Both KTM & Aprilia are with the progress they've made during winter testing, see MotoGP.com for more. Great news on both accounts, last season was saw 8 different winners and 5 different manufacturers on the podium, looks like it could be another very close and exciting season.
I am not sure that we were watching the same racing last season. I'm not the only one that will disagree with your motogp.com extract (funny how much it's bigging up the season given it's their website!). I hope for a good season, the stats don't show how dull some of the races were with this ridiculous "can't follow because our front tyre gets too hot" rubbish, and actually if you take out the shock rusults, i.e. Binders win, it was pretty predicable. If Honda make a MASSIVE step with the bike it will be a good season, but not if it's only Marquez that can ride over the limit for 20 laps, as one swallow doesn't make a summer. KTM, I'm confident they will find something as for a start they have Miller. However I think Aprilia will go backwards, in the early part of the season because they are focussed on supporting and co-ordinating 4 bikes, and latterly because they don't have concessions anymore. Is it possible that Honda will actually have concessions this year? they can't be far off it after last year, if they do they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Both Honda and Yamaha are reporting concerns with new engines, but it's early days yet although I do think both KTM & Aprilia will up their game this season. I guess we'll only find out halfway through the season.
Marquez had a face like a slapped arse after the end of season test so they gonna have to go some in 3 months to become a force to be reckoned with imo. For me , Miller will win a race *at some point" and Aprillia will start well again and fade at the end, again. Looking forward to seeing how the satellite team does and how competitive they can be - i imagine it wont be long before Oliveira beats one of the factory boys. Still Ducatis to lose, OBVIOUSLY
I wonder what the effect of getting rid of rear ride height devicess will be and whether that lets Honda focus on developing/building a more rideable bike (and Yamaha can focus on building a quicker one).
Which bike makes the best use of the ride height gizmo ? Let me guess …. Ducati ? Surely Dorna aren’t going to penalise Ducati in Moto GP and WSBK ? Andy
I don’t know if they do do they? I know they do wth the front rhd’s but they’re not getting rid of that afaik
They are only getting rid of the front system, which actively moves on corner exits etc with the Ducati, not the rear systems.
Ah ok thanks, I was getting confused, I knew it was the end to do with corner exit speed but I always thought that was the front (forks) lol just been reading up on it
they are on about banning the rear devices but Ducati won't let them. Personally I think even though it's a prototype class, they should be developing stuff that eventually will help the consumer products, so ban wings and aero, and ban ride height devices, and maybe even let them have ABS, or Electronic suspension... the sorts of things that racing development would improve for us.
Yeh that’s why I mentioned I wondered if it would help Honda as they’ll have to actually develop a rideable bike and not one that relies on rh devices to exit corners. I like the hole shot devices though, at least you can see some mad starts and it’s definitely improved them as a spectacle.
