MotoGP 2015

[ellipsis]

...these guys are at the top are running well past the electronics and geometry ...they are more tyre dependant, but still have the neural nuances to even overcome that, at times...that's why they will be revered as 'those in the league of the Gods of Speed'...

[steveyb]

Suggests that it is a great championship for a team to be involved in.


Team JiR Team Principal Gianluca Montiron discusses the reasons he chose to enter the Moto2™ World Championship and the season so far.

Since the 2010 debut of the Moto2™ category, Team JiR has represented a team with many unique attributes. For the first few seasons they ran a MotoBI with a Japanese TSR chassis, with which they tastes success and acquired victories and podiums. This year represents a new challenge for the team, having switched to a Kalex chassis for the Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher.

So why go Moto2™?

“For the TV exposure: it's no secret that Moto2 represents an amazing class thanks to similar engine performance, prototype chassis and the ability for the riders to make the real difference. This class represents a middle-class that will mold the riders before they approach the top MotoGP class. For the overall investment and the associated return, this is an excellent choice considering overall motorsport value.”


Which are in your opinion are Moto2™’s key points?

“It's an accessible category that could represent a prestigious platform from both the marketing point of view and the technical one. There isn't a better exercise for R&D engineers with building their own chassis and then slotting in an established engine. You can develop your own technology in combination with worldwide brand exposure, without sustaining an impossibly high investment. Remember, you are involved in the category second only to MotoGP!”



Do you believe the same engine represents good value?


“I'm convinced that we are in a comfortable situation thanks to this regulation. It's more accessible for the emergent manufacturers to build just a chassis instead of a complete bike and powertrain for multiple reasons – not least cost and simplicity. If all the Japanese manufacturers were involved the scenario would be different, with different engine permutations. And yet even the most competitive package would be dominant, as we see now with the Kalex chassis."



What are the expectations for the second part of the season?
“Our rider has made improvements this year and scored points and he has been able to reduce the gap from the leaders. I'm confident he will do another step in the second part of the championship. At the moment the riders who stay all day on the bike and test often show a difference while the new rule for 2016 will permit a maximum of 10 days test and this is another good point to create a fair condition for all the participants.”

[eelracing]

Suggests that it is a great championship for a team to be involved in.



Which are in your opinion are Moto2™’s key points?

“It's an accessible category that could represent a prestigious platform from both the marketing point of view and the technical one. There isn't a better exercise for R&D engineers with building their own chassis and then slotting in an established engine. You can develop your own technology in combination with worldwide brand exposure, without sustaining an impossibly high investment. Remember, you are involved in the category second only to MotoGP!


Nah,still waiting on the interesting bit...

[steveyb]

Nah,still waiting on the interesting bit...

Hard to please some people eh? ;-)

[merv]

Nah,still waiting on the interesting bit...

What, and you ride a Suzuki? - the most successful brand in MotoGP racing - yeah right!

[James Deuce]

Nah,still waiting on the interesting bit...

I'm with you on that. Despite being "exciting" for all intents and purposes, I actually find it boring to watch despite the fantastic antics of the riders to extract any sort of performance out of the horrible things. It just. looks. slow.

And while giving Merv credit for being completely correct, the fact that it's just a bunch of midget Honda-badged NASCAR engines makes it even less enticing.

I love Moto3 though. Maybe we could just ditch Moto2?

[merv]

I love Moto3 though. Maybe we could just ditch Moto2?

Agreed Jim, I have no interest in Moto2 because I have no attachment to a Kalex. If it was Honda versus Yamaha versus Suzuki/KTM or whoever then that relates to what we know.

[McWild]

The idea of prototype 500cc twins has been thrown around here and there on forums, I think it's a great idea myself, fits with the old 125/250/500 2Ts -> 250/500/1000 4Ts. When Moto2 first came into being I was all for the idea of control engines, but really the class just seems to be missing that spark that the other two classes have.

Yeah there's issues with keeping an eye spending etc, like the old 250s which got way out of hand with Aprilia, but sure they could regulate that from the beginning. And what manufacturer doesn't want to showcase mid-size four strokes in the current bike market?

[James Deuce]

The idea of prototype 500cc twins has been thrown around here and there on forums, I think it's a great idea myself, fits with the old 125/250/500 2Ts -> 250/500/1000 4Ts. When Moto2 first came into being I was all for the idea of control engines, but really the class just seems to be missing that spark that the other two classes have.

Yeah there's issues with keeping an eye spending etc, like the old 250s which got way out of hand with Aprilia, but sure they could regulate that from the beginning. And what manufacturer doesn't want to showcase mid-size four strokes in the current bike market?

It fits with the current marketing of 500s being Learner/Eco-commuters and provides those people with an identifiable class to root for. There are a bunch of turbo and supercharged 500cc engines about to hit the market in that category too, mostly due to engine efficiency gains, so that could be a very interesting route to take. Moto3 meanwhile continues to identify with emerging markets and Junior Formulae the world over.

[Badjelly]

Yeah there's issues with keeping an eye spending etc, like the old 250s which got way out of hand with Aprilia, but sure they could regulate that from the beginning.

I understand that it costs a lot more to run a competitive Moto3 bike than a competitive Moto2 bike. They did try to regulate costs in Moto3, but KTM got around that by selling cheap engines (as required) and really expensive tuning kits, then Honda followed suit. For every rule to limit costs there's a work-around...

[steveyb]

I understand that it costs a lot more to run a competitive Moto3 bike than a competitive Moto2 bike. They did try to regulate costs in Moto3, but KTM got around that by selling cheap engines (as required) and really expensive tuning kits, then Honda followed suit. For every rule to limit costs there's a work-around...

Yes. From all accounts that is the reality at the moment.
I still wonder how anyone thought that Moto3 would be any different to the 125GP class with regard to costs.
I think that while many in NZ think Moto2 might be boring, the fact is that in Europe the riders in Moto2 are just as revered as the other classes, if not more.
But Montirons comment about the restriction in testing is very interesting. He makes a poorly veiled comment about Rabat spending every waking minute on a bike (he has one stationed permanently at Almeria or somewhere, I forget where) and rides it all the time, and sort of suggests that is unfair, that the restriction in testing will bring the riders together. Can't see that myself, but will reduce costs even further.

[GD66]

I'm with you on that. Despite being "exciting" for all intents and purposes, I actually find it boring to watch despite the fantastic antics of the riders to extract any sort of performance out of the horrible things. It just. looks. slow.

I had a quick peek at qual times for this year at Assen for the two categories, Moto2 vs WSS.
The Moto2 pole time was 1:36.3, the WSS time was 1:38.0, which would have qualified him in 18th spot on the 31-bike Moto2 grid. So the extra expense and complexity of the Moto2 amounts to 1.7 secs in laptimes.
Yes, only a flash reading but still a small insight into the questionable identity of Moto2.

[Oscar]

I had a quick peek at qual times for this year at Assen for the two categories, Moto2 vs WSS.
The Moto2 pole time was 1:36.3, the WSS time was 1:38.0, which would have qualified him in 18th spot on the 31-bike Moto2 grid. So the extra expense and complexity of the Moto2 amounts to 1.7 secs in laptimes.
Yes, only a flash reading but still a small insight into the questionable identity of Moto2.

And the difference between the Moto2 time and the SBK pole time at Assen is 1.5 seconds, which would have put you tenth on the superbike grid.
What does that say about SBK, then?

[steveyb]

From several anecdoatal accounts the WSS bikes are actually more complex and expensive than the Moto2 bikes.
The only real world difference in the construction of the two is the chassis. Moto2 are GP chassis, WSS are roadbike chassis.
Moto2 engines are a lower state of tune, hence less expensive.
Moto2 is also on the worlds biggest bike racing stage. So, actually Moto2 probably represents a much bigger bang for the $.

[James Deuce]

I had a quick peek at qual times for this year at Assen for the two categories, Moto2 vs WSS.
The Moto2 pole time was 1:36.3, the WSS time was 1:38.0, which would have qualified him in 18th spot on the 31-bike Moto2 grid. So the extra expense and complexity of the Moto2 amounts to 1.7 secs in laptimes.
Yes, only a flash reading but still a small insight into the questionable identity of Moto2.

And the difference between the Moto2 time and the SBK pole time at Assen is 1.5 seconds, which would have put you tenth on the superbike grid.
What does that say about SBK, then?

You both make good points but it is so very hard for me to give a damn about Moto2.

Also steveyb I'm not sure about it being big in "Europe". It's a massive deal in Spain with The Netherlands and France being a bit excited too, but I'm not convinced it has the universal appeal that the 250GP bikes had. Which were mental and looked fast rather than being over-ridden.