Friday pm - Okada Says Honda's Pneumatic RC212V is 8kph Faster
Honda HRC test rider Tady Okada revealed that the factory's new pneumatic-valve engine, being raced for the first time at Mugello this weekend, is 5-8kph faster on top speed than the valve-spring motor with which
Dani Pedrosa holds joint second place in the
MotoGP championship.
Okada debriefed journalists after trying the bike in this morning's drying-roads practice session, and then on a streaming wet track in the afternoon.
"In Japan I have been testing the two bikes every week," Okada revealed. "When we do a long race run, the top speed with the pneumatic-valve engine is between 5-8kph better than the valve-spring engine.
"The bottom-end isn't worse than the valve-spring engine, but we still can't find the right setup and we need more time. The torque curve isn't straight, but we can solve this if we take time."
Asked if his performance in Sunday's 23-lap race would determine whether Pedrosa and fellow Repsol Honda rider
Nicky Hayden would use the new machine at next Sunday's Catalunya GP, Okada said: "It would be better to get a good result, but I want to finish the race and get as much data as possible."
As reported earlier today on
Crash.net, Pedrosa and Hayden will meet on Sunday night to decide which engine they will use at Catalunya.
Friday pm - Pedrosa and Hayden Will Get 1,000rpm Boost from Pneumatic Honda
Repsol Honda factory riders Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden will decide on Sunday night after the Italian GP here at Mugello whether they will race the factory's new pneumatic-valve engine at next weekend's Catalunya GP.
If they switch to the new motor, they will benefit from a rev ceiling 1,000rpm higher compared to their present valve-spring technology - but Honda will not reveal exactly what that rev limit is.
This became clear at a press conference at Mugello today hosted by Repsol Honda team manager Kazuhiko Yamano and RC212V project leader Shinichi Kokubu.
