MotoGP 2015

[roogazza]

https://motomatters.com/analysis/201...h_a_motiv.html

Mmmm, full seamless for the Yam.

[pritch]

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/S...s+for+Sepang+1

[jasonu]

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/S...s+for+Sepang+1

Nice work if you can get it.
I'm waiting for the day when the report says CS puts in better lap times while testing than the Factory rider's race pace lap times.

[pritch]

Nice work if you can get it.
I'm waiting for the day when the report says CS puts in better lap times while testing than the Factory rider's race pace lap times.

We would probably never know. The testing he was involved in was "private". You could even say secret. Factory technicians, no journos allowed, no contracted GP riders.

The testing getting underway today is different, it's public and involves the actual teams and riders.

[Drew]

Suzuki not having a great start.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8-FLoGIgAA7BDx.jpg:large

[ellipsis]

...you will find them over on the MotoGP 2015 thread Drew...

[Drew]

...you will find them over on the MotoGP 2015 thread Drew...

Ummm, what? Are there two threads for 2015 now?

[ellipsis]

...this one became a little too lactic...

[Drew]

Only in the Spanish CEV for now but it's a step in the right direction. Their Moto2 project didn't happen last time because nobody was willing to be the first. This time, hopefully, they'll do very well in the CEV and somebody in Moto2 will be willing to step up and break from the clone bikes.

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/raci...ish-cev-moto2/
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/...ring-to-moto2/

Be interesting to see it compete, but I can't see how there is an advantage to it.

Shaun, comparing it to another bike without forks is not really very informative.

How did the Britten compare to conventional bikes at the TT?

[Mental Trousers]

Be interesting to see it compete, but I can't see how there is an advantage to it.

Shaun, comparing it to another bike without forks is not really very informative.

How did the Britten compare to conventional bikes at the TT?

You can compare the Tryphonos and any Vyrus because their front ends are virtually identical. The benefits Shaun found on the Tryphonos will be the same on the Vyrus. The main difference is the Vyrus front end has been under development since 2001 (before that with Bimoto since about 1991), whereas the Mike Tryphonos appears to have moved on to other things.

The main advantage for hub centre steers is under braking. Because there is virtually no dive caused by the brakes or engine braking there's still tons of suspension left. So instead of using up all of the suspension travel then having the front lock cos the tyre is trying to stop the bike as well as do the job of the suspension, riders are able to brake much, much later and hold full brakes all the way to the apex. The riders are usually advised to go past their usual braking marker, wait until they see God, give it an extra 25m or so then hit the anchors and turn in.

If the riders are roughly equal ability you can't use a bike with forks to out brake a properly set up hub centre steered bike without making a complete balls up of it.

[Mental Trousers]

...this one became a little too lactic...

... and then someone went and corrected the title. How boring.

Oh well, best merge the two threads then.

[Drew]

You can compare the Tryphonos and any Vyrus because their front ends are virtually identical. The benefits Shaun found on the Tryphonos will be the same on the Vyrus. The main difference is the Vyrus front end has been under development since 2001 (before that with Bimoto since about 1991), whereas the Mike Tryphonos appears to have moved on to other things.

The main advantage for hub centre steers is under braking. Because there is virtually no dive caused by the brakes or engine braking there's still tons of suspension left. So instead of using up all of the suspension travel then having the front lock cos the tyre is trying to stop the bike as well as do the job of the suspension, riders are able to brake much, much later and hold full brakes all the way to the apex. The riders are usually advised to go past their usual braking marker, wait until they see God, give it an extra 25m or so then hit the anchors and turn in.

If the riders are roughly equal ability you can't use a bike with forks to out brake a properly set up hub centre steered bike without making a complete balls up of it.

Doesn't do great things for loading the front hoop though I thought.

No experience other than a hoon on a BMW thing though.

[Mental Trousers]

Doesn't do great things for loading the front hoop though I thought.

No experience other than a hoon on a BMW thing though.

The BMW set up is different. I've only ridden a single Telelever equipped Beemer and it felt great to me. A bit different cos most of the usual movement and flex was missing, but I liked it. The only time I pushed the limits of braking was when the car in front of me did something stupid. Then I hit the brakes really hard and the bike handled it better than I did.

Loading the front for braking needs careful design and set up though.

[Reckless]

Good summary of how the first day went. There's another article on the GP site on how fit and happy with the M1, VR and JL are

Marquez tops timesheet on opening day of 2015 testing

Sepang Test Day 1 - Action Reel
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
As the MotoGP™ action for 2015 got underway on Wednesday at the Sepang International Circuit it was Marc Marquez who led the way with a lap best lap time of 2’00.262 on day one.
With 30 riders featuring on track, the full 2015 MotoGP grid were all in attendance other than Pramac Racing rider Yonny Hernandez who should return from injury at Sepang 2. Five test riders from the various factories also gathered data for their respective manufacturers.

Repsol Honda’s double MotoGP™ World Champion Marquez recorded his best time on the 62nd of 63 laps, whilst his teammate Dani Pedrosa was 0.483s behind in fifth place. Pedrosa had a crash late on at turn nine without consequences.

HRC have arrived at Sepang with numerous bikes for the factory riders and their test riders to use - 2014 machines for comparison and 2015 prototypes for development. Marquez’s timesheet-topping best effort was 0.024s quicker than his fastest lap on the first day of testing last year.

In second place on Wednesday was Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi (2’00.380), with the Italian and his teammate Jorge Lorenzo on similar YZR-M1 prototypes to those they tested in November at Valencia. Yamaha continue testing a shorter exhaust pipe, this time featuring a grill covering the air exit, with a view to avoid flame escapes and prevent the entry of gravel and debris.

There was also a special new ‘winter’ helmet for Rossi featuring snowflakes and reindeers, neither of which are likely to otherwise feature at Sepang this week. Lorenzo was third fastest, 0.141s behind Rossi.

Meanwhile Rossi and Lorenzo’s Monster Yamaha Tech 3 colleague Pol Espargaro showed good pace in sixth despite an early light crash as he begins his second year in the premier class. Espargaro’s teammate Bradley Smith lapped further down the timesheet in ninth. Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga also crashed unhurt in the morning.

The new CWM LCR Honda team duo of Cal Crutchlow and Jack Miller got down to work with their RC213V and Open spec RC213V-RS packages, finishing the day 10th and 19th respectively. Miller focused on adapting to the Magneti Marelli MotoGP electronics package - the Australian aiming to achieve better performance with traction control, whilst for Crutchlow the test is simply about reacquainting himself with his new factory machine.

Estrella Galicia Marc VDS Team’s Scott Redding also got plenty of laps in on the RC213V factory prototype, finishing the day 11th.

Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and his new teammate Andrea Iannone used a GP14.3 - an update on the GP14.2 which features some visually different aspects and electronics upgrades. The new Ducati GP15 is due for delivery for Sepang 2, later in February.

Dovizioso was fourth overall with a 2’00.617 best lap time, nearly two seconds quicker than on the same day of action at the same test last year. Iannone tried a new front fairing and finished the day seventh.

The Factory Aprilia Gresini pair of Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri (15th and 26th respectively) worked hard on their new machines - with pneumatic valve engines – after test rider Michael Laverty carried out an early morning shakedown on the Italian brand’s evolving prototype.

There was an early mechanical fault for Bautista on new Aprilia and he needed a push from Suzuki test rider Nobu Aoki - who was watching trackside at turn 4 - to get restarted.

Aleix Espargaro appeared not to be held back too much by a knee ligament injury sustained over the winter as he and MotoGP Rookie Maverick Viñales got back to work on the Suzuki GSX-RR. Espargaro ran off without major consequence at one point and ended up 14th - just under two seconds down on Marquez. Viñales lapped just under a second behind his new colleague in 21st place on the timesheet.

Suzuki also have a shorter exhaust pipe for testing and their factory riders only got started once test rider Takuya Tsuda had given the bike a shakedown early on.

In the absence of Pramac Racing’s Hernandez, Michele Pirro (12th) worked on electronics for Ducati using the GP14.2, whilst Danilo Petrucci (13th) worked with the GP14.1 using Open software.

Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera (18th) and Mike Di Meglio (23rd) got used to the new Open Magneti Marelli software, as will all the riders using the new electronics package this season. Improvements to traction control and anti wheelie settings should assist the riders with their performances and set-ups.

NGM Forward Racing pair of Stefan Bradl and Loris Baz (25th) made progress on the Open Yamaha, with German Bradl impressing in eighth overall as the fastest Open rider – 1.294s off Marquez’s pace. Bradl had some electronics issues earlier in the day and was only able to produce a fast time after 5pm.

Drive M7 Aspar’s new signing Eugene Laverty was 22nd will aspire to get as close to teammate Nicky Hayden’s lap times on the Open RC213V-RS over the three days, with Hayden completing day one in 17th. AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham on the same spec bike concluded the day in 24th position.

Octo IodaRacing Team’s Alex De Angelis will reportedly move onto Aprilia's factory spec electronics for Sepang 2, therefore still running Open Marelli software on the 2014 ART this week. He was 27th as the first day of 2015 tests came to a close

[pritch]

Just one comment on that report, (for which thanks) I read somewhere that it is no longer the NGM Forward racing team. NGM have departed but the team have found another sponsor.