interesting read! http://www.cycleworld.com/2013/08/0...egree-v-four-engine-motogp-racing-technology/
we're not doing badly there... 2 or 4 cylinder, its diffferent... won't help making a V4 if they can't sort that V4 out, will it PS : the RC30 is the only non Ducati i would love to own..
another fine read ... CRISI DUCATI IN MOTOGP...IL PROBLEMA? IL MONOGOMMA. : MOTOCICLISTI.BLOG - Passione per la velocità - translation : When Casey Stoner won in 2007, it is beyond any doubt, the work that Bridgestone made exclusively for Ducati was essential. A motorcycle as special as the D16 demanded special tires and the wedding was perfect from every point of view. But since Dorna has introduced the Bridgestone tire rule in favor of the Bolognese has been losing every advantage: most tires are moved away from the initial project 2007 more than the Ducati was the plan, but why? Bridgestone "forced" to provide tires for all the teams was to ensure equal treatment and could no longer create special tires upon request, and the gum was that the bike had to adapt. As we know the Bridgestone brings many compounds to the track every weekend (and the drivers have complained several times to this), and we must work to make them work. Ducati, whose particular chassis has been for years, has failed to take advantage of that on balance the tires were perfect for Yamaha and Honda motorcycles from the chassis rather "normal". Here come the limits of Ducati, more marketing than technical. The aluminum frame (which is still then arrived) is also very difficult to design and cost. Honda builds itself each year 5-6 different frames to choose only one ... However the Bridgestone tires seem to work well only with the aluminum frame . But because the tires Japanese love the aluminum frames? The Bridgestone tires have a very rigid frame and coupled to a chassis rigid as Ducati malfunction, on the contrary if used with cycling-based aluminum frame (less stiff) tend to work better than the motorcycle. But why then, despite the Ducati now has an aluminum frame, the D16 effort to exploit them? Let's go back to the answer before: in Borgo Panigale have no experience of aluminum frames, they do not have the data ready setting as opposed to Honda and Yamaha, who have always worked with that kind of cycling. Bridging a gap of this kind is difficult in part because they do not disadvantage of tenths of a second of years but ... as i said : they'll never close the gap by going alubeam... they just don't have the knowhow. Not in decades ...
and from the same site on WSBK "The new regulation Superbike that will bring the bikes to almost the STK does discuss ... The proposal of a kind of STK EVO (similar to the regulation that we find in the World Endurance) was proposed by Honda and saw Kawasaki, Aprilia and BMW contrary to 100%. After several meetings, the regulation appears to have been approved, but at what price? BMW has announced his retirement and Aprilia is always more interested in MotoGP, while Kawasaki announced its commitment to WSBK for 2014. The new regulation benefits the person now has a very competitive bike (Honda and Ducati in the first place ...), but who is now competitive disadvantage after spending millions, in fact Aprilia, BMW and Kawasaki. Honda and Ducati will then compete with new bikes disastrous years after the first and the second a wrong project. Aprilia and Kawasaki instead will be forced to modify their existing projects, a practice very expensive, much more expensive than building a motorcycle from virtually 0 ... But beware dear readers, Honda has not made as a surprise ... And knowing they will not be able to process its future motion because of the very restrictive regulatory limits will come out with a model derived from MotoGP strongly ... The famous V4 that we will see all '... Ditto EICMA Ducati Panigale is already working on the new R. .. So after many years of absence Honda seems to have made its voice in Superbike and the results are visable.. "
