc best future for MotoGP 

From autosport.com:

FIM: 1000cc best future for MotoGP 

Wednesday, December 2nd 2009, 13:19 GMT

Vito Ippolito, the president of motorcycling's governing body the FIM, says 1000cc engines are the best way forward for MotoGP, and denied that this would lead to conflict with the World Superbike Championship.

MotoGP rights holder Carmelo Ezpeleta floated the idea of using production-based 1000cc engines from 2012 earlier this year, and a modified version of this plan now looks likely to be adopted, with production-derived engines eligible but not mandatory.

Ippolito believes that a move to 1000cc power unit will be welcomed by the MotoGP teams. The change from 990cc to 800cc engines for 2007 has failed to reduce costs or the bikes' cornering speeds.

"MotoGP manufacturers want 1000cc engines, so that's the way now," Ippolito told Motosprint.

"The 800cc formula hasn't worked because power is more or less the same [as 990cc], but cornering speed has increased. And costs have increased too."

Superbike promoter Infront Motor Sports reacted angrily to Ezpeleta's first suggestion of a 1000cc MotoGP formula during the summer, but Ippolito said there would still be adequate separation between the two series because MotoGP bikes would remain prototype racing machines even if some of the engines had production origins.

"The difference is the rule about homologation: a bike is or isn't homologable," Ippolito explained. "The discussion starts and ends here. It doesn't matter whether the engine is 1000, 1200, or 750cc - MotoGP can't be homologated, so it can have whatever engine it wants, since the discriminating factor is another one."

He believes MotoGP and Superbikes cater for different audiences and can therefore happily co-exist whatever regulations are in place.

"We are satisfied with both series, because they meet the requests of the fans," said Ippolito. "SBK offers the opportunity of racing and showing off to people who have less resources, while MotoGP is the global image of motorcycle racing.

"So we need both, but it's important to keep a difference between the two: someone who watches Superbikes watches his own bike racing. MotoGP is different, and someone who watches it wants to see something else."

[Mothers Worry]

Malaysia set to extend MotoGP deal 

From autosport.com:

Malaysia set to extend MotoGP deal 

Thursday, January 7th 2010, 09:42 GMT

Malaysian MotoGP organisers are set to sign a five-year extension to keep the race at the Sepang circuit at least until the 2015 season.

According to Malaysian media, the Sepang International Circuit (SIC)'s board of directors yesterday accepted a proposal from MotoGP rights holder Dorna to renew the deal.

The new agreement is still subject to the ministry's approval.

The circuit's chief said the new deal only makes sense if a Malaysian rider is taking part in the championship.

"If we agree to the deal with Dorna, it comes with the understanding that we will have a Malaysian rider competing until 2015," SIC chief executive officer, Razlan Razali, told The Star newspaper.

"Dorna will also help us to develop our home grown Super Series programme. The aim is to develop young talent to participate in future world championships.

"After all, what is the point of having a Malaysian Motorcycle GP with no promising local talent coming up?"