(smug mode on) I do (Smug mode off). :tongue: If you dont have BT, have you thought of paying the Motogp.com subscription? I think it's about £80 for the season and you get much more than just the races to watch. https://secure.motogp.com/en/Subscr...verlay_Pre_Qatar&utm_campaign=2014_FullSeason
Think it may be a strange year if the open and factory are as close as it appears at the moment...... Thought the idea of the open was to have like an evo class (what was CRT) but looks like it may be equal and have maybe even have advantage over the factory due to the extra fuel.....
Dovi 214MPH, it's a quick bike still!.... I still think it's a good move, and I am glad to see that Honda are at least 'sporting' about it in there response, they do have a point questioning the sudden increased complexity of the Open class software though.
Honda want it all their own way and this twist certainly opens things up, I guess the difference between factory and open isn't big enough if you take Ducati's approach, Honda seem to have dropped the ball compared to Yamaha/Forward racing.
Certainly the gap looks smaller at the moment, but Dovi and Cal still have to get the bloody thing round the bends, and nothing much has changed on that front (as far as we know). So it's still gonna be a struggle. Wish them luck...
I find it amazing that Ducati havent tried the soft tyres the open class is allowed to run. Could be all kinds of problems with increased grip and they will have lots of work to do on setup at the first race surely?
Yep, same as always then! Nicky managed a few very fast laps remember, but 3 laps and his tyres were trashed.
Good read that, obvious but good, thanks i must say I really don't know what yamaha and Honda are playing at, to me its less about racing anymore and more about bloody efficiency. Honda using the excuse that they need to develop their own software for road bikes is probably the most laughable of all, they're at the back of the cue in road bike development and frankly for that reason alone they should be ashamed of themselves. of course they'll bring out a new blade and entirely new range of bikes based on a extremely well designed platform, but they're already developed and it's just a matter of time, I bet they're timing the release to go against yamaha and the rumoured new R1. having Marquez and pedders flying round sepang won't change that one iota, it's just political bollox racing should be about development, but everybody should play by the same rules, we need more fuel, more tyres, less restrictions and that will fix the spectacle.
And now it looks like there will be 4 classes in MotoGP.. Factory Factory2 Open CRT MotoGP Rule Change Imminent: 'Intermediate' Category To Be Added Between Factory Option And Open Classes | MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks
This clearly explains the ECU rumour... The trigger for the latest spat over the Open class was the introduction of a new, much more sophisticated software package brought to Sepang 2 by Magneti Marelli. Initial reports were that the new package was basically Ducati's ECU software, handed over to Magneti Marelli. As Mat Oxley wrote yesterday, however, the new package was not yet in use at Sepang, the software onlly being loaded so that the Open class technicians could get used to the way it worked, and compare it with the 2013 software, which was far less complex. In the interview with AS, Ezpeleta explained that Magneti Marelli had had the software for some time. The factories were asked in November last year to help develop the spec ECU software, but Honda and Yamaha refused, Ezpeleta said. Ducati agreed, and provided assistance to the Italian ECU maker. Magneti Marelli then built their software based on the input provided by Ducati, and this was the software introduced at Sepang Looks like the japs shot themselves in the foot.
Its terrible. You cant set a deadline (for entry into the Open class) then change the rules afterwards. The rumours about Ducati going open have been going on for months and its only now they and Forward have been shown as fast that they change the rules? It's fast becoming a joke! Ducati have worked within the rules and Honda and Yam had the same opportunity, put it appears they've been out flanked and are simply throwing their toys out of the pram. Honda seem to have deliberately provided slow customer bikes to Aspar too as they are way off the pace. What if they had said that similar rules apply to a factory team? Maybe if a team wins 5 races in a season, they cant change the engine after that?
it's turning into a complete faff.... they would be better off telling Honda to jog on, and letting everyone else run Open class rules, as it would surely encourage Suzuki back, so there would be a minimum of 3 factory teams. Yes I know Honda are a massive factory, but no manufacturer has the the right to hold the sport to ransom. Also... the stuff they are developing now, is put simply about laptime and it's not being transferred to the road. All of the per corner GPS stuff needs to be banned as it doesn't apply to road riding, so they should have 1x level of anti wheelie for example, not per corner. The Ducati can basically change it's whole engine character per corner from what I have read.
