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The Australian GP was at the start of the year through the late 80s-early 90s
David.. Pitt Bull was right..
You need to have a word to Dorna and make Phillip Island the last race of the year.
Iam a motorcycle mechanic and the whole of Australian motorcycle community base there plans around Riding down to Phillip Island for the Super bikes at the start of the year and the Motogp race late in the year. So the later the Phillip Island event is held the better it would be for every one here Weather wise (on there long trip to PI). Also if they have two major races at the start of the year that means we will have the Motogp, SBK and F1 all in one month and nothing else to do for the rest of the year. only allowing the country to become a red neck colony like America with their Nascar! but with our V8 supercars ( www.v8supercars.com.au )
It has rained only twice since the motogp bikes have visited PI ( four strokes only)
There was more track times at PI then Estoril over the first two days of the meeting.
Why should WSBK give up their opening round to satisfy the needs of Motogp? Why should WSBK then face the same issues that Motogp face? Why would the organisers of the PI round feel any better about a cold WSBK race than a cold Motogp race?
From a fan perspective, I'd rather it stay the same.
Makes so much sense I'm thinking why the braniacs haven't thought of this years ago...
To be fair to Dorna and the FIA, they ARE homologating fuel injection systems starting next season. The purpose of fuel injection homologation is to eliminate the possibility of direct-injection which encourages torrential spending, and exponential growth of electronic fuel-control mechanisms. Direct injection also makes it very difficult to control the peak power output of the machines. The scuttlebutt is that several teams already use and experiment with high pressure direct injection systems.
If they are banning direct-injection, then there is some reason to believe that electronics will be decreased.
Furthermore, the fuel computers actually reduce electronic interference. I know, it's completely counter-intuitive, but Honda have twice confirmed that their fuel computer turns off the electronic devices when the bike is short of fuel. TC and wheelie control are apparently not a fuel-efficient technologies. If they make the bikes less fuel efficient by banning direct-injection (or just high-pressure direct injection), there is reason to believe that the teams will continue to run less rider aids.
What he's saying is consistent with the technology of the sport, imo, but I don't think it will work in the long run. It is much more probable that the MSMA will develop fuel-efficient version of the current rider-aid systems. In the long run, this "lazy"-faire approach by Dorna will never be successful. They need to limit the electronics via the rulebook, imo.
Generally everyone wants good weather and dry races. The only Southern event is held in Aus.Switch Valencia and Phillip Island is so obvious. Tradition and the rest. Had Dorna and Co. applied their minds to the case of probability we might have enjoyed a MotoGP qualifying session today.
Grid would be based on fastest times from the combined practice sessions so Spies would be in the middle of row 2.
I'm with you RustyBucket. To say there is less electronic intervention than the 990 era is specious bollocks - plain and simple. A little tampering around the periphery whilst squeezing fuel restrictions further does not constitute less solenoids and more wrist.
How exactly will 1000cc be more competitive Mr Ezpeleta? - you did not back this assertion with anything meaningful. It is mere hope - hope we all have mind you!
As for MSMA control of regs that's hardly surprising. Somebody has to set the scene, and it is their budgets that allow the show to be run at after all.
Nice post too Mental Anarchist. The 800's do seem to be settling down nicely right now with little to separate the leading three manufacturer's (in the right hands of course). The GP boys seem to have remembered of late that these things can still be raced too, and not just ridden.
Spies in the middle of the 4th row of the grid, if qualifying canceled... Not good. Doesn't pay to be a slacker in the rain practice.
They should do like they did in F1 last weekend and have Qualifying on the morning of the race. Just a thought......
You obviously were not at Phillip island this year, or past years for that matter. The wind chill was 0 deg c with snow falling in the hills not far away. Not to mention the wind blowing at 50- 70 km gusts with the rain falling that felt like sleet.
Why are we not the hearing hysterical calls for a change of date for this GP as we did when a few rain drops fell at Phillip Island??
Sick and tired of the reactionary tabloid crap that comes out of most journo's thes days..........
I think less electronics is a result of the need to go faster rather than the method of going faster. To begin with the electronics were used to control peaky power. With development maybe the spread of power is more usable. Also the riders with the best throttle control - Stoner, Rossi, Lorenzo etc don't need the electronics to step in because they have the ability to take it right to the edge and gently past it i.e. Stoner at PI. It was always said right from the beginning by those who knew that excessive TC was not fast. It was just not politically correct to accept this due to a the natural order of things being upset by a certain young Aussie.
Another reason for less electronics is probably better fuel management. The last thing a rider needs is towards the end of a race when he has to fight for places the electronics going into fuel saving mode. So I have no doubt that the factories have been working out how to go full noise for the entire race.
It is unfortunate that as we near the point where the 800's get nicely sorted out the rules change again. 2012 will probably see one manufacturer get it really right and the others take a season or 2 to get up to speed as happened with the switch to 800's.
...is a dubious claim. Perhaps he thinks no one is talking about the subject because we're all worn out from talking about it!
It seems a pretty tough sell for him to say there are "less electronics" now than in 2006, but that there will be even less in 2012.
He is completely dodging the issue, because unless and until more fuel is allowed, his claims don't stand up to scrutiny. Perhaps because English isn't his native language, he may be trapped on others' colloquialisms, but the phrase "less electronics" is entirely specious. Their presence cannot be assessed quantitatively, but rather qualitatively. Their functions have been changed, so what they do is somewhat different than what they did 4 years ago, and that won't change again just because he says so. With this fuel limit, they will be ever-present.
He's a beast
he seems quite sure that electronics will be used less when it comes to 1000cc bikes, and also he doesnt beleive that having no restrictions on electronics is a problem.
no sure why he thinks the factorys will use less, but i guess he's in a better position than most of us to know
It's always been that way. The GPC proposed the 800cc formula on behalf of the MSMA. The FIA and IRTA were pro, Dorna was against. Dorna decided to vote for the 800cc formula b/c they were worried about the political fallout if they filibustered. IIRC the vote happened in 2004 well before they studied the effects of reducing fuel capacity.
Nothing has changed. The MSMA were in the driver's seat previously, and they are still in the driver's seat. Dorna have simply given themselves the ability to buy MSMA allegiance via individual commercial rights contracts (if necessary).
It's called divide and conquer. Bernie did this for a long time in F1 with Ferrari, but the arrangement has never been terribly stable or successful. Wouldn't surprise me to hear that another Italian factory might be cozying up to the commercial rights people this time around either.
He brought one of his engineers from Ducati Althea and yes, he will move up the order for sure, which if very impressive when you consider the results achieved by De Angelis during his stint in MotoGP only a few months after leaving the category...
What he said is that unless the manufacturers are UNANIMOUS DORNA can ignore their input. Also the manufacturers can only veto things, NOT introduce things. So the MSMA definitely wont be in the driver seat.
Imo, it means 1 of 2 possibilities.
1. Dorna feel comfortable with the technical restrictions they have put in place (i.e. banning tire temp sensors, electronic suspension, and homologating fuel injection systems).
2. The manufacturers have got their own resource restriction agreement running in the background, and Dorna have made more demands for the 2012 season before they draw up new contracts. Those demands have been met.
Divide and conquer. MotoGP gets more like F1 everyday.
I think the MSMA collective contract also reveals that when Kawasaki left, the other participants received more pay. It means the manufacturers benefit by forcing one another out of the sport, but Dorna want to make sure that bad incentives do not continue. Decent business decision I suppose, but much less sweeping than people were hoping for.
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the MSMA will be stepping away from the driver's seat at all. Dorna simply reserves the right to buy MSMA votes to prevent filibuster. Not sure how this will pan out in the long run.
A little disappointed you didn't ask him about the tires in 2008. It would have made you a legendary journo. ;)
"In MotoGP at the moment, there are no regulations, and electronics are being used less. When we go to 1000cc with the existing regulations, there will still be less electronics."
Is it only me who thinks that there is something peculiar about what he is saying? As long a some electronic bit (or a mechanical bit) makes the bike go faster it will be (along with other expensive bits) on the bike.
Did Carlos bring any of his SBK crew with him?
I wonder if he'll move up the ranks tomorrow.
Im not a huge gearhead, so I don't really know the specifics. Yet, if you give them more gas, wouldn't engineers just make the bike go faster? Unless there is some sort of saturation point where having more fuel doesnt really matter, it stands to reason that the amount of fuel you allocate makes a negligible difference.
I suppose that there is always the rule of unlimited fuel. At which point wouldnt size and weight be a limiting commodity for the perk of finishing a race with excessive fuel?
I find it amazing that these guys are masters of squeezing every ounce of grunt from these machines.. fuel limitations included.
He has not ridden Estoril, I believe. His experience in Portugal is Portimao only.
Good job on Nicky since his record here isn't that great and there isn't many left handers.
Would love to see a wet race or another crazy bike switch half way through the rece.