Don't even bother with wasting time getting a good single lap setup, use all of practice for the race. Eliminate qualifying, have three one hour practice sessions on Saturday and eliminate Friday altogether. Save a day of travel for everyone, or let that day be the Monday to test after the race on Sunday.
Just start the grid in reverse finishing order of the previous race. A wild card would therefore start from the first row. Every rider gets TV time this way. Podium finishers from the last race know they have their work cut out for them, you likely wouldn't see large streaks of wins by one rider. This wouldn't work in F1 because passing is so difficult, but motorcycles have much easier time passing it seems.
No electronics.
Specify a standard fuel injector for prototypes, production engines can use stock parts.
Have an off the shelf ECU as some have said.
No electronic cylinder deactivation and only mechanical slipper clutches.
Steel brake rotors.
Only allow two fuel maps (maybe "max" and "conserve"), accessed through a switch on the left handelbar.
Give them 24L of fuel.
No compressed air tank allowed on the bike (thus no nitrogen springs).
9 engines per year for prototype, 12 for production.
Tires are spec rubber in hard-medium-soft choices, available at each race. Riders have a mix of 9 rears and 6 fronts they choose on Thursday.
Every team must field two riders minimum.
Have bike + rider minimum weight, 462 lbs (210 kg) sounds about right.
I don't see why it's so difficult to control the scope and spread of TC, rider aides, etc. Simply provide a standard spec, sealed, highly configurable ECU that does not contain any rider aide functions within it. How difficult can that be? It's done in car motorsports, and works well.....
This suggestion is surely acceptable for series such as WSBK which is based on bikes available to the public.
WSBK uses somewhat different formulation and IMHO our main complaints are not there.
However MotoGP is a series based on prototypes, and once you go by the path of limiting innovation its somewhat counterproductive.
This is why I prefer making them work harder (for example give more capacity and HP and lower corner speed by using a more strict weight limit).
However MotoGP is a series based on prototypes, and once you go by the path of limiting innovation its somewhat counterproductive.
I disagree.
There is no greater automotive technology than what exists in Formula 1, and they banned traction control and launch control and fully-automatic gearboxes PRECISELY for the same reasons as we are talking about in this thread.
Also...MGP are indeed prototypes not based on production bikes (for the most part), but don't think for one moment that there are not existing restrictions which are significantly greater than what we're talking about.
No oval pistons, no rotaries, no turbo or super chargers....this is MUCH more of a restriction on current technology than even the latest bike electronic rider aides.
So yes, limiting technological progress must be done carefully, but here we are talking about limiting the direct RIDER AIDES which limit or restrict the effectiveness of the rider's own skills. That is the only reason I am concerned with the expansion of this technology in this racing class.
Personally, I'd like to see modern direct injected 2-strokes allowed, and supercharged or turbocharged 4-strokes, and rotaries....but none of them should have electronic systems which think and act on BEHALF of the rider in the control of the engine and braking systems. I believe ABS and traction control and any other adaptive systems that take over direct control from the rider should not be allowed.
[MCN]"The RC45 came along in 1994, and the progress made was incremental; in fact, some critics say its lack of success...demonstrated a backward step in some areas. Racers consistently complained of feedback problems from the front end.... However, the RC45's lack of success came at a time when Ducati's 916 ruled four-stroke racing, and it spent much of its time in the shadow of the larger-engined Italian bike."
MotoGP , like all other premier series Championships , has become a procession of billboards , a showcase for the ultra-rich manufacturers as they try to increase their exposure and in turn their sales . And this wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have to work within such design limits . The governing bodies have actually stifled innovation by setting up such strict rules for the hard parts that all creative thinking has shifted to the extremely expensive field of e-controls . As Baldy stated , different engine types (like rotaries , smokers) and configs should be allowed without e-aids so that the race is about rider skill and engineering creativity . I might be dreaming but I want to see a garage-built machine challenge in MotoGP one day . Formula 1 died when Tyrrell pulled out due to cost .
its amazing what all the electronics can do on them but it is taking alot away from rider skill.
gone are the days of watching randy smoking the tyres on his cagiva out of a bend.
it would be intresting to compare lap times of f1 bikes to 500gp to 900 the 880s just to see how far they have come with all this technology
its amazing what all the electronics can do on them but it is taking alot away from rider skill.
gone are the days of watching randy smoking the tyres on his cagiva out of a bend.
it would be intresting to compare lap times of f1 bikes to 500gp to 900 the 880s just to see how far they have come with all this technology
Put a modern 800 M1 on 1990 tires and compare it to Rainey's YZR, IMO the lap times would be remarkably close.
Why not no rules at all? Two wheels, rubber tires, anything goes. Unlimited engines, chassis, suspensions, aero, you name it it's wide open.
Let 'em go completely batsh*t with electronics or anything else. As we wind down the era of the internal combustion engine, wouldn't this be the appropriate time for one last hurrah? Anybody old enough to remember the Can-Am sports car series? I say let it freaking RIP!
I thought BAR (ie Honda) bought them out for a decent sum?
Yes , in '99 , then in '05 (I think) , but these takeovers represented the beginning of corporate money flooding the sport so that the little guy had absolutely no chance to compete with new ideas no matter how innovative (like 6 wheels .)
I say if it can help street/track riders get through any blind corner faster/safer, then it's fair game even if we don't like it. The real problem is the corner by corner GPS crap that is completely useless in real world applications. Things like slipper clutches, traction control, and anti lock brakes are all legit developments, weather we like it or not.
__________________
"For sure we've understood that to make the Ducati turn, you need a bigger effort than what Valentino was used to, physically too, and we didn't expect that. This bike is a lot more physical, the way to make it turn with the required precision is certainly the thing we must focus on at the moment."
- J Burgess
Why not no rules at all? Two wheels, rubber tires, anything goes. Unlimited engines, chassis, suspensions, aero, you name it it's wide open.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oljackboy
Let 'em go completely batsh*t with electronics or anything else. As we wind down the era of the internal combustion engine, wouldn't this be the appropriate time for one last hurrah? Anybody old enough to remember the Can-Am sports car series? I say let it freaking RIP!
+1.
There are (IMHO) 2 (maybe 3) main problems:
One is that it would make the championship a game of "who has more money" and not "who is more innovative and know how to ride the thing".
The 2nd is that the manufactures specifically Honda will never let it happen, there are two deep in the 4 struck engines.
Another the last issue is speed and safety: a no rules category will bring an arm race of HP which will increase speed and magnify braking capabilities.Current tracks and safety technology (helmets, leathers, sand traps etc') are limited thus it can be a safety issue.
In fact one of the reasons to start with the supper costly 800cc category was to limit HP and lower speed - however it made corner speed much higher and the bike now brake much further into the corner.
The 800cc however are slower in top speed.
The thing is most accidents don't happen on the straights but on corner entry and mid turn.
These now happen in higher speed than the 990cc era .... go figure Honda.
But other than that, there is nothing I would like see more than a no rules category.
.
and other issues that should have been sorted a few decades ago
.)
Linear Mode
