MotoGP

[Patchelicious]

They remind me of the autocratic governments in movies like the Hunger games or Divergent series. Just a pure dictatorship, hell bent on ruining everything that works!!!

Your choice of books/movies is more confusing than your choice of MotoGP riders

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Your choice of books/movies is more confusing than your choice of MotoGP riders

 

LOL, was watching the last Hunger games movie just before posting..........

My MotoGP rider choice is simple. Like in rugby where you support any team but the bulls, I support any rider but VR..............

Worked well in Qatar.

[KingTJ]

LOL, was watching the last Hunger games movie just before posting..........

My MotoGP rider choice is simple. Like in rugby where you support any team but the bulls, I support any rider but VR..............

Worked well in Qatar.

 

Ahhh your a bulls supporter......that explains alot....we forgive you☺

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

BUT the bulls, me a bulls man. Hai sies!!!!

Wont say who I support

Edited March 23, 2016 by Steven Knoetze (sk27)

[Gnarly]

I think the race was a bit of a procession, all the top riders not wanting to throw early points away.

[WrightJnr]

JL99 is going to make the most of the new tyres in the early season while the rest figure them out. By mid season he's going to have a championship lead big enough to protect for the second half of the year. We will spend 2016 watching the race for 2nd.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

JL99 is going to make the most of the new tyres in the early season while the rest figure them out. By mid season he's going to have a championship lead big enough to protect for the second half of the year. We will spend 2016 watching the race for 2nd.

 

I don't see that happening. He has never settled for second if he had the ability to win, besides that is just looking to lose a championship.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a casing change, like in 2012 to upset the dominant Honda, if JL was to start running away with the championship.......

[Iwan Kemp]

I don't see that happening. He has never settled for second if he had the ability to win, besides that is just looking to lose a championship.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a casing change, like in 2012 to upset the dominant Honda, if JL was to start running away with the championship.......

 

Also, this was race number 1 of a long season. If we look back now we would not have guessed MM would have been so close or even on the podium judging by testing. DP is more like it.

 

So a lot can still happen and I reckon once the Ducati settle down and ride with the eye on the big prize they will be in the mix. Biggest mistake they made was trying win to the race in the first couple of laps. JL and VR have mastered the art of waiting it out and pounce when the moment is there, then chip away at a gap. 

 

With some bikes stronger than others on some circuits and even parts of the circuit it will be important for anyone who is serious about the 2016 championship to play the long game.

 

******

 

Heck, watching the opening F1 round the morning and the opening MotoGP race in the evening I was just excited to see 5 guys on 3 different bikes battle it out the first couple of laps. 

 

Also, #wingletsmustfall. I see they have been banned from Moto3 and Moto2 (front and rear) and hopefully sense will prevail and they get banned from the top class as well. 

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Also, this was race number 1 of a long season. If we look back now we would not have guessed MM would have been so close or even on the podium judging by testing. DP is more like it.

 

So a lot can still happen and I reckon once the Ducati settle down and ride with the eye on the big prize they will be in the mix. Biggest mistake they made was trying win to the race in the first couple of laps. JL and VR have mastered the art of waiting it out and pounce when the moment is there, then chip away at a gap. 

 

With some bikes stronger than others on some circuits and even parts of the circuit it will be important for anyone who is serious about the 2016 championship to play the long game.

 

******

 

Heck, watching the opening F1 round the morning and the opening MotoGP race in the evening I was just excited to see 5 guys on 3 different bikes battle it out the first couple of laps. 

 

Also, #wingletsmustfall. I see they have been banned from Moto3 and Moto2 (front and rear) and hopefully sense will prevail and they get banned from the top class as well. 

 

Top part I agree. Ducati will get stronger. They are throwing money behind a win. Stoner has just completed testing more new parts. Patience will be key.

 

The winglets I don't agree on the banning, while I think they look hideous, they are the first real steps at radically changing the sport. there has been little to no advances in the basic design and aerodynamics in bike racing. I think they should stay, possibly more research into the effects it has on a following bike and this should be governed and minimised. I think it was banned in the Moto3 and 2 more as a cost cutting.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Steven Knoetze (sk27)

[Iwan Kemp]

I like aero and tech that comes with it, but not if at the expense of racing. Several riders complained about how difficult it is to follow a bike that has them on. For boring follow each other racing we already have F1! 

 

Can't find the story now, but in one of the lower classes they started running winglets on the rear of the bike to cause turbulence and make it difficult for the rider to slipstream. Ala Williams in the 90's!

[Iwan Kemp]

Some media on it

 

Honda riders complain of MotoGP winglet turbulence

http://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/honda-riders-complain-of-motogp-winglet-turbulence-680351/?s=1

 

Riders could get “sliced” by MotoGP winglets, Crutchlow warns

http://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/riders-could-get-sliced-by-motogp-winglets-crutchlow-warns-680218/?s=1

http://cdn-7.motorsport.com/images/amp/YEE3zqqY/s6/motogp-qatar-march-testing-2016-andrea-iannone-ducati-team.jpg

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Re the winglets - I remember reading somewhere that the original & primary benefit was not on downforce, rather on engine cooling as it created a vortex right around the rad air exit points, allowing air to flow faster through the radiator. Which is why the Duc had them on in the first place, as it had troubles with engine cooling. 

 

The new ones though - those certainly seem to be downforce oriented 

Edited March 24, 2016 by Myles Mayhew

[Iwan Kemp]

Here we go

 

Aero winglets banned in MotoGP junior classes Moto2 and Moto3

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/123405/winglets-banned-in-motogp-junior-classes

 

 

"Aerodynamic winglets have been banned from Moto2 immediately, and will not be permitted in Moto3 beyond the end of this year."

 

...

 

"Winglets first appeared in Moto2 during the final pre-season test at Qatar earlier this month, but as downward-facing devices on the back of CarXpert Interwetten's Kalex machines.

 

These were designed to increase the turbulence felt by following riders, and following a decision by the governing body FIM, all winglets have been banned, effective immediately.

 

Front-fairing winglets have also emerged in Moto3 on the Aspar Mahindras to add downforce, and these will be allowed for the balance of the year, but not from 2017.

 

In both classes, "fairing designs used to deflect water displaced by the front wheel" without offering an aerodynamic gain are still allowed, the FIM confirmed."

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

I like aero and tech that comes with it, but not if at the expense of racing. Several riders complained about how difficult it is to follow a bike that has them on. For boring follow each other racing we already have F1! 

 

Can't find the story now, but in one of the lower classes they started running winglets on the rear of the bike to cause turbulence and make it difficult for the rider to slipstream. Ala Williams in the 90's!

 

Didn't look like they were struggling to follow in Qatar. Dovi, Iannone and Lorenzo all ran wings and those top 5, with Marquez and Rossi, were running some fast laps in close proximity with no problems.

There was speculation it caused Ianonne's crash but that was his fault running on the white line, he said so himself.

It's a bit of a black art, nobody really knows what they do or don't do at the moment.

They look hideous, the Yammie's wings especially look bad!!!

I know there is supposedly no link between GP bikes and road bikes but couldn't the biggest issue be that there are no wings on road bikes and so they don't contribute towards actual bike sales???

[Iwan Kemp]

Ducati is using it to help keep the front wheel down under acceleration. It needs to add to the aero, but with their top speed they can sacrifice some drag to aid acceleration. That's what they say, you never know what they real reason is and what the knock on benefits are.

 

VR and MM said post race that the race more of "just following each other" rather than racing and hinted that the winglets are to blame as the turbulence is apparently something stupid and doesn't inspire confidence to attack under braking.

 

But hey, all of this I've read what do I know really? I ride a G650X that top out at around 160km/h and shake a sheet load when riding behind a SUV - makes me no expert! 

 

****

 

On that. The winglets, not me and my X Challenge! There's this funny story from F1 (seeing as most of you watch that as well) featuring Alonso, Benetton and Briatore. In their dominant years it was speculated that they have developed a device that reads the change of lights faster than the human can react and once it picked up the green lights (or the going out of the red lights!) it would launch the car off the grid. Lasers were mentioned along with some ultra sophisticated traction control. What else could be the reason behind Alonso's rapid get aways.

 

Turns out questions were asked and theory mentioned in the paddock, only for Briatore himself to fuel the rumors in order to distract his competitors! So while they were wasting time trying to crack the tech and code behind the freaking laser beams, they could get on with winning races!

 

So, one never knows who's doing what with these wings and if someone discovered a knock on benefit they are sure as hell not going to walk around the grid and tell everyone. Much like Williams did. Clever people these okes.

[PietSw]

Ducati is using it to help keep the front wheel down under acceleration. It needs to add to the aero, but with their top speed they can sacrifice some drag to aid acceleration. That's what they say, you never know what they real reason is and what the knock on benefits are.

 

VR and MM said post race that the race more of "just following each other" rather than racing and hinted that the winglets are to blame as the turbulence is apparently something stupid and doesn't inspire confidence to attack under braking.

 

But hey, all of this I've read what do I know really? I ride a G650X that top out at around 160km/h and shake a sheet load when riding behind a SUV - makes me no expert! 

 

****

 

On that. The winglets, not me and my X Challenge! There's this funny story from F1 (seeing as most of you watch that as well) featuring Alonso, Benetton and Briatore. In their dominant years it was speculated that they have developed a device that reads the change of lights faster than the human can react and once it picked up the green lights (or the going out of the red lights!) it would launch the car off the grid. Lasers were mentioned along with some ultra sophisticated traction control. What else could be the reason behind Alonso's rapid get aways.

 

Turns out questions were asked and theory mentioned in the paddock, only for Briatore himself to fuel the rumors in order to distract his competitors! So while they were wasting time trying to crack the tech and code behind the freaking laser beams, they could get on with winning races!

 

So, one never knows who's doing what with these wings and if someone discovered a knock on benefit they are sure as hell not going to walk around the grid and tell everyone. Much like Williams did. Clever people these okes.

Those Ducati's certainly looked like they had Rockets strapped to them on the straights...