How big is too big for MotoGP?
The news that Aspar backed away from a MotoGP deal with Loris Baz, apparently due to his height, has brought the question of rider size back to the surface.
World Superbike race winner Baz is 1.92m (6'3") tall and, although a preliminary agreement was signed to place the young Frenchman on an Open class Honda, the Aspar team subsequently raised concerns that Baz would lose too much time on the straights and even struggle to fit on the bike.
Barring the obvious question as to why Baz's size was not raised earlier, the Aspar team already has a tall rider on this year's RCV1000R in the form of Leon Camier, replacing the injured Nicky Hayden. Camier is widely considered to have done an impressive job under the circumstances and, at 1.89m (6'2"), is only slightly shorter than Baz. So what's the problem?
"I don't want to say this to put a negative on Baz, but I think that I'm on the limit," Camier said. "On the footpegs I'm only 10mm further than Nicky and that's where Baz would be. But the handlebars are 10mm further forward and that's the problem he'd have. From his arse to the front of the screen.
"You can't go any further with the handlebars because you'd hit the fairing. I'm on the limit and I think he'd struggle [to fit]."
Height can also be a drawback in terms of aerodynamics, with the associated weight increase a disadvantage during acceleration and braking.
"Riding the bike I feel really comfortable and can get tucked in, but your weight doesn't help," Camier continued. "I'm surprised that there isn't a [combined] bike and rider weight limit because it definitely makes a difference. When you're trying to stop 15 or 20kg more than them it matters. At flowing tracks it doesn't matter as much but at stop-start tracks it definitely makes a bit of a difference.
"I think that there's more of a disadvantage to being big, but you can still peddle around out there! It's not the end of the world."
But the height/weight situation is even more critical for Factory class Yamaha and Honda riders, who have four litres less race fuel than the rest of the MotoGP grid. The tallest of those is Movistar Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, who is 1.82m and weighs 65kg.
"Being tall is very good for playing basketball but for riding in MotoGP it is a big problem," said the Italian. "I am quite tall, but I'm lucky because my weight is not so high. But I always have to fight to not be more fat, because when you pay already five kilos you lose a tenth at the end of the lap. This is true. So to arrive at the same level you have to be better in some other areas.
"I think that I am at the limit for MotoGP, but like Baz or Camier is a big disadvantage. Also with the fuel. When you have more weight you use more fuel, so automatically the bike becomes slower and slower. It is a problem for the tall guys."
Hope is on the horizon for bigger riders, with the mandatory control ECU for 2016 set to raise the Yamaha/Honda fuel limit. Rossi believes it will be a big boost and credits the fuel saving work of the Yamaha engineers as playing a significant part in his 2014 rejuvenation.
"This year our bike doesn't change a lot [from last year] but the engineers at Yamaha did a huge work to save fuel. For me personally it is a big advantage. We are 5-6 km/h faster on the straight than last year," Rossi explained. "Last year I also ran out of fuel in two or three races after the flag. The problem with 20 litres is that if you are more tall and heavy you pay double the disadvantage. So for tall riders it will be a lot better with more fuel in 2016."
Team-mate Jorge Lorenzo is only one kg lighter than Rossi, but nine centimetres shorter.
"If Baz takes a Honda, which is more or less the smallest bike, it could be a problem," said Lorenzo. "But he is very talented and can compensate what he loses on the straight and acceleration in the corners, as Marco [Simoncelli, 1.83m] was doing in 2011. I don't know. I think they should give him a chance."
Ducati World Superbike star Chaz Davies has raced in all three grand prix classes. The Welshman is 1.83m tall and weighs 70kg.
"Size is an issue here in MotoGP because in the past manufacturers built bikes for specific riders who were pretty small. I think that for a sport like this it's a bad way to go, but it's nothing new," Davies told Crash.net at Misano. "There are benefits of being taller but I think that there are a few more benefits of being smaller. Maybe not for guys as small as Dani but maybe for someone the size of Marquez or Lorenzo."
Dani Pedrosa is 1.60m and 51kg, with Repsol Honda team-mate and reigning world champion Marc Marquez 1.68m and 59kg. New additions to the Factory class Honda/Yamaha line-up for 2015 will be Scott Redding (1.85m, 78kg) and Cal Crutchlow (1.70m, 69kg).
