Valentino Rossi will feel the front tire contact patch through an aluminum chassis, rather than carbon, at Aragon this weekend. Rossi recently tested the new Ducati MotoGP chassis at Mugello, and described improved feeling from the front end, together with faster lap times.
It might not be long before we see Rossi back fighting with the leaders.
The miracle material carbon fibre may have a fatal flaw. Is this why b0eing is having so many delays with their new generation of jets?
Well, didn’t Aragon throw up some interesting perspectives… Hayden on the factory bike battling with a satellite Ducati; Rossi’s new-improved-version faster in a straight line than a satellite Yamaha or a satellite Yamaha, but slower in several corners, so he gets beaten by a MotoGP rookie on a satellite Yamaha. Hayden is absolutely correct about the bike being slower this year. In fact, Hayden was a staggering 25.689 seconds slower over 23 laps this year than he was in getting on the podium last year – more than one second per lap. Now, forgive me, but I would have thought that a professional team could do better than that. If Hayden had his 2010 bike at Aragon, would be have performed better this year? Judging by Hector Barbera’s effort on a satellite Ducati (presumably based on the 2010 machine) one would have to say he would. Also, has anyone else bothered to do the arithmetic and worked out that Stoner was actually faster last year on the Ducati? Question: “Has Rossi taken Ducati down a blind alley?”
It’s hard to know what is different from one year to another. If Stoner was faster last year on the Duc then we know it’s something more than just the bike. Different conditions? tires perhaps?
they are different bikes the GP10 and GP11. they were different (at least externally) before vale even threw his leg over it. what reference corse used to generate these initial changes (casey?) would probably be a question best answered by preziosi.
re: “Rossi’s new-improved-version faster in a straight line than a satellite Yamaha or a satellite Yamaha, but slower in several corners”
meet the new boss… same as the old boss. 🙁
Just watched the start at Aragon. Anyone who continues to think the Hondas aren’t far and away the fasted bikes on grid, hasn’t been watching. Stoner passed Spies on the long straight like he was standing still.
By the way, as I watch, Rossi has moved up to 11th already, after starting from pit lane 10 seconds after everyone else. With the aluminum frame, might the Doctor actually be back? By the time I finished typing this paragraph, he was already up to 9th. Given the right bike, the old guy’s still got it.
re: “Anyone who continues to think the Hondas aren’t far and away the fasted bikes on grid, hasn’t been watching. Stoner passed Spies on the long straight like he was standing still.”
like i said at the start of the season, zeroshift technology would rule the day at any track having a 6th gear straight. barring a crash or other malady, a honda would win. it can’t be beaten as the other bikes currently sit. and as rossi found at indy, it’s not plug and play. you can’t just throw it in to your gearbox and take bets on how it all comes out. it has to be developed and honda’s already spent the 3 or 4 years doing this in secret. soichiro smiles from the afterlife. advantage HONDA.
I’m for continued testing and development. It improves the breed for the top tier racers and works its way down to us.
I like reading about the new bells & whistles on bikes with trickledown technology. The technology has made people question who the best rider is or who has the best computer techs.
I don’t think I wanna own one with all the trickledown stuff.I realize that the bikes I now own has old racetech on it. I just wonder where it’s gonna stop or when I’ll not be able to afford it. I look down the road a decade (or 2) whenever I mess with a bike. I see most of these bikes being parted out that far down the road with fried ECUs, bad unavailable sensors, one year only parts.
Rossi is done. Yamaha, Honda, Ducati, doesn’t matter. He’ll never beat Lorenzo or Stoner again.
i didn’t think rossi would set foot in motegi, but he’s proving me wrong and now says he’s attending with bells on. WTF…? goes to show the guy can’t ever be written off. maybe he’ll do the same for for you…?
Hope so. I’ve always been a fan, just seems like his season has passed. He rode well despite challenges this weekend.
Apparently, not yet. Rossi qualified 13th for Sunday’s Aragon GP. Ben Spies, 3rd. And once again, Stoner is on pole position. GO SPIES!!
GO SPIES!!!!
Remember when other frame manufactures (KR,moriwaki,etc) usesd good engines (as honda) in the past and were no real threat. It will be very difficult imo…
I’ve never believed the material itself was the problem. Simply swapping Al for CF is pissing in the wind. The problem is having such a short, rigid front end piece attached to a very rigid engine. They need to go back to hanging the engine in a frame, where there’s enough length to allow it to react the way they need it to. Doesn’t matter if it’s trellis or a beam style or even a cradle. Take the engine out of the equation by hanging it and let the frame do the work. Much easier to tune. Yeah, it’ll add a few pounds. Better 3 or 4 pounds than being 30-45 seconds back at the end of a race.
BTW, is it just me or are these captha things getting more and more difficult to read? I won’t be able to post at all some day.
I believe you’re right on the frame/engine/stressed member being the problem. That’s a good guess as there not being enough frame to give room for controlled flex.
The capthas are a pain in the butt, and I have to go through 2 or 3 to get something I can read. Ebay just uses a series of numbers that seem to work just fine and they have to be a lot more secure than this site. Might put a website designer or security analyst out of work though. Just as I say this I get one I can read the first time!
I suggest you ride a bicycle (road racer) with an aluminum fork, then try a carbon fork. The difference is huge in front end feel. For a road bicycle, a carbon fork is all the suspension you need.
I can easily see how the “dead” feel of carbon could make it difficult to figure out how to tune the front end.
Too bad they couldn’t continue the steel trellis frame. KTM and Ducati are/were the lone holdouts. KTM’s dirtbikes are very nice handling dirtbikes, unfortunately their streetbikes are debuting during very bad economic times.
GP seems to be a dying series as Ducati is the only one to offer a GP style bike for the street for us mortals. No Kawasaki, Suzuki (kinda), Triumph, KTM, Aprillia, BMW and none on the horizion. Very few can afford to field a competetive GP team but seem to make some great racing in WSB.
Personally I hope you’re right and Rossi enters the fray for the podium, only if for more interesting racing. I fear however that the ducati has more problems than that, we’ll see soon enough.
They’re using the “Do something, even if it’s wrong” problem-solving method. More power to ’em, I say.
shyde
way too optimistic….ducati needs a honda frame!!!
Wait… so are they going with carbon or aluminum for 2012??
I think it is too optimistic to say that he will fighting in the front soon… this assumes the carbon front part of chassis is the only/main problem.
I would think so too (ballsy), I when you’re running behind and looking for speed, why wait?
wait… actually in a race…? already…? ballsy, but i guess it’s what you do when you’re testing in-season.