MotoGP electronics

[Usarka]

isn't fewer highsides more to do with better tyres and flatter powerbands though?

the standard technique for exiting a corner on a gp bike is now to bang open the throttle and let the tc do the work..... a couple of riders like to ride "old school" and tweak the tc accordingly. but my guess is the tc is the biggest factor in the equation....

[k14]

isn't fewer highsides more to do with better tyres and flatter powerbands though?

I understood it to be totally from traction control. Its still not foolproof (ala Pedrosa at malaysia last year) but is damn near close to it. Even in world superbikes there are less and the tyres they use there are way way less in quality compared to the GP guys.

[Cleve]

Its still not foolproof (ala Pedrosa at malaysia last year)

ala Rossi at Valencia?

[DEATH_INC.]

isn't fewer highsides more to do with better tyres and flatter powerbands though?

You know 200+hp and lotsa throttle in a corner = highside....tyres aren't that good yet....
I tend to agree aboot the electronics thing, but then moto gp is aboot development.....definately should ban it from wsb though....

[roogazza]

J. Burgess (the GP tech/guru) .. once said bike racing was 20% bike,
80% rider, as compared to 80% car 20% driver in F1 !

Maybe those percentages are changing ? Gaz.

[codgyoleracer]

There has been a few instances in superbike & GP when the traction control & launch control has got all frazzeld - the result is a biff or near biff. It just shows that the rider does gets to rely on these things being there & when they are suddenly not it is clear to all.
Personally - I can see both sides, the technolgy makes em go round-n-round faster so in theory it must be better. The reality is that its often less exciting to anyone but the true purist.
So if its the specators at track & on pay TV that pay the wages of the entire circus - then putting a little bit of the rider (& rider error) back into the equation makes some sense ?
Glen W

[BarryG]

Quattrochi has it right!
I pine for the old days, when it was all simpler. Nowadays, there's no such thing as 'simple'. If you open it all up to the basics, there's going to be all the whingers saying 'no fair', 'too expensive', 'too many people getting hurt', 'the bikes are too fast', etc etc et-bloody-cetera.
We need a bit of anarchy, such being provided by as few rules as possible. You'd have a lot of hangers on losing their 'jobs', no doubt, but who needs PR flacks, palatial entertainment suites for self-important people, soulless racetracks?
Sorry - off on a rant.

Cheers
Barry

[pritch]

Rossi is apparently on record as saying that the 800cc bikes and the ride by wire throttles etc make the riders more equal.

This could make for interesting racing for the spectators, but there is less scope for a rider to gain an advantage with riding skills.

[gav]

Bollocks, so why aren't the races closer then?
As for Shuey being 5 sec off the lap record, does anyone here actually believe that? If so, you're way too gullible!
Even Randy Mamola was over 5 seconds slower than the lap record, you think MS was quicker than Mamola? Nah, didnt happen.

[Cleve]

I consider myself reasonably intelligent so it may all be put at risk with this question, but would it really be the case that if you whacked open the throttle mid corner on an 800cc GP bike the electronics would take over and you wouldn't high side??!!

[gav]

Casey Stoner is currently sitting out testing after crashing and damaging his collar bone. Do you want him to answer for you?

[gav]

Heres Nicky Hayden's answer for ya!
Q If he did go that fast, do you think part of the reason is that he's been through a lot of traction control. Like your brother, Roger Lee, who said after riding the Kawasaki that it's just difficult to whack that thing wide open and make it work?


A You know, that's hard to answer, because I don't know what system Ducati has. I know our system. I think we can improve a lot. I don't think we're as advanced as the Ducati is. On our bike, I can tell you, you cannot just whack the throttle open. It's not like people think traction control is, on our bike. But I know the Ducati is quite advanced. So maybe on that bike, he can. Supposedly Loris, that's what people—he could never get that, where Casey could. I definitely, the electronics have made things a lot—people say, "Oh, they're easier, they're easier." Yeah, they're easier, but people are just riding them faster now. Just because you've got electronics, drop in there behind Stoner and then tell me how easy it is.

Yeah, it's made the bikes probably easier to ride, but I don't think it's made it any easier to try to break track records, because everybody has it. I think that's something people don't understand. They think traction control is like in a car. You can't just whack the throttle and wheelie this or that. It's a big part of that, and it's a big help, but everybody has it, so it's not really any different than when nobody had it. Yeah, it's made things, tire life as the race goes on, easier, you change your settings, but I can't really - I think it's made it easier for probably 250 riders. Honestly, I liked it without. I think for my style, my dirt-track background, would be to my advantage if nobody had it. But we're not riding around in horse and carriages any more, either, and this is the future. But I think people have a misconception about it, that it makes it a lot easier, and that just whacking the throttle open—well, I know with what we got, that's clearly not the case.

[NZsarge]

Bollocks, so why aren't the races closer then?
As for Shuey being 5 sec off the lap record, does anyone here actually believe that? If so, you're way too gullible!
Even Randy Mamola was over 5 seconds slower than the lap record, you think MS was quicker than Mamola? Nah, didnt happen.

Yes it did, that guy has more talent than he he know what to do with....that's why he paid the big bucks..
Just like ......Rossi!

[gav]

Yes it did, that guy has more talent than he he know what to do with....that's why he paid the big bucks..
Just like ......Rossi!

No it didnt, proof of that is from the trackside photographers who were taking all the photos of him. Each time they take a photo it has a time, you take another photo it has the new time. Pretty easy to work out the difference and get a good idea on his lap times. All indications are his times were between 1m 47s and 1m 42s. Still pretty good, though.

Heres the times from other journo's who rode the Duc, mind you, they only got 4 laps, not the 58 laps that Shuey got.

Randy Mamola, 1:38.714
Kenny Noyes, Roadracing World, 1:39.604
Wayne Gardner, 1:42.811
Alex Criville, 1:43.245
Steve Atlas, 1:43.378
Michael Neeves, 1:48.138
Didier de Radrigues, 1:48.526
Steve Parrish, 1:48.899
Roland Brown, 1:49.598
Alex Gobert, 1:51.008
Dario Marchetti, 1:51.546
Sir Allan Cathcart, 1:53.686

[Ivan]

Why Is everyone arguing over this those guys to get to this level have massive skill behind them,

They didnt ride a bike in Europe or what not riding on traction control they rode without and rode like demons and they got there because they were the best,

DOnt go arguing about them,

We might sideline and say hey this that and who but, really,

They are fucken legends and letthem do what thwey want