MOTOGP » Bautista under Vermeulen at Estoril test.

I don't know what's wrong with that Suzuki, but if it was obvious what the problem is, it would have been fixed long ago. You can slag Vermi all you want, but he's a far better rider and racer than his results in MGP would suggest. Perhaps figuring out what the bike isn't doing that it should be is one thing, but figuring out exactly what to change and how, to address that, is another. The scribes who've ridden everything at years' end have liked the Suzuki the best for ages. That would suggest the problem only shows up when it's ridden at race pace. Are the factory test riders giving different feedback to what the race riders are saying? At a Japanese factory that might explain a lot.

MOTOGP » Pedrosa backs 'fun' 990cc return.

At the risk if stating the stupidly obvious, how many cowards have you met who race motorcycles? At any level?

MOTOGP » Pedrosa backs 'fun' 990cc return.

The KentuckyKid says that TC has almost eliminated highsides. I think a number of factors have done that, of which TC is one. Tyres break away more progressively now, and have a dynamic grip almost as high as their static grip. That is perhaps the biggest factor. Slides that begin at the limit of side grip are very edgy and hard to control. Slides that begin mostly because of power, are relatively easy to control. Chassis and suspension performance have improved out of sight. When these things work correctly, it makes controlling the bike enormously easier. (more)

MOTOGP » Pedrosa backs 'fun' 990cc return.

When you know the thing bites, you'll flinch when the back steps out, so it snaps. When you have confidence, because of all the above, you just hold it on and deal with things. Highsides don't happen because the bike steps out, they happen because it steps out violently and you think it's going to go all the way, so you back off. If you have faith in the machine, and just hold the throttle where it is, and perhaps apply a tiny bit of 'straighten up' input through the bars, it should all just come back to you. But that's only going to happen if the breakaway is progressive and you trust the bike. Or, as in the old 500 days, you have balls like cannon balls.

MOTOGP » Pedrosa backs 'fun' 990cc return.

Oh, and one other thing. Steering damper settings. It does no harm in controlling a sliding bike if there's a little steering damper at work. If there's a lot of damper, and the bike steps a long way, you're screwed, because you just can't get the steering angles you need in the time you have. Race bikes in the 80s and 90s tended to run massively stiff dampers. They had to. That's no longer the case.

MOTOGP » Pedrosa backs 'fun' 990cc return.

And lastly, now that the principles of traction control are well understood, we could go back to bob-wieghts and breaker points, mechanical FI or even carburetors, and still implement it mechanically. It has become part of the scene. All the manufacturers want it. They want to use it on their road bikes. They want to develop it in competition at the highest level, with the best riders in the world leading the R & D. And isn't that part of the rationale and justification for having a development class with few rules as the 'Premier' class in the sport? If what you want is 'good close racing' then let's have a one make series on RD250LCs, or 250 Ninjas.

MOTOGP » Pedrosa backs 'fun' 990cc return.

The racing is not going to get any more dramatic or spectacular unless we get rid of advanced electronic rider aids, and WE CAN'T DO THAT. We can't do it because we can't police it. You can hide traction control functions in other code, such that nobody can prove what it is, or that Traction Control was what you intended by that line of code. "Oh, that's to improve the quality of throttle response." How do you prove it isn't? It's impossible.

MOTOGP » Pedrosa backs 'fun' 990cc return.

History of motor sport, four wheels or two. Someone is always going to be top dog. There may be a small group who can run with him, but usually there is one dominant individual. At this point, that's clearly Rossi. Messing around with the rules may narrow the gap but it won't change that.

MOTOGP » Honda boss demands MotoGP title challenger

"...and Pedrosa was in his debut year. Towards the end of the season, Pedrosa was already faster." Taken a few lessons from Creville on teamwork too.

MOTOGP » Bridgestone wrap up '09 by debuting new tyre

"Bring back intermediates for when it rains!" You'd think it wouldn't be too hard to do a few sets of groved slicks, yes. On the other hand, the object of this tyre deal was to save money. We do have soft & hard rain + soft & hard slicks. There's no rule (as far as I know) that soft & hard wets must have the same tread design, or construction. Every one has access to exactly the same thing. It might not be optimum, but it is adequate, and it is a hell of a lot fairer than the way things used to be.