CEO of Dorna Sports, Carmelo Ezpeleta
A “provisional” list of 21 MotoGP riders and teams has been issued by the FIM for the 2012 series. Among those entries are 9 CRT teams utilizing modified superbike motors from Japanese manufacturers Honda and Kawasaki, as well as Italian manufacturer Aprilia and German manufacturer BMW. There are some very talented riders on CRT bikes this year, including experienced MotoGP pilots Randy De Puniet and Alex Espargaro (powered by Aprilia), as well as Colin Edwards (powered by BMW). The CRT engines, of course, have tuning advantages in that they do not have to last as long (CRT teams have twice as many engines available to them during the year) and can burn more fuel than factory bikes. This should make for some interesting racing.
CEO of Dorna Sports, Carmelo Ezpeleta, indicated that the 2013 series will see further, significant rule changes, possibly including a “spec ECU” which must be run by all bikes or a rev limit in a further effort to reduce costs and equalize performance. Announcement of the formal rules for the 2013 championship is still several months away.
The provisional list is as follows:
1 CASEY STONER AUS – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
4 ANDREA DOVIZIOSO ITA – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
5 COLIN EDWARDS USA – FORWARD RACING, SUTER*
6 STEFAN BRADL GER – LCR HONDA MotoGP, HONDA
8 HECTOR BARBERA SPA – PRAMAC RACING TEAM, DUCATI
9 DANILO PETRUCCI ITA – IODA RACING PROJECT, IODA*
11 BEN SPIES USA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA
13 ANTHONY WEST AUS – SPEED MASTER, ART*
14 RANDY DE PUNIET FRA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
17 KAREL ABRAHAM CZE – CARDION AB MOTORACING, DUCATI
19 ALVARO BAUTISTA SPA – HONDA GRESINI, HONDA
20 ALEIX ESPARGARO SPA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
22 IVAN SILVA SPA – BQR, BQR-FTR*
26 DANI PEDROSA SPA – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
35 CAL CRUTCHLOW GBR – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
46 VALENTINO ROSSI ITA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
51 MICHELE PIRRO ITA – HONDA GRESINI, FTR*
68 YONNY HERNANDEZ COL – BQR, BQR-FTR*
69 NICKY HAYDEN USA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
77 JAMES ELLISON GBR – PAUL BIRD RACING, ART*
99 JORGE LORENZO SPA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA
*CRT
Lots of people complain about rule changes in Moto GP and the CRT bikes. STOP !!!! Has no one noticed that only three brands are left in the series with grids less than 15 bikes. In a year or two this sreies would be gone if something radical isn’t done. If private teams cannot compete or afford to race any series of racing is doomed and that is fact not opinion. So welcome to the real world.
though what you described is basically “the chase for the NASCAR sprint cup”, it’s actually not the worst idea i’ve ever heard. in some ways it’s like aggregate timing or a wet race restart (only deliberate). i’ve mentioned in the past there are maybe things we can learn from nascar fans (specifically their valuing nature). here might be something we can learn from nascar itself…? be prepared for backlash, it’s going to take a lot for some to get their heads around something like this, even me. btw, perhaps race 1 should be 16 laps and race 3 be 8…? ya know so each leg is reduced by the same interval. this interval can change between 2, 3, or 4 depending on the circuit…? or even something like keeping it secret till after qualifying…? or fan vote as a way to engage viewers…?
sorry MD is not very editing or captcha error friendly. this comment is for team222.
PS: there is also some of this in BSB, ‘cept they do it with points.
re: “There is no excuse for driving a vehicle into another object on the track that you knew beforehand would be there.”
and YET history still records it happening. on start lines, practices, etc. you’re forgetting the core competency (or lack thereof) regarding the rookie pilots that will be on 3 of these slower moving CRT bikes. Petrucci, Pirro and Hernandez. the case with ulm and foggy is a good example. they were on basically the SAME bike, both professionals and still there was contact. how about scott russel at daytona (who i just saw this afternoon btw)…? or the melandri/roberts incident in qualifying at laguna…? another career ended and a prototype wadded.
Another possible fix for more interesting races would be multiple shorter races races using an innovative format…… vs one long race
Example: Say prior years race was 30 laps
New Race Format:
Race 1 = 12 laps based on qualifying
Race 2 = 12 laps. Starting grid for top 10 finishers reversed from Race 1
Race 3 = 6 Laps. Top ten finishers based on combined points of race 1 and 2 which also determines the starting grid.
I just dream of the “good old days” when those 500cc two strokes screamed around the tracks in the hands of Sheene, Roberts, Hennen, Baker, Mamola, Spencer, Hartog and the rest. That smell of Castrol R wafting through the air. No electronic wizardry helping out, just the riders skill and ability to handle those wailing RG’s, TZ’s and the like.
The days of 500GP’s came to an end as will the days of MotoGP. So what next…..who knows….who cares!
re: “The days of 500GP’s came to an end as will the days of MotoGP.”
as will the days of claiming rules. if the height of 500’s lasted say 20 years…? and consumers “devalued” motogp in just 10…? then CRT will be lucky (damn lucky) to see 5. welcome to the motorcycle equivalent of “half-lifes” and “radioactive decay”. this message brought to you by the non-valuing consumer.
Why not allow small block Chevy in F1 car racing?
Carmelo needs to go. another Bernie ecclestone wannabe thats going to ruin prototype racing.
re: “Carmelo needs to go.”
actually carmelo’s just reacting to market conditions. market conditions however that WE spent the last 10 years bringing to fruition. i mean did ezpelata ever hold a gun to anyone’s head and tell them to “cheap out” the second they walk into their local suzuki dealer…? no of course not. clueless to the unintended consequences of our behavior, we collectively (and repeatedly) did these things all on our own. CRT is the “blowback”.
Road Racing World magazine interviewed Casey Stoner who had some things to say about Moto GP’s future… he said if they get rid of the prototypes, he would no longer ride Moto GP.. he might consider WSB… but he doubts it… Casey makes some interesting comments
They also interview Colin Edwards who also criticizes the electronics on the Moto GP bikes…
He’ll go wherever the paycheck is the best. I’m surprised he’d say that out loud, he’s more grown up than that.
Well, this is really getting interesting. MotoGP and WSBK owned by the same organization. Suzuki walking away. Kawasaki gone. Ducati struggling mightily. Honda and Yamaha spending King’s Ransoms to dominate fields of less than twenty bikes.
I wonder if the Panigale NOT being homologated for WSBK this season plays into this. I wonder if Aprilia will being back the gear driven cam engine for this. SHAME on Yamaha for stiffing CE2. I wondered how long MGP can lose money on this after watching the blooming of Moto2, and I’m guessing much larger Moto3 fields this year. I wonder if HRC will show its rear end like American Honda did in AMA, remember how good THAT went?
Lots and lots of balls juggling in the air. It shall indeed be interesting to see where they all land. . .
Based on Yamaha’s history I don’t think that they are “stiffing CE2”. I don’t know why they didn’t want to use their Superbike engine for CRT but it might come down to the engine costing more in Superbike spec than it could be claimed for.
Yamaha seems to have loyalty/friendship toward and from their former Riders most of the time. The Yamaha engine seemed to be Colin’s first choice, if Colin didn’t like how things went down I expect he’ll let us know about it.
Well lets see,we mandated unobtainium four cycles–read the rules as they were phased in.
As King Kenny predicted it is going bust.For the swan song and to get it over with most quickly,maybe they should mandate nuclear+windmill powered hybrid power units with the entire ‘clean’ mess constructed from a combination of titainium berylium boron graphite composite somethingness?HM
Is that egg on Yamaha’s face? Yamaha Europe’s short sighted refusal to allow Collin an R1 powered CRT bike looks like the bus has left the station and they’re not on it. A hotted up Superbike engine should make 240+ bhp, which seems like a bunch to me. That kind of power in a prototype frame(Radd perhaps?),spec ECU and a rider with big accorns, should be a blast to watch! What’s Duc going to do? This just might turn out to be rather interesting. I hope the BlueBlood elitist purists get egg on their face too. Yee Haa!!!
re: “What’s Duc going to do?”
resleeve superquadros for a 102mm piston…?
I know it’s far from GP but my fav class was the old AMA FORMULA EXTREME. Start with any production motorcycle. Retain stock frame and engine/tranny and allow any modifications you can do, big-bore, expensive suspension, great brakes. I remember the last season a ‘busa slugging it out with a 750cc!
re: “I know it’s far from GP but my fav class was the old AMA FORMULA EXTREME.”
not far at all. what we’ll have come 2013 is in fact the “WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OF FORMULA EXTREME”. and btw the old AMA FX class allowed mods to the frames. iirc, the old graves yamaha R7/1 (last rode by damon buckmaster) had a frame that was all hacked to be damned.
AMEN! I loved the old Formula Extreme series. Wild fun to watch. It was like a mad scientist engineering bragging right race. Now they want to go all “spec race” all the time. Yawn…
More bikes on the grid doesn’t equal more viewers or more $. In the days of 4 aliens and before we only really saw them on the TV, and it was all we were interested in. The huge grid behind the leading 5 or 6 for Moto2 doesn’t really get a look in after the first lap, and the rules for Moto2 wont encourage me to watch it – it is no more interesting to me then local club racers on 600cc.
re: “The huge grid behind the leading 5 or 6 for Moto2 doesn’t really get a look in after the first lap”
except of course when there’s a nascar-esque “pile-up”.
re: “it is no more interesting to me then local club racers on 600cc”
and even a LOCAL CLUB GUY knows that supporting additional brands like kawasaki, suzuki, and yamaha, does more than just line a single individual’s pockets, but helps strengthen the industry as a whole.
I basically like the idea of the CRT bikes. If they go to spec CPU’s it seems like it could be used to more directly bring the fruits of development to the street, Racing improves the breed and all. Rev limiters would act to reduce costs possibly leveling the field somewhat.
It will be hard to compete with the factory money/expertise and the factory Riders though. I’m not sure that the CRT bikes CAN be made fast enough to be competitive… They’d have to slow the factory bikes down which I’m not thrilled about.
Engine wise there seem many configurations that can easily get the job done on the street. Brakes seem easily as good as you want to spend. Tires seem so good now, on the street, I don’t see a breakthrough there. The CRT rules would seem to accelerate development of chassis/handling solutions (as does Moto2) and That advancement could help us all, on the street. Of the important factors in Road Racing (Go, Stop and Turn) I think that handling is the area least “perfected” (understood), it’s still more art than science in my view. No other area of Motorcycle dynamics has more room for improvement IMO.
I’ll see MotoGP as two distinct classes next year, I expect Colin to lead the CRT bikes although Randy can be fast as hell too. I wouldn’t want to be the first factory Rider to finish behind a CRT bike. A smart factory might even field a CRT team for in-season development advantages.
The factories will be racing at a faster level and Jorge, Valentino, Ben, Nicky and Dani will be trying to take Casey’s Championship from him, he’ll resist. I can’t wait!
re: “it seems like it could be used to more directly bring the fruits of development to the street, Racing improves the breed and all.”
curious, are you saying nearly 25 years of homologation has in no way accomplished this…?
Not really, more saying that there seems a lot of room for improvement in handling/chassis “understanding” and that the CRT “formula” can advance the state of the art here.
In my eyes Motorcycles are, on average, far “better” in every way than their 1987 counterparts, street or dirt. I believe that Racing has played a large part in improving the breed already and that it will continue to do so in the future.
They should have brought in 900cc 2-strokes and carbs instead!!
With the factory bikes and the CRT bikes putting out the same hp, the only real difference is the electronics. Even Colin Edwards has said that he can gain two+ seconds a lap once his team develops the package they need to be competitive. This is not racing and having the best nerd in the pits is not what I want to see. That’s why MotoGP is becoming so boring to watch. Most of the advanced elctrics is not transferable to a street bike, so product development is a non factor. The sooner they rid the bikes of all the wizardry the better.
re: “Most of the advanced elctrics is not transferable to a street bike, so product development is a non factor. The sooner they rid the bikes of all the wizardry the better.”
BMW, Ducati, Yamaha, Aprilia, and Kawasaki all just blocked your IP address from accessing their websites ever again.
traction control, launch control, anti-wheelie, and abs braking are not what make these bikes fast or expensive. It is the ability to adjust the ecu/fuel injection for every corner and straight on each track. That is what has taken the rider out of the equation.
re: “traction control, launch control, anti-wheelie, and abs braking are not what make these bikes fast or expensive. It is the ability to adjust the ecu/fuel injection for every corner and straight on each track.”
“there’s an app for that”. you can download it in the android market for $10 bucks.
“That is what has taken the rider out of the equation.”
Many of the best riders in the paddock (GP, SBK, etc.) all pre-date traction control. Most of them are still top-5, Checca just won the championship in WSB. Josh Hayes just won his second AMA championship WITHOUT traction control. The rider has in no way been taken out of the equation.
How do you think it is possible to get 180 HP out of 1000cc and make it useable for $15K?
It’s all about money and investors want to see a return on that money. Trouble is they want it NOW and do not wish it to be a long term investment (unless it continues to make money). That’s the way the whole world is now. I don’t like it but it’s the way things are. Trouble is in the never ending search for more money the real reason for racing gets left behind.
A large part of the reason for the changes is the desire for a return on the investment. GP500 was killed because there was little ROI when the factory was building 2-stroke bikes to race and 4-stroke bikes for the street. Using liter-bike street engines allows more teams to race and results in improvements to street bikes.
Come on guys. We all whined when the AMA changed all the rules and last year was probably the most fun racing to spectate in 7-10 yrs. GP cannot survive it’s current course. Machines that cost over a million dollars to lease for a season is insane. That doesn’t include all the other expenses. How do you expect A level racing from 12 bikes? I’d rather watch WERA races then 12 GP guys going through the paces for just three bikes to produce results.
CRT was a necessary to save the class. It will evolve, too. People seem to be missing some key aspects. 1- As long as bore & stroke remain in spec then the internals can certainly be proto-type. 2- Rossi, Hayden, RDP, Edwards, and a few other notables believe that these bikes will become competitive with development time. 3- Moto2 is proof that things can be exciting after the first year of experimenting.
I don’t get why people are freaked out over Aprilia involvement either. I would expect Aprilia to send a hot-rodded WSBK out on the track for testing. With specs being worked out they will guide teams as to the best geometry for the frame builders. I’d expect FTR to be the first on that game but there are rumors that teams may develop their own.
That said, it’s going to be toughest on RDP and Edwards as they are the spotlighted riders in the class.
2013 will be better after the CPU rule is initiated. But I do wish they would change the tire supplier since Bridgestone certainly doesn’t have their donuts in a row.
re: “I don’t get why people are freaked out over Aprilia involvement either”
no freak out here. listen to me now and believe me later… aprilia’s involvment is DO OR DIE. aprilia’s had their revenue “kicked in the teeth” by the “wholesale” rule changes. combine this with the recession and no satellite teams in WSBK, and the aprilia brand will be lucky not to go into bankruptcy (again). 4 or 5 teams using JUST your engine in a single class doesn’t amount to much revenue when the rules basically DEVALUE a company’s engineering and craftsmanship down to $20k…? to piaggio, 2 years of moto2 is nothing more than a whopping 2 year loss of revenue. it’s all fun and games until someone either dies…? or a company files chapter 11…?
I have to ask, what makes the F1 model so successful? I know they’ve also instituted a number of rules to ‘level the field’ as it were, but nothing nearly so drastic as CRT. Yet, I don’t hear anything about financial difficulties.
re: “I have to ask, what makes the F1 model so successful?”
actually, the best way to answer this is by asking a question…
how many wheels does an F1 car have…?
It’s a shame to see MotoGP turn into Superbike+, but times are tough and do we really want to see a series with just 3 or possibly 2 manufacturers?
Racing is supposed to improve what we can buy, but Yamaha is the only company using MotoGP for developing it’s next gen street bikes.
I know it’s not just Yamaha that uses what they learn from MotoGP. It would be naive to think so.
re: “Racing is supposed to improve what we can buy, but Yamaha is the only company using MotoGP for developing it’s next gen street bikes.”
THANK JEEBUS…!!! whew, finally somebody on this god-forsaken internet acknowledges the 9 titles and the BAJILLION dollars spent by Yamaha (ultimately to OUR benefit) the past 8 years bringing us the crossplane.
and just to keep you on the straight and narrow, ducati’s panigale is every bit a “GRANDPRIX V-TWIN”. and while neither BMW or Aprilia have had a direct partipation in MotoGp as of late, you may consider the S1000 and RSV4 to be directly “inspired” by MotoGp. BM’s valve train comes from their F1 program. the value of the head alone is worth more than some other’s ENTIRE engine assemblys…!!! speaking of engines, not even honda has built a narrow angle racing V4 (an RVF) with cassette gearbox as aprilia has done. oh, and don’t forget the RSV’s interchangeable cam drive system…? hell, i don’t know anybody who’s done that in F1…!?!? and here we can lay claim to having it in MOTORCYCLES.
If you think a cross plane motor makes the R1 something close to a GP bike thats a stretch by massive terms. A similiar firing order makes a 14k bike= to a 2mil one then glad you feel so. There is nothing remarkably close to an R1 being anything close to a M1 let alone a WSBK. Even the AMA neutered SBK which is really now a Superstock Deluxe bike is the only sembelence of a OEM R1. The WSBK bike is literally a works bike built by Yamaha Italy, and the engines being almost the only kit to come from Yamaha Japan. This isnt my opinion its been stated a few times online in articles.
Hoping that Moto GP will yield a Moto GP replica for the street is a wildly unrealistic expectation.
Of course the bikes that the factories build for the public will be very different from the bikes they race but that does not take away the influences that go into the production bikes from the race bikes. Racing is responsible for all of the knowledge that advanced street motorcycles since the inception of the sport bike. A short list in no particular order:
1. Longer swingarm (99+ Yamaha R1)
2. Upside down fork configuration (who knows when..)
3. Cross plane firing crank (Yamaha, inspired by benefits of V configuration)
4. Tires.
5. HORSEPOWER. 600cc making 105+ hp while idling like a piece of lawn equipment?
6. alloy frames and flex tuned frame concepts.
7. light weight!
8. Brakes.
9. slipper clutches
10. electronic engine management and traction controls.
Every factory that is participating in GP is using what they learn to advance their consumer offerings. WSBK bikes also benefit from the knowledge gained (they begin life as production street bikes, no?) All is done at a declining price scale adjusted for inflation. Without racing we’d all be riding mid-70’s CB750’s (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
I just hope that in trying to make it better they don’t mess it up; like they did going to 800’s as an example. However, since $$ is not flowing like cheap red wine these days… something has to be done or we’ll see a grid with 12 or less bikes… WAIT – that would be this year!!!
That said, bring on the CRT’s just do it right! There has to be some fact of “prototype” in MotoGP or it’s not!
I think the CRT rules with different motors are great… just don’t try to equalize them… you have cut costs already so let them run. Spec ECU… not sure on that one yet… we’ll see!!!
A lot of the reason for a spec ECU with rev limiter is to keep costs down, not to even things out.
Horsepower = (torque * RPM) / 5252. Increasing the red line makes more horsepower, but it results in very expensive failures and short lifespans, as motors filled with custom titanium parts tear themselves to bits. Really, for street riders, the best outcome is manufacturers concentrating on increasing the area under the torque curve rather than raising the peak at the right hand side of the horsepower curve.
I agree..What fun is it if you have to rev a bike near the rev limiter every time you want some thrust ? It’s much more enjoyable to have good pulling power as soon as you twist the throttle and have fun with the power without having to break the speed limit if you choose.
I tend to dislike “spec” racing… the shell of the bike is a different color with different stickers on the bodywork, but the engine is the same.. no thanks!
The FIM is ONLY interested in generating NASCAR-like ratings & DOLLAR$!
If you have seen a Moto GP 2 race, that’s what they are trying to do with Moto GP.
30-40 bikes on the grid going into turn 1 is gonna be a recipe for disaster. I think this might encourage some older riders to retire.
Generating big dollars is the only thing that is important. Failing to do that means that sponsors aren’t participating because nobody wants to watch it.
I have seen a MOto 2 race and it’s exactly what they need to do with Moto GP. Moto 2 created exciting racing that didn’t reveal a winner until the last lap most times. They have 40 bikes on the line which means sponsors do want to participate in road racing. Moto GP has 12-14. That’s pathetic.
Nobody cares what the stopwatch says. It doesn’t matter if the premier class is 600cc or 1000cc if the racing is close. Nobody cared about the drop from 990cc to 800 after the frist race or two. People want to see riders going for it.
Make Moto GP more attractive and fans will watch, more bike brands will come in. If NASCAR has a success, it’s that qualifying doesn’t just place the cars on the grid, it decides which cars get a spot on the grid. That’s the kind of demand that justifys the $$. I don’t like watching NASCAR, but I get it.
You need to do some more reading.
First off, the MotoGP grid for 2012 consist of 21 riders, not “30-40” as you suggest.
Second, if it was “gonna be a recipe for disaster,” top MotoGP riders would loudly protest and refuse to ride with CRT teams on the track. That’s not happening.
Third, GP2 bikes use a spec engine. The CRT MotoGP machines will be using engines from many different manufacturers. Expect to see BMW S1000RR engines, Aprilia RSV4 engines, and Honda CBR1000RR.
I get so frustrated with comments like yours: What do you want the FIM to do? Suzuki has pulled out and MotoGP is down to three factory teams (Ducati, Honda, and Yamaha). The starting grid was sparse last year, with 17 starting the season and most races being 1-3 bikes shy of that. If you want to watch motorcycle races with just a couple of competitors, I recommend NHRA motorcycle drag racing.
re: “Second, if it was “gonna be a recipe for disaster,” top MotoGP riders would loudly protest and refuse to ride with CRT teams on the track. That’s not happening.”
honestly, i don’t think it’s set in for many of them yet…? it will hit home when they’re all on track together and the first close call occurs. fear not, the “cries of foul” are coming.
I think you need to give a little more credit to the knowledge and brain power of our MotoGP racers. Don’t think it has sunk in? Come on! By the way, I doubt the rider in 21st position is going to be getting the hole shot and challenging Pedrosa for turn one!
re: “I think you need to give a little more credit to the knowledge and brain power of our MotoGP racers.”
believe me, i would love to. but not that this is a slight to them. like many of us, they’re simply preoccupied. some of them have families (edwards). others like casey are just starting one etc. or are simply too immersed in the hustle and bustle of GP to be objective. case in point would be how hopkins and vermulen (and later bautista) kept putting all their “eggs” in the suzuki basket like it was somehow all going to workout…? despite their enviable vantage point, they still couldn’t see the proveribial “forest” for the trees. yet eagle-eyed fans have been hip to it for nearly a decade.
re: “Expect to see BMW S1000RR engines, Aprilia RSV4 engines, and Honda CBR1000RR.”
but wait, don’t we already see TWICE as much of these same engines on any given weekend with WSBK’s 2 race format…? (playing devil’s advocate here)
First off, the MotoGP grid for 2012 consist of 21 riders, not “30-40″ as you suggest..
wait until 2013
Will any of these CRT bikes be running at the first test coming up this month?
kudos to kuzmenko for being the first to pose the $64,000 euro question.
@superbikemike: Many of the rule changes are intended to reduce costs so that factories don’t leave. If there were a spec ECU, that’s one less part that the factories are responsible for designing and tuning. If there is a rev limiter, the engines last longer and have fewer catastrophic failures.
@jon: There are plenty of World Superbike motors producing around 220 horsepower – about the same as a MotoGP engine. In fact, a top World Superbike engine, such as Aprilia’s gear cam RSV4, is very close to a MotoGP engine. At Assen and Phillip Island, the fastest lap times between MotoGP and WSBK bikes came out to within 1.4 seconds of each other. MotoGP riders are a lot better than you are. They aren’t going to “rear-end” a bike that’s a second or three slower.
@chaz: The announcers will explain it all to you. Don’t give up so easily.
The last test they were slower than the moto 2 bike so we shall see…
re: “MotoGP riders are a lot better than you are. They aren’t going to “rear-end” a bike that’s a second or three slower”
well let’s hope they’re better than Lemans drivers. audi had 2 of their multi-million dollar prototypes trashed out last year trying to pass slower moving GT cars. this would be analagous to MotoGP and CRT. if you want a bike specific reference, carl fogarty and robert ulm back in 2000. the difference being where the “cage” drivers walked away…? foggy had his career ended. he got lucky. sadly marco did not.
Comparing a LeMans proto/GTP to a GT car is like moto GP and Moto 2, not just a slower Moto GP. There are bigger differences at play in those auto racing classes, like vastly different braking capability, the fact that below aerodynamically effective speeds the GT cars can carry more corner speed, etc. They’re really pretty incompatible.
That said, it is a core competency of any rider or driver to not hit objects in front of them. There is no excuse for driving a vehicle into another object on the track that you knew beforehand would be there.
@ Fred M: I have already given up on Nascar, Formula 1, and the present AMA. Actually, I am still upset that dustbin fairings were banned in 1957 by the FIM. That one decision is directly responsible for the terrible fuel consumption of modern bikes.
Oh!Good one.Welcome to the board!H
with major changes coming again in ’13’ …. why would the factories invest more development and money in there factory bikes? if another factory leaves the series this motogp is history….
now how many laps down will the crt bikes be at the end of a race and who will be the first rider to rear end a slow crt bike????
Come on, pretty soon it’ll be production 600. When I spend thousands of dollars of my very hard earned cash, I want to see the most exotic machines with the most talented riders in the world! Rev limiters and spec ecu’s have no place in MotoGP. You can do all that stuff in WSB, but if you mess around with MotoGP, I’ll just stay home and watch on tv.
I think that is what most people did this season. Well, not exactly. They didn’t even watch it on TV. They need to try something to keep it alive.
This is so disappointing… we don’t want spec racing like ASSCAR. We want the best engineers, technicians and riders pushing the envelope of performance and if someone is faster (Honda, Red Bull Renault)let the others roll up their sleeves and catch up. We don’t want the competition to be created and controlled.
You apparently want MotoGP to fail.
MotoGP had starting grids with fewer than 15 bikes last year and most races were utterly dull with the leader gapping the field early on and never looking back.
Suzuki, after spending millions in MotoGP over the years didn’t “roll up their sleeves.” They left the series at the end of 2011. MV Agusta and Gilera left years ago. BMW, Kawasaki, and Aprilia aren’t fielding teams.
MotoGP has been losing fans, sponsors, and teams. Top riders like Rossi and Hayden, with loyal fan bases, were not competitive due to the bikes under them. And your answer is to do nothing? That’s so ludicrous that I have to wonder if you have an interest in seeing MotoGP fail and World Superbike take its place (I’m sure that Suzuki, Kawasaki, Aprilia, etc. would love to see the series they compete in become the premier class of motorcycle racing).
The big question is, who or what says WSB isn’t the premier class of motorcycle racing?
Moto GP had fewer than 15 bikes on the grid. Despite Checca’s near domination, the WSB series was still very interesting. Is total cost the only measure of legitimacy?
Note to self: Plan to do more riding and less watching.
LOL.Me to.
what a joke MotoGP is becoming. I long for the days of the 500cc 2 strokes, when the best racing series in the world rode lightweight kits of true unobtainium. Now any Tom Dick or Harry with enough cash can field a porker “superbike”. Shows how far this series has fallen…
The sport follows viewers. The bottomless wallet method is no longer viable. People don’t want to watch the most well funded team ride away from everyone else. F1 was going down that road and they made changes to fix it. Moto GP is doing the same thing now.
Racing should be a contest of riders and ingenuity, not bankroll.
re: “Racing should be a contest of riders and ingenuity, not bankroll.”
which racing…? production or grandprix…?
All racing.
Every time a form of racing has fallen into a spending battle it has diminished.