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I just read the"EETime.com's" articles about Moto GP electronics. Fascinating but very disheartening. Seems the riders are becoming the weak link between the engineers and their data. Won't be too long before we're seeing "variable chassis", "smart suspensions" and riders with P.H.D.s in computer science.

Codger, with current rider aids and their rapid evolution it's becoming hard to compare current riders with the likes of Doohan.

you can't blame anyone for the way that traction control has evolved. Racing is all about getting round the track as fast as possible, the technolgy is there, it's a prototype series & you'd be a fool not to take advantage of that if you can make it work. However I do think it's getting a bit out of hand now & needs regulating. Casey turns up on Friday & his bike already knows what it's doing at every part of the track! That needs to stop.

Racing is all about getting round the track as fast as possible
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Thats a good point Ronald, but I would tend to disagree with the statement. The reward for getting around the track the fastest should really be the win, and in cases such as the IOM TT it is, but thats a time trial, not really a race in the spirit of the short circuit. Pedrosa & Stoner are masters of time trial, but they show their inadequacies when involved in an actual race with other riders. Is the point now to try and achieve the ultimate lap consistently or actually test rider against rider for the prize. The electronics seem to be going the way of a time trial, so I agree it needs to stop.

...riders as the weakest link betw. eng. and data...that is so nicely put. well done mate!...who cares about prototype racing when you dont have a race anymore? and do you want all those fanciful expensive gadgets on your bike anyway and to which extent are you really gonna use them? or you just wanna a good block with plenty of torque and that sounds like a dream, than you'll do with it what and how can. that seems to me is the spirit of interacting with a machine and try to master it...well, as much as one can. I did enjoy the 500! and the transition to 4 strokes - to my surprise - even reducing the cc, I can see the point and still is plenty of power, but this e. stuff will kill racing.

is it really all the electronics which is making the racing boring or the the fact that there is only 18 bikes out there and out of those only a very few factory riders are getting the best bits

Bottoms up,

It's a compbination of the two. The 125 and 250 grids are packed full. Why? Because the development technology has pretty much reached its end with those engines. With the development of tires will lead to better development of a chasis and suspension. And that's where it pretty much ends. You mix in electronics, GPS, TCS, STM and everything else under the sun, your development costs become greater and greater. It's almost as if you cannot effect one aspect of the bike without having to adjust something completely unrelated. Look at Ilmor, how many races did they run?

It all comes down to a bottom dollar in the 800 class, which privateers cannot afford. KR anyone?

In reply to Budner, the top 250cc bikes ARE now using traction control! I heard Bartol saying it is ridiculous as it makes what is already a very expensive sport even more expensive and he cited it as one of the reasons KTM are pulling out! I know most of the bikes are running Italian electronics but Ducati seem to have made best use of the system in terms of controling fuel consumption, it is the general opinion that Stoner relies on traction control more than most, I know the top riders would still be at the top with or without it. The fact remains it takes away SOME rider skills in terms of throttle control. and Ducati DID start using it in WSB which is SUPPOSED to be production based

quote taken from mcn.melandri after going out on the kwak is words being that you ride the kawasaki.the electrics overide the ducati maybe soure grapes or there's a bit of truth in them either way to much electric trick bits can be a bad thing
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Posted by wayne blythen (3 days ago)


You don't say Wayne. I would never have thought that Melandri would make such a comment about his former employer and the bike and yet says wonderful things about his new employer and bike. Wonder what he will say if the Kawasaki is not up the scratch.