MotoGP will be all CRT from 2013

cough cough 2 strokes cough

Posted: 04/11/2011 at 10:19

Tyre technology is the main gripe innit. As said, they are either good or bad, but, it's a great leveller right now.

"Here's what we have, get on with it2, these boys are the best on the planet, and as such, they should be able to make them work. It's what they are paid for.

2 strokes, yeah, because that'll happen again won't it. FFS, it's called PROGRESS. Get over it.

Posted: 04/11/2011 at 11:17

Progress? really Pagik? Where's the innovation, where's the alternatives to telescopic forks or chain drive or engines that require fewer moving parts etc etc. MotoGP is meant to be a prototype formula yet when Yamaha wanted to try out their electronic suspension they used their WSBK team to try it first - when Haga and Corser were teammates.

I'd like to see the introdution of turbo and supercharged bikes going against normally aspirated bikes including two strokes, this would open the door to alot more of the engineering firms out there who find the current regulations to restrictive.

And get rid of the fuel limits - a rider should have full power available to him from the start right up to the finish of a race.

Posted: 04/11/2011 at 14:29

Properly torn, here. Want technological development from factory prototypes. Also want proper racing again, a la Moto2. Nnnngggg.

Posted: 05/11/2011 at 09:11

I've got mixed feelings on this. On the one hand, MotoGP has gotten really stale the last two seasons. Moto2 has a similar formula to what Ezpeleta is proposing, and it's the most entertaining series going. But at the same time, racing isn't supposed to just be a sport, it's supposed to also function as an engineering design competition. The problem is that the factories can just drown the privateers in development money, no matter what regs the organizers impose.

I don't know how workable it would be in practice, but I'd like to just see one series say "You can do whatever you want with the bike, but you can only spend $X on the program."

Posted: 06/11/2011 at 02:10

Sounds like a winner for WSB. What is in this for the manufacturers? Nothing really. MotoGP is supposed to be the showcase for the talent of the greatest racers on the best most advanced machines on two wheels. If they all have the same electrics, engines and tyres, what is left? People tend to be loyal to riders or machines or both. You get Ducati riders or Honda or Yamaha etc. They are all good but brand loyalty is hard to pin down. if everyone is using the same gear it will alienate a huge chunk of the riding population. MotoGP is not like F1. Bikes that we see on the track are not a million miles away from what we can ride on the road unlike F1. Why would Yamaha, Honda, Ducati, Suzuki or any other maker want to compete in a championship that does not highlight their engineering prowess? I could see them all dumping MotoGP and jumping more heavily into WSB if it happens simply to get their brand across.

Posted: 07/11/2011 at 05:18

@Drapes. Do you have any idea how expensive it was to run two-strokes for a season? The idea is to reduce costs.

I find the title of this article very misleading. it suggests that all teams competing in Moto GP in 2013 will be subject to the claiming rules. I can't ever see that happening with the factory manufacturers continuing to race.

There are prototypes in Moto GP. It's what the series is for. It's not there for advertising platforms. The Manufacturers already have that in Superbike racing. The whole point of Moto GP is technical innovation and development. Sure they may level the playing field with spec, single ECU and other changes in tyres but the moment you put the manufacturers under claiming rules, where a privateer can claim a winning engine at the end of a race for 20k Euro? They'll all be gone and do their testing in private. What incentive is there for Honda, Yamaha, Ducati to develop engines that anyone can take from them for peanuts?
Moto GP has always been about technical excellence however Dorna now are concerned only with the show. Sure, they should be because it's been dull as dishwater for years and brining in teams that can run production parts is a great move, but asking the manufacturers to run under the same rules and restrictions is a sure way to kill the series. We already have production racing and it draws very good crowds in WSBK BSB and AMA.
I don't see anything in this story that suggests that 2013/14 will be an all CRT season more that it's just something that Dorna would like because it would make a better spectacle for the fans and make Dorna more money. However they should be careful what they wish for. Superbikes already have that market covered.
Restrictive rules have kept Ducati from competing in Superbikes of late. Costs mean that Yamaha won't race superbike next year. Dorna need to think this through. Factory manufacturers don't race Moto GP for the fans or the spectacle. It is their development testbed and if you take away their very reason for being there then they will simply pack up and go. And let's not forget Dorna is only able to milk this cash cow because the manufacturers are there and paying for it.

Posted: 07/11/2011 at 13:37

R.I.P MOTO GP, that was it a grand era is gone, it's time to create a new series, a world cup, this time without the spanish leadership. UK is the homeland of motorcycle racing. Please start your own serie, use the tracks in England, Holland and Germany and France and forget about the spaniards.

Posted: 07/11/2011 at 14:17

Think you might be over reacting there folks. I think the vision is more like a large field of bikes with the factory bikes in there as well, like it was in the 80's before it all got hyper expensive in the 2000's and wiped the privateers away. Wayne Gardner was saying they all used to ride different bikes than the factories and there were only a few factory bikes anyway.

England is the home of motorcycle racing? Really? Just like football and cricket I guess?

Posted: 07/11/2011 at 16:23

It's a PROTOTYPE class. It needs LESS regulation, not more. Half the problem now is the fuel limits and spec tires and other limitations. The year they go production-based or spec-bike based is the year I quit bothering to follow the series.

Posted: 07/11/2011 at 23:45

I think one of the biggest killers for the MotoGP series has been they're efforts at reducing costs. I understand the reasons for it, but it didn't work, It didn't fill the grid with more bikes, and how many times this year has a satellite team been mixing it at the front? And for entertainment value it has made the whole championship worse, because if a team starts the season on a bit of a pup then the testing/development restrictions meant they had to basically run with that bike for the rest of the year, and by mid season writing off any hope for the bike and start concentrating on next years instead, exactly the same as whats happened in F1, the team with the best bike/car to turn up at race 1 will no doubt finish at the front by race 17.

Posted: 09/11/2011 at 13:39

My rules, what do you reckon;

>Motogp 600cc, four stroke production engine & gearbox, internals strengthened but the dimensions remain at the production spec (except pistons) HOWEVER..... from the airbox to the injector complete freedom, exhausts are free also.

>Superchargers & turbos - allowed (but limited boost/compression ratio), strange hybrid mechanisms -allowed, dustbin fairings -allowed. If you can design you can race it :).

>A sensible weight limit that negates the use of silly metals.

>97ron fuel unlimited, no nitrous, but very tight emissions regs.

>600cc two strokes allowed, but subject to the same tight emmissions regs (some clever lubing may be introduced!).

>Remove one race from the calendar and have a mid season televised testing session where new things can be introduced.

>Tyres; A framework of 2 or 3 suppliers, all teams pay an annual tyre fee and have limited tyres in testing and race weekends. Teams can choose between manufacturers at the circuit. The skill is on the rider set up and adaptabilty.

Moto 2 would stay the same but would be cheaper as the drip feed from Motogp tech (same engine no blower and different pistons).

I dare say this will never happen.

Posted: 09/11/2011 at 22:00

We've done two strokes, we've done four strokes. Next innovation should be diesel engines only (choice of 2 or 4 stroke).

Posted: 14/11/2011 at 10:46