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Post by truenorth on Mar 13, 2019 5:11:49 GMT -8
QatarGP is over and #MotoGP is ready for the next stop in Argentina
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Post by truenorth on Mar 13, 2019 15:38:15 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Mar 18, 2019 9:03:00 GMT -8
New Honda fairing (Crutchlow’s RC213V) Peter Bom: With all the extra horsepower which Honda has this year, together with a different chassis (to take some of the load from the front tire), it would make sense that there could be another aero update as well. As a side note, Ducati Corse boss Gigi Dall'Igna has hinted at protesting this particular fairing design. Ducati GP19 front disc cover Peter Bom: Always mounted together with the spoiler on the bottom of the swing arm. See below for the full explanation. Ducati GP19 aerodynamic swing arm spoiler, which other factories have protested Peter Bom: Ducati's controversial aerodynamic set: they are both related, because they were always fitted to the bike together, and never separately. At the root of the debate is the fact that Ducati is claiming that the spoiler is for cooling the rear tire, while the other manufacturers are convinced that it generates downforce, which is explicitly banned under Danny Aldridge's guidelines. Of course, most parts on a motorcycle have both primary and secondary effects... Carbon swingarm on Marc Marquez’s bike, with the cooling duct for the rear caliper Peter Bom: Signs that Márquez uses the rear brake a lot: a ventilated brake disc, brake pads with cooling ribs, and air aimed at the caliper, for cooling. The colored brake lever return spring suggests that there might be different types of spring to give Márquez a different feel. Holeshot device on Andrea Dovizioso’s Ducati Desmosedici GP19 Peter Bom: This is the wingnut lever which operates a cable which disappears toward the back of the Ducati. There, it does something to the rear shock, which helps with starts. It's been in use since Motegi last year, but what it does precisely – other than hold the rear stable and keep the bike flat during the start – is a mystery. New Yamaha YZR-M1 fairing on Maverick Viñales' bike (Valentino Rossi used it in qualifying as well) Peter Bom: Yamaha may be using this biplane aerodynamic construction to try to improve stability, especially movement left and right. New Yamaha YZR-M1 fairing on Maverick Viñales' bike Peter Bom: The extensive use of aerodynamics makes horsepower really important again: excess horsepower which used to be unusable can now be used again to gain traction. In other words, we are moving to where F1 has been for years: having bags of horsepower that can be converted into traction. That goes against Yamaha's basic philosophy of handling and corner speed. That may also explain why they have been having so many problems in recent years. Peak horsepower has always been low on Yamaha's priority list. Aprilia RS-GP exhaust Peter Bom: The factories use different exhaust designs to try to manage the power and power delivery. But sometimes a new exhaust is also the result of a different shape swing arm, or a different chassis, or suspension linkage. Packaging can be extremely complex, and a science unto itself.
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Post by truenorth on Mar 18, 2019 9:12:42 GMT -8
Ciabatti: "The speed of the Ducati has been compromised" MotoSan Ana Puerto 18 Mar. 19 The Mission Winnow Ducati has been the first team to achieve a victory this season, although it is still in the air. However, Paolo Ciabatti shows the satisfaction of the Italians. As much as the position of Andrea Dovizioso as the winner of the Qatar GP is in the air, Ducati are still happy for the victory, including Ciabatti. With only 11 days to start the second trial of the season, there is still no response from the FIM Court of Appeal. However, in the same statement that they published in the same week of the grand prize they said that there would be a resolution before the race in Argentina. Although Ducati may be left without those 25 points that put Dovi as the first leader of the year, Paolo says that winning in Qatar at the opening of the season "is a great satisfaction. " Also, because after a few unsatisfactory tests a few days before is something big. This is especially because "they defeated Marc Márquez in the last corner, which makes them even happier", concludes the Italian for Motorsport. The final fairing has not been decided yet Precisely because of those problems in the tests prior to the inaugural race, Ciabatti said that Dovi was not 100% comfortable. "Andrea [Dovizioso] arrived with doubts, but with his team he managed to develop a good strategy. He has very good relations with the members of his team ", revealed the sports director of Ducati. "They always find the best solution for each problem and work very serenely." On the other hand, Ciabatti looked to the past. "In 2018, Dovi was rolling without wings and that allowed a higher maximum speed. But this time, he ran with the 'Aero fairing'. Due to the new rules, we had to homologate the 'winglets' with the fairing because it can no longer be dismantled according to the configuration of the circuit. The maximum speed of our bike has been compromised " , he confessed the Ducati regarding the Desmosedici GP19 modifications.
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Post by truenorth on Mar 18, 2019 9:53:54 GMT -8
Bagnaia: "I and the other rookies are ready to fight with the best": "We are all competitive and I love it. I learned how challenging a race weekend in MotoGP, Balda showed that he wants the title "
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Post by truenorth on Mar 19, 2019 8:19:30 GMT -8
Wayne Gardner Ahhh the Good Old days!! when we used people and Grand Stands for safety barriers. This was 1987 at the Argentina GP. The race track was small and in the city but the crowd attendance and enthusiasm was massive for a fantastic event. Luckily nobody was injured.
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Post by truenorth on Mar 19, 2019 14:46:12 GMT -8
fan or Enthusiast? Honk-honk Beep-beep Is MotoGP Just “Tire” Racing? “Riders are in races to win, and they will do whatever it takes to do so”
By Kevin Cameron March 19, 2019 One of our readers commented on my coverage of the recent MotoGP race in Qatar, saying, “Why don’t they save the tires by staying in the pits, then come out and really race for five laps?” There are plenty of Formula 1 fans who feel the same. They don’t want to read race reports about how the teams use fiddly technology to get the most out of their tires; they want to read about “goin’ fer it.”
The bottom line, as all racing enthusiasts (as opposed to “fans”) know, it that racing has always been about tires. When Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500 auto race in 1911, he drove to a carefully thought-out strategy. There had been a few races on the new Indy oval track before that first 500, and Harroun studied the lap times and the distances between tire changes. He decided, based on his best estimate of how much better tires were becoming each racing season, that the 500 would be won at an average speed of 76 mph. He saw, from what had happened in earlier races, that drivers who tried to build up an early lead tended to wreck their tires, either spending more-than-average pit time or destroying their cars after losing control.
Harroun’s crew was not impressed by his plan, for when the race started, he stuck to his scheduled speed, letting others streak out front—“goin’ fer it.” One by one, the leaders pitted early and more frequently, fell back. At the end, there was Harroun’s Marmon Wasp leading at the finish. Racers race to win, because prize money and the top rides and paychecks go to the drivers and riders who win. In 1981, 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle roadracing played out similarly. Marco Lucchinelli let the “rabbits” go in the early laps, knowing their tires would be turning to grease in 10 laps. He cruised easily downfield, maybe fifth to seventh place, waiting and conserving his tires. When the others’ rocket fuel had burned out, he had tire grip left, and moved up. One by one, he picked them off.
Kenny Roberts was riding Yamaha’s new missile, the 0W54 square four, with 150 hp to the 135 of Lucchinelli’s Suzuki. Kenny managed to win at Hockenheim, but his rear Goodyear looked like it was made of melted black cheese that had been combed into dangling strands. He also won the next race at Monza in the rain. “In the rain,” Roberts said, “The guy on the fastest machine wins because everybody has to putt through the corners at the same speed.” But patient Lucchinelli was world champion that year.
Okay, why not just make tires that can, you know, just take it? That’s what happened at Daytona in 1979, the year of what the riders called “the tire of cement.” Goodyear, expecting Roberts to go lots faster than its tire tester Mike Baldwin, made a very hard tire to match that expectation. As you would expect, it had little grip and went around corners at comically limited lean angles. The industry makes hard, long-lasting tires like that for taxicabs.
Asked what he thought would happen in the 200, Mick Grant said, “I think the riders will accumulate in the right-handers.” And that’s just where the crashes were.
Because Daytona is a left-hand course, the right shoulders of race tires run cooler than the left, reducing their grip even more. The result was that while riders could ride on those hard tires, they weren’t really racing, just trying to stay up on that glassy rubber (the “glass point” of rubber is a temperature below which the rubber hardens into a glass-like state. Racing rubber compounds have quite high glass points).
When there is tire competition (rather than the present system of identical “spec” tires), tire companies have to push hard to develop increased grip in hope of sharing the limelight of a big win. But as you push toward higher grip, you also elevate tire temperature and reduce tire durability. On a fast track like Daytona, there is a good chance that someone, in practice, will feel the vibration that warns that tire blistering or chunking is taking place. Barry Sheene was badly injured at Daytona in 1975 when his rear tire came apart past start-finish. No tire maker wants that kind of publicity, so the development of race tires is an approach conflict: trying to give tires the grip to win, knowing that, in general, the faster the tire, the shorter its life.
All experienced racers know that when two or more riders carve one another up, they slow down because honk-honk, beep-beep riding consumes rider processing power that should be focused on going fast.
The response at Daytona was to change tires twice in the race, using equipment developed by the Japanese Big Four in the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance event. Every maker could build a faster 75-mile tire than they could a 200-mile tire.
I have seen several times what riders in the Daytona 200 do when two or more are close together after the second fuel/tire stop. Do they carve each other up, furiously outbraking one another and making hard passes in a bravura display of pure aggression? No, they do not. Instead they cruise, nose to tail, because they know their best chance of winning is to come off the chicane second, accelerate in the leader’s draft, and pull out to pass and win at the line. That rider will need all the tire possible for that last left, right, left through the chicane and out in second gear, accelerating hard. That’s why they cruise. Rubber in the bank.
And there’s another reason: All experienced racers know that when two or more riders carve one another up, they slow down because honk-honk, beep-beep riding consumes rider processing power that should be focused on going fast. All too often two riders dueling one another have been caught and passed by a third rider who is more interested in winning than in pointless back and forthing.
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Post by truenorth on Mar 25, 2019 18:58:27 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 5:48:20 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 6:14:10 GMT -8
Marquez warns Dovi: "I will Fight to the last as in Losail": The 93 launches the challenge to Termas: Lorenzo: "I feel better with the wrist and also with the ribs, in Qatar Honda has shown to have a great potential"
From the desert to the Pampas: it is still a challenge between Dovi and Marquez: MotoGP arrives in Argentina and Marc takes the lead, the track is also a friend of Yamaha who desperately needs results
KTM: "Dall'Igna believes himself to be the smartest of all": The team manager Leitner attacks: "Even a child would realize that the appendix of Ducati generates an aerodynamic load"
Mike Leitner throws firewood at the Ducati aero case: KTM is against the Italian words regarding the aerodynamic load.
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 6:31:59 GMT -8
Tyre management crucial for Quartararo 26.03.2019 BSN Petronas Yamaha’s MotoGP rookie Fabio Quartararo learned a valuable tyre management lesson at the Qatar season-opener when he shredded his Michelins getting back to the pack from a pitlane start. Quartararo was able to set the early fastest laps as he recovered from a grid-stall and was, at points, 1.5s faster than the leaders but as his laps clicked down, he ran out of grip and managed to squeeze past former champion Jorge Lorenzo before the rubber gave up and he had to settle for 16th. But that was after he had set the fastest lap of the race, a 1’55.039. “It is important to be ready for the next Grand Prix in Argentina. I wasn’t expecting to be in the top ten, especially not the top five, in every session of my debut in MotoGP,” said Quartararo. “We had good pace all weekend there but the fact I had to start from pit lane meant that we used the tyres too quickly in the first part of the race. That is something to learn from at this next race in Argentina and an area that we will continue to improve in throughout the season. “I like the Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit because it has some wide corners and even though it is a little bumpy I am sure it will be good fun to ride a MotoGP bike there. “We arrive in Argentina without any prior testing there so the first laps will be in FP1. We will have to stay calm but also learn the track quickly and discover the key points to the track with our bike.”
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 6:39:03 GMT -8
Lowes banking on ‘excellent base’ setup 26.03.2019 BSN Britain’s Sam Lowes travels to the Argentine MotoGP round this weekend confident that track knowledge and an excellent base setup will give him the tools he needs for a Moto2 win. The Federal Oils Kalex rider has been on the podium already at Termas de Rio Hondo and admits it is a circuit he very much likes. “This is a track I really like; I don’t want to hide it. I already scored a pole position and went on the podium twice there.” said Lowes. “I really like being with the team but that’s no surprise, so it’s all about getting to Argentina and doing our best. The base is excellent and it’s all thanks to the hard work done in the winter; things could have gone better in Qatar, but it’s only a matter of time. “I have already been second once at this track, so the goal is to go one better.” In his five appearances at this track – four in the middleweight class and one in MotoGP – Lowes has managed to score two podium finishes (a second and a third) and a pole position. His best performance was in 2016 – pole and second place in the race.
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 14:44:03 GMT -8
The FIM absolves Ducati and condemns itself to a future by F. 1: With this ruling, the FIM legalizes the use of the regulatory loopholes. Regular or not the 'spoon' unbangs the Pandora's box of aerodynamics in MotoGP
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 14:46:17 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 14:51:58 GMT -8
Claudio Domenicali Ducati is proud of its Italian engineering ingenuity and of its ability to innovate. Many people stated last weeks that we were cheating... hopefully now they will be silent and try to beat us on the race track. However it is a shame that to get this result we had to spend our time and money with lawyers and reveal to the competitors our understanding about tires cooling. Ciabatti: If we will use the ' spoon ' in Argentina: "Dall'Igna still does not know, is on the plane. We were sure of the outcome, but nervous. An appeal? It Would Deconfess the work of the FIM. There was little good taste of the opponents " .
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 15:02:13 GMT -8
The boss of the Alma group, temp work agency, and title sponsor of Pramac Racing, has been arrested by police in Naples on charges of tax evasion.
Iannone: "More than the result counts approaching the best": The pilot of Vasto sharpens the weapons for Termas de Rio Hondo,
A. Espargarò: "The advances shown by Aprilia will be useful in Argentina"
Rossi: "I Hope I do not find myself in the same situation a year ago": The 46 between thoughts and questions in view of the Argentine GP.
Vinales: "In Termas, I have already won and working one step at a time I can repeat myself"
Morbidelli: "In Argentina the M1 will have to show its true potential"
Quartararo hungry for ransom after Losail: "I still have so much to learn and I'll have to do it fast, without wasting time"
Dovizioso: "In Argentina we will experience something new": For Andrea is one of the most complicated challenges.
Petrucci: "Termas de Rio Hondo is not an easy track, I will try to start again from what was done last year"
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 15:18:05 GMT -8
First report from Termas de Río Hondo, a little before the GP begins: Very cloudy, all wet and sparkling. For now 20% rain chances on Saturday, 50% on Sunday.
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 15:39:34 GMT -8
Dani Pedrosa will fly a MotoGP in May. His recovery is on the right track AND both he and KTM count the days to return to track..
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 16:07:53 GMT -8
Termas throws up a tricky weekend for the tyres Michelin are yet to enjoy a fully dry weekend to name one of the challenges they face in Argentina After finally getting the 2019 MotoGP™ season started under the floodlights in Qatar, Michelin face yet another challenge at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina this weekend. The Losail International Circuit throws up its own unique challenges being the only night race on the calendar but since Michelin returned to the paddock in 2016, they are yet to enjoy a full dry weekend in South America, meaning it is as much of a challenge. Add to that the fact the circuit is renowned for its abrasive surface, mixed with high temperatures and increased loads that are created throughout the five left and nine right-hand turns; plus the back straight in excess of one kilometre, it means the Michelin rubber faces one of its most stringent tests of the whole season. The French factory will supply an allocation of soft, medium and hard compounds to the MotoGP™ teams, with all of these options being symmetrical in design. This is the first time Michelin has supplied a full selection of symmetric rear tyres at Termas de Rio Hondo, but despite the circuit offering more right-handers than left, the data suggests an even spread of stress is created. In the event of wet weather, soft and medium tyres on the front and rear will be available, with the difference being the rear tyres will feature a harder right-hand-side; an asymmetric finish unlike the dry compounds. Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager, admits the Argentinian Grand Prix is a real test: “The Termas track has been a bit of a nemesis for Michelin since we returned to MotoGP. When we had a test there in 2015 it rained, so we didn’t get full data and in the three years that we have raced there we have had inclement weather which has meant we have never been able to get a fully dry weekend where we can totally assess the performance of the tyres.” “This year we are taking an allocation that we believe is matched to the new asphalt that was laid last season and because we were able to use four compounds in 2018 – due to not being able to test on the new surface – we know how they performed in the few dry sessions we had and have made the decision for the allocation based on that.” “We have also used our intensive knowledge as to how tyres have performed at other circuits with similar characteristics to Termas when making our decision for the selection for this weekend and based on all that information that we had at our disposal, we have included a complete range of symmetric rear slicks.” “It is a demanding track that can really push the tyres to the utmost limits, especially if it is quite warm, so we have prepared for what lies ahead and we are determined to get some strong results – if the weather allows us to!”
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Post by truenorth on Mar 26, 2019 17:20:04 GMT -8
Tango back in time Former MotoGP™ commentator Nick Harris looks at the history of the Argentinian GP in his latest blog
#NickHarrisBlog
You could be forgiven for assuming the first Grand Prix ever to be held outside Europe must have been staged in Japan or perhaps even America. Argentina would have been a fair way down your list but on October 15th 1961 the first world championship race to be staged outside Europe was held in Buenos Aires. The fledgling World Championship was only in its 13th year of existence but already starting to spread its wings far and wide.
Wind the clock on 58 years and the modern-day gladiators arrive at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit this weekend after a record-breaking opening round under the floodlights in Qatar. Just 15.093s separated the first 15 riders crossing the line, the closest ever in the 70-year history of Grand Prix racing. Things have changed since that first race in Buenos Aries.
The first big difference was that opening race, which was the final round of the 1961 Championship, was 52 laps long just a mere distance of 203 kilometres. Setting the precedent, it was pretty close at the front with Argentinian Jorge Kissling winning by just 2.8 seconds from countryman Juan Carlos Salatino. Not perhaps the 0.023s that separated Dovizioso and Marquez in Qatar but never the less pretty close after over 200 kilometres of racing. After those leading two riders it was a very different story with Frank Perris on the Norton ten laps down.
The Argentine Grand Prix ran for a couple more years with Mike Hailwood the first non-home winner in 1963 but after those three initial Grands Prix it did not return until 1982. With the Falklands Island war between Argentina and Great Britain less than a week away I was lucky to witness a fantastic race before rushing home on the Sunday night just before war was declared. It was the opening round of the World Championship and Honda returned to the fray with their three cylinder two-stroke. Leading their return was a young American by the name of Freddie Spencer.
It was still a long race of 32 laps and at the finish just 0.67 seconds separated the Yamaha’s of former World Champions Kenny Roberts and Barry Sheene. Spencer put Honda right back in the fray with a third place with just 1.37 seconds covering the three podium finishes. It was then a frantic rush to the airport. Three days later, all flights between Britain and Argentina came to an abrupt end.
I loved the new venue Termas de Rio Hondo. Of course, it was an absolute pain to get to, the steps to the media centre were pretty rickety and the mosquitoes did bite but the sheer passion for MotoGP made up for all this.
Fans from all over South America arrived in the town square at night. A motorcycle with three or four occupants was not unusual, pick-up trucks from all over the vast continent arrived with far more passengers, donkey carts proved more sedate transport, and the music was loud and lasted till dawn. Then en masse, the party would re-locate to the circuit as the sun came up over the lake.
Grand Prix racing had returned to where the worldwide adventure had started all those years ago.
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