Ducati Pleased With Relaxed MotoGP Testing Rules For 2012
Rossi now has only a 240 tyre limit to worry about in testing
Ducati bosses have joined rider Valentino Rossi in welcoming a relaxation of the MotoGP testing rules in 2012, saying that it is better to pay the nine-time world champion to ride the Desmosedici GP12 than to sleep!
The team can now use Rossi and Hayden, instead of their three-seconds-a-lap-slower test riders. as much as they want at a designated test track so long as they do not exceed the imposed 240 tyre limit.
"For sure in an economical situation like this, having Valentino Rossi sleeping in his room paid by us instead of riding our bike and giving us information, it seems not the more efficient way to use our money. So this is something that, especially because we have to save money, so there is a rule that limits the test you can do, which is 240 tyres," said technical chief Filippo Preziosi.
"You can test just with Bridgestone and just with 240 tires every year and that makes a limit for renting the track, fuel, engines, spare parts and everything. In this limit, if you ask your test rider to test the bike or Valentino to test the bike, because both are paid, there is not one euro make of cost."
Ducati bosses have joined rider Valentino Rossi in welcoming a relaxation of the MotoGP testing rules in 2012, saying that it is better to pay the nine-time world champion to ride the Desmosedici GP12 than to sleep!
The team can now use Rossi and Hayden, instead of their three-seconds-a-lap-slower test riders. as much as they want at a designated test track so long as they do not exceed the imposed 240 tyre limit.
"For sure in an economical situation like this, having Valentino Rossi sleeping in his room paid by us instead of riding our bike and giving us information, it seems not the more efficient way to use our money. So this is something that, especially because we have to save money, so there is a rule that limits the test you can do, which is 240 tyres," said technical chief Filippo Preziosi.
"You can test just with Bridgestone and just with 240 tires every year and that makes a limit for renting the track, fuel, engines, spare parts and everything. In this limit, if you ask your test rider to test the bike or Valentino to test the bike, because both are paid, there is not one euro make of cost."
Chatter still causing Stoner's RC213V front-end problems
Stoner in fifth, with the rear breaking away....
Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner is still suffering with chatter from the front-end of his 1000cc RC213V and is having to change his new HRC-built steed in order to try and iron it out to get some more feedback from the 2012 chassis.
Bridgestone brought their latest set of tyres which will be used next season to the Valencia test and Stoner said that he can't get as much mid-corner feedback as he wants even though his style is not to run as much corner speed as some other riders on the grid.
"We're struggling a bit with the new tyres, we're finding they give us a lot of chatter in the bike. We compared the bike to the one we tested in Brno and Jerez and we've found some improvements in a lot of ways with the chatter but we've still got to do a bit more," said Stoner, speaking to bikesportnews.com.
"We found that with the 2012 Bridgestones we have had to make a chassis that will work a little better with the chatter. We have reduced it to a certain degree but it is something we really have to focus on and adapt to the tyres a little better. We're not too comfortable with the front mid-corner and we're struggling to get good feedback from it. The rears are working great with a really even wear pattern.
"It was good to feel the horsepower, even in fifth gear it still wants to spin up and go sideways at the speed we're doing so it's a lot of fun and something I am looking forward to trying at different tracks. There are a few other small parts of the bike we want to improve but it's a question of getting comfortable with it and used to it."
Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner is still suffering with chatter from the front-end of his 1000cc RC213V and is having to change his new HRC-built steed in order to try and iron it out to get some more feedback from the 2012 chassis.
Bridgestone brought their latest set of tyres which will be used next season to the Valencia test and Stoner said that he can't get as much mid-corner feedback as he wants even though his style is not to run as much corner speed as some other riders on the grid.
"We're struggling a bit with the new tyres, we're finding they give us a lot of chatter in the bike. We compared the bike to the one we tested in Brno and Jerez and we've found some improvements in a lot of ways with the chatter but we've still got to do a bit more," said Stoner, speaking to bikesportnews.com.
"We found that with the 2012 Bridgestones we have had to make a chassis that will work a little better with the chatter. We have reduced it to a certain degree but it is something we really have to focus on and adapt to the tyres a little better. We're not too comfortable with the front mid-corner and we're struggling to get good feedback from it. The rears are working great with a really even wear pattern.
"It was good to feel the horsepower, even in fifth gear it still wants to spin up and go sideways at the speed we're doing so it's a lot of fun and something I am looking forward to trying at different tracks. There are a few other small parts of the bike we want to improve but it's a question of getting comfortable with it and used to it."
Bad news as CRT packages still four seconds off the pace
Ivan Silva on the Inmotec bike. Not as quick as they need to be
If, as MotoGP boss Carmela Ezpeleta wants, Claiming Rule Teams and their regulations are the future of the blue riband class, the future needs to hurry up as the fastest CRT package at the Valencia test was still four seconds a lap slower than quickest man Dani Pedrosa.
The Laglisse Suter-chassied, BMW-powered bike, ridden by wunderkind Carmelo Morales, has had a year or so of development work but is still painfully slow at a tight, twisty circuit like Valencia. It may be a different matter when the fast BMW motor gets to Silverstone or Phillip Island.
World Champion Casey Stoner had this to say about their pace: "I couldn't believe it. They looked like they were half a lap in front of me and then two laps later I am overtaking them, it was quite surprising…"
Colin Edwards could have been on the money when he said he wanted an R1 motor as a domestic Superbike race engine went to a track recently knocking out 223bhp at the rear wheel with 'more to come' from some port work and a different camshaft profile.
Ivan Silva's Inmotec was a little under five seconds in arrears but that hasn't got a production engine, so doesn't really count. But if you look at Silva's laptimes from Formula Extreme at Valencia today (Nov 12) , he is lapping at 1'34.726, so it isn't the rider...
The FTR-framed BQR/Kawasaki, ridden by Yonny Hernandez, was a little under six seconds off the pace and in the same kind of bracket as the now dropped MarcVDS MotoGP bike was a few tests ago while the Grillini, with Federico Sandi at the helm, looks like it was built in a bin and was about as fast.
CRT times:
Carmelo Morales TeamLaglisse 1:35.911 +1.071 +4.104 67 (CRT)
Ivan Silva BQR Inmotec 1:36.695 +0.784 +4.888 52 (CRT)
Yonny Hernandez BQR FTR 1:37.279 +0.584 +5.472 30 (CRT)
Federico Sandi Grillini Team 1:38.680 +1.401 +6.873 26 (CRT)
Dani Pedrosa - 1:31.807
If, as MotoGP boss Carmela Ezpeleta wants, Claiming Rule Teams and their regulations are the future of the blue riband class, the future needs to hurry up as the fastest CRT package at the Valencia test was still four seconds a lap slower than quickest man Dani Pedrosa.
The Laglisse Suter-chassied, BMW-powered bike, ridden by wunderkind Carmelo Morales, has had a year or so of development work but is still painfully slow at a tight, twisty circuit like Valencia. It may be a different matter when the fast BMW motor gets to Silverstone or Phillip Island.
World Champion Casey Stoner had this to say about their pace: "I couldn't believe it. They looked like they were half a lap in front of me and then two laps later I am overtaking them, it was quite surprising…"
Colin Edwards could have been on the money when he said he wanted an R1 motor as a domestic Superbike race engine went to a track recently knocking out 223bhp at the rear wheel with 'more to come' from some port work and a different camshaft profile.
Ivan Silva's Inmotec was a little under five seconds in arrears but that hasn't got a production engine, so doesn't really count. But if you look at Silva's laptimes from Formula Extreme at Valencia today (Nov 12) , he is lapping at 1'34.726, so it isn't the rider...
The FTR-framed BQR/Kawasaki, ridden by Yonny Hernandez, was a little under six seconds off the pace and in the same kind of bracket as the now dropped MarcVDS MotoGP bike was a few tests ago while the Grillini, with Federico Sandi at the helm, looks like it was built in a bin and was about as fast.
CRT times:
Carmelo Morales TeamLaglisse 1:35.911 +1.071 +4.104 67 (CRT)
Ivan Silva BQR Inmotec 1:36.695 +0.784 +4.888 52 (CRT)
Yonny Hernandez BQR FTR 1:37.279 +0.584 +5.472 30 (CRT)
Federico Sandi Grillini Team 1:38.680 +1.401 +6.873 26 (CRT)
Dani Pedrosa - 1:31.807
Suzuki out but planning a MotoGP return in 2014?
Suzuki clearly think we will all be in a much better financial position in 2014...
Although there has been no official confirmation, Suzuki have pulled the plug on their factory MotoGP effort after telling staff they would not be required next year but there is an apparentl planned return to the series in 2014.
The factory had a deadline of last Friday to decide whether they were going to play and inform MotoGP bosses Dorna but that has come and gone, at least publicly. Team staff were told on Friday in an email their services would not be required next season - crew chief Tom O'Kane had already jumped ship to sit with Andrea Dovizioso at Tech3 - but the factory's racing department hoped to be back in three years.
This has, of course, happened before when Suzuki quit in early 80s and team manager Garry Taylor carried on with backing from British importer Heron until 1987 when Suzuki re-appeared with a full V-four and his team got back their full factory status.
In terms of the 2012 grid, it leaves Randy de Puniet without a 'proper' bike to ride as Stefan Bradl has the LCR Honda so he will be after one of the more sorted CRT bikes or, god forbid, something in the World Superbike paddock - step forward either the Pata or Parkingo Aprilia teams. It also means that John Hopkins will join Leon Camier in the Crescent Suzuki WSB team.
Although there has been no official confirmation, Suzuki have pulled the plug on their factory MotoGP effort after telling staff they would not be required next year but there is an apparentl planned return to the series in 2014.
The factory had a deadline of last Friday to decide whether they were going to play and inform MotoGP bosses Dorna but that has come and gone, at least publicly. Team staff were told on Friday in an email their services would not be required next season - crew chief Tom O'Kane had already jumped ship to sit with Andrea Dovizioso at Tech3 - but the factory's racing department hoped to be back in three years.
This has, of course, happened before when Suzuki quit in early 80s and team manager Garry Taylor carried on with backing from British importer Heron until 1987 when Suzuki re-appeared with a full V-four and his team got back their full factory status.
In terms of the 2012 grid, it leaves Randy de Puniet without a 'proper' bike to ride as Stefan Bradl has the LCR Honda so he will be after one of the more sorted CRT bikes or, god forbid, something in the World Superbike paddock - step forward either the Pata or Parkingo Aprilia teams. It also means that John Hopkins will join Leon Camier in the Crescent Suzuki WSB team.
Share story
0 comments: