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5 May, 2010

Moto2

Filed under: Motorcycling — Tags: , , , — Andrew @ 9:00 pm

For those of you who do not follow the MotoGP series, there is a new second tier class this year.  After sixty years, the 250cc category was replaced this year by Moto2.  The change from 250cc two strokes, to 600cc four strokes has divided opinions on the Internet forums. 

The new class has a “control” engine supplied by Honda and ”control” tyres, supplied by Dunlop.  I suspect the rules for the category were finalised at around the time of the Global Financial Crisis and have been heavily influenced by the desire to keep the costs of this class down.  As with the earlier change from 500cc two strokes, to the 990cc four stroke in the premier MotoGP class, this change in formula has generated a renewed enthusiasm amongst the racing fraternity.  As a result, around forty-three riders are partaking in the formula. 

The rules, plus the sheer number of bikes on the track have made for some quite interesting racing in the opening two events this year.  The knockers are quick to point out that the lap times are slower than the 250cc two strokes they replaced, but racing where plenty of overtaking takes place overrides this concern. 

When a new and significantly different category of racing starts, it ‘levels the playing fields” between the different teams.  Data gathered from previous years is no longer relevant and so, most teams feel they have a fighting chance of being “up at the pointy end of the field”.  Unfortunately, this only really lasts for one season.   The introduction of 990cc four strokes in MotoGP  saw renewed enthusiasm from manufacturers with Aprilia and Kawasaki fielding entries, and Ducati following the next year. 

Several years later, Aprilia and Kawasaki are gone.  Without good results, sponsorship is hard to come by.  Somehow, Suzuki still field bikes despite their lack of decent results.  Will the same fate of shrinking numbers on the grid befall Moto2?  Given the current huge number of bikes in the competition, you would expect some reduction in numbers over the next couple of years.  Hopefully the measures put in place to restrict costs will stop the wholesale decimation of the grid numbers.

As for me: personally, I am just hoping to see a good season of close racing and maybe witness the rise of a new champion in the sport.  Bring it on!

14 January, 2009

A New Year’s Resolution

Filed under: Motorcycling — Tags: , , — Andrew @ 8:30 pm

I am not one for challenging New Year’s resolutions.  Changing long formed habits is difficult and the motivation has to be strong to do so.  But, the notion of having a goal to achieve something and making that a New Year’s resolution has a certain appeal to it.

Last year, my goal was to keep a weekly-updated blog.  I didn’t achieve a one-hundred percent strike-rate with that goal, but came close enough for me to think of it as “fairly successful”.  (Note that my definition for “success” has nothing to do with readership!)

This year, I’m using my blog to publically announcing my goal / NYR: At some point in 2009 I shall be doing a track-day.  (I told you I went for non-challenging goals!)  The last track-day I did was near on five years ago and for me, that was about four and a half years too long ago!  I can tell you now that I am out of practice and will be enrolling in the “slow” group. 

Track days are simply the best way to get the most out of a performance motorcycle.  Unless you are regularly riding them, I cannot believe that you would be getting close to pushing the “performance envelope” of any modern sports-bike.  Those of you who have followed this blog for awhile, or know me personally, will realise that I currently ride a Honda VFR 800.  This bike is not what anyone would call a “modern sports-bike”.  Scour the forums and you can see that people do use this bike for track-days, but it is not ideal.

This leaves me with three options:

I can use my VFR800 and ride it within both the bike’s limitations and my own.  For those of you who aren’t aware, there aren’t many insurance policies that will cover you on a racetrack, so there is a serious possibility of the day ending up being very expensive.  Having said that, this probably is not a bad option for me. Given that I am fairly sensible (even on a track) I am unlikely to get carried away and throw the bike away.  The fact that I have not been on a track for five years also means my “limits” are going to be relatively low.  I am the sort of person who “eases into things” rather than “jumps in fully committed” – so it is unlikely to all end in tears.

I could hire a bike.  One of the local track-day organisers also have “track-day” bikes to hire.  Last time I checked these were “race-prepped” late model CBR 600s.  This is an expensive option and they also take a healthy holding deposit on your credit card in case you decide to end-over-end one of their bikes in the gavel trap at the end of the main straight…    

I could get my own track-bike.  Track bikes take their own special commitment.  Generally, you will want to do most (if not all) of your own maintenance for a track bike to help reduce the cost of ownership.  Using any motor vehicle on a racetrack is very stressful for the vehicle.  The engine tends to run at high speed for extended periods.  Cornering forces are more intense than in normal road operation.  In general, parts wear out far faster and more maintenance is required. 

So far, I have not decided which option I will take to see me meet my 2009 goal.  What path I take and happens next is a story for another time.

4 December, 2008

Innovation and Motorsport

Filed under: Motorcycling — Tags: , — Andrew @ 9:09 pm

There is a saying that motorsports promote innovation and development of motor vehicles.  Ideas and inventions that work in racing vehicles will eventually filter through to the mass market.  Often these inventions have practical implications for road vehicles; improving safety, reducing fuel consumption and so on. 

Sometimes, racing is more akin to straight advertising.  There is a cliché, “What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday”.  As an example, a few years ago radial mounted disc brake callipers  started appearing on race bikes.  These brakes offered fewer mechanical losses than traditionally mounted brake callipers.  This was due to the mounting points being at right angle to the braking force applied.  Traditional callipers would flex a small amount due to the fact they were mounted in a manner parallel to the braking force applied.  Soon after, radial mounted callipers appeared on mass-market motorcycles.  At the time of their introduction, a sizeable section of the bike press decided they were along the lines of a “cool toy” but complete overkill for road application.  That did not stop the idea from catching on. 

The Isle of Man is home to one of the toughest motorcycling races still run. The Isle of Man TT is run each year in the last week of May and first week of June on public roads.  The circuit is 37.75 miles (60.7 km) in length, running through villages and open countryside. There is little margin for error in such an unforgiving environment.  Deaths of riders are unfortunately common with over 200 deaths in its hundred-year history. Any event that runs for that length of time is going to attract a degree of prestige and these days, even competing there is a notable feat.

Next year another event will also be staged on the Isle of Man’s Snaefell Mountain Course.  The promoters are billing their event as “The world’s first clean emission and carbon free Grand Prix”.  It will feature electric powered and non-fossil fuel powered motorcycles, running in a one timed lap format.  Now that will be motorsport promoting innovation and development!

1 October, 2008

Valentino Rossi

Filed under: Motorcycling — Tags: — Andrew @ 9:47 pm

Valentino Rossi

When you look at the regular riders of the MotoGP this year, you find what can only be described as a “class act”.  Of the regular eighteen riders, eight have won world championships in the various classes, and that’s not counting the rival World Superbike Champions currently riding in the  MotoGP series.

From the earliest races, it was apparent that there was an upper echelon of riders this year.  Four riders looked like they would fight for the championship all year: Jorge Lorenzo, Daniel Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi.  These riders didn’t have top billing rites to themselves this year.  There were standout performances from other riders as well.  As the season progressed, the challengers started to fade away, leaving the two protagonists from last year (Rossi and Stoner) to resume their on track rivalry.

It is typical of top-level sports performers, that injury plays a major part in the “luck” department.  The risk of injuries in motorcycle racing is far more apparent than some other sports, but from a spectator’s viewpoint, the result is the same:  An injured sports-star cannot perform at their best. 

The first of the four contenders to “fall” was Jorge Lorenzo, with not one, but two spectacular (and painful) “high-sides”.  High-sides* are (thankfully ) rare these days.  The smoother power delivery of four-stroke engines and the advent of traction control systems reduce the times you will see a rider “sail” through the air.  Regardless of rarity, Lorenzo managed two of these accidents, sustaining injuries  and clearly denting his confidence in the races that followed.  

Pedrosa “faltered” next, his championship aspirations being dealt a fatal blow when he fell whilst leading the rain sodden MotoGP in Germany.  In the second half of the season, the other two riders (Rossi and Stoner) were simply a class above the rest of the field.

Casey Stoner looks to be a rider with sufficient talent to see him become one of the true greats of the sport.  At numerous times in the last two seasons he has simply been the fastest rider out there – by a long way.  At quite a few races he has dominated every practice session, every qualifying session and every lap of the race.  That the Ducati he rides is fast, is beyond question – but you need only look at how incompetent the other three Ducati riders have looked this year to realise it’s not just the bike! 

This year’s champion elect is none other than Valentino Rossi.  As in all sports, comparisons against competitors from previous years can be nothing more than speculation.  Statistically, he is already second in terms of “premier” class world-championships and first in “premier” race victories.

Whether or not he is the greatest racer ever will be the subject of much pub-debate for years to come.  In my mind, he is the ultimate racer, for the following reasons:

  • He is a fierce competitor.  Even where a podium would suffice to seal a world championship, I can’t think of one instance where he has settled for a place rather than push for a win.

  • He appears to be instrumental in improving the performance of the bikes he has ridden.  Developmental riding of a racing motorcycle is an undefined and rare skill.  Not many riders do it well, but the success of the bike manufacturers seems to follow Rossi.

  • He is a sponsor’s delight.  He is thoroughly charismatic and consistently “clowns around” for the amusement of others.

  • He is driven by the challenge.  He swapped teams when winning on a Honda became “too easy”.

One point which is often overlooked about Rossi’s most recent World Championship, but is telling about his competitive nature:

There aren’t many riders who win a world championship, then lose it, who come back to win again in later years.  I think the last rider who did this was Giacomo Agostini … 

 

* Most single bike racing accidents fall into two categories:  A “low-side” is where (normally) the front end of the motorcycle “washes out” from the bike.  The bike and rider fall down – on the side that the bike was leaning.  This is roughly the equivalent to a car “under-steering”.  A “high-side” typically occurs when the rear-end of the motorcycle runs-wide.  This tends to happen when the rear-wheel spins faster than the front.  (Roughly the equivalent to a car “over-steering”).  The immediate human reaction to the rear wheel “stepping out” is to back off the throttle.  The problem with this is the rear tyre can suddenly start to grip again and the bike is thrown violently upwards as it does so.  Where this happens the rider is thrown over the “high-side of the bike”.

 

Photo courtesy of: Kyn Chung,  released under a Creative Commons licence. 

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