Sepang MotoGP test 2022
Discussion
Just the rookies and testers out, main riders out on Saturday.
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2022/01/31/rookies-...
https://www.crash.net/motogp/results/995905/1/2022...
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2022/01/31/rookies-...
https://www.crash.net/motogp/results/995905/1/2022...
srob said:
Is the test on Saturday being shown on BT does anyone know?
My app's being really annoying and only showing what's on up to Wednesday for some reason!
It’s certainly not live on tv, it never is (well it was once back in 2010, why they never carried on I don’t know). My app's being really annoying and only showing what's on up to Wednesday for some reason!
But on Saturday and Sunday, there’s a lunchtime round up at 6pm gmt and an end of day one at 930gmt, on the Moto GP videopass if you’re a subscriber.
First day of the big boys testing.
Both Aprilias topping the times. - https://www.crash.net/motogp/results/996089/1/sepa...
Both Aprilias topping the times. - https://www.crash.net/motogp/results/996089/1/sepa...
From Crash.net...
Quatararo set a top speed of 332.3km/h - but after missing his braking point - with a next best of 329.2km/h. That compared with 337.5km/h by both Honda's Marc Marquez and Ducati's Jack Miller with a 336.4km/h for Aprilia's Vinales. Brad Binder hit 332.3km/h for KTM and Mir 331.2km/h for Suzuki.
So business as usual on the Yamaha, slow in a straight line. Fabio is going to get fed up if his requests for more top speed keep getting ignored. Promising for the Honda though. I just hope MM93 can get back on form early on, he's had such a s
t few years with all the injuries.
Great from Aprilia but good chance the rest are just sandbagging.
Quatararo set a top speed of 332.3km/h - but after missing his braking point - with a next best of 329.2km/h. That compared with 337.5km/h by both Honda's Marc Marquez and Ducati's Jack Miller with a 336.4km/h for Aprilia's Vinales. Brad Binder hit 332.3km/h for KTM and Mir 331.2km/h for Suzuki.
So business as usual on the Yamaha, slow in a straight line. Fabio is going to get fed up if his requests for more top speed keep getting ignored. Promising for the Honda though. I just hope MM93 can get back on form early on, he's had such a s
t few years with all the injuries. Great from Aprilia but good chance the rest are just sandbagging.
Ducati are looking sharp out of the box, as expected, but Honda and Suzuki look to be in the right area too. Hard to say about Aprilia: they've looked great in pre-season testing for the past couple of years and Maverick is always the king of testing. Fabio is turning in great times on the Yamaha, but his teammates are all a second back. KTM look like they need something.
I'd like to see Bestia get a win this year, that'll really turn up the heat on his fellow Duke riders; Martin is probably a given, provided he can bounce a bit better.
I feel sad that Sam isn't in the top class: all these exciting newcomers that are a pleasure to see in the top class are no better than him really.
I feel sad that Sam isn't in the top class: all these exciting newcomers that are a pleasure to see in the top class are no better than him really.
Hoping that Aprilia testing pace comes through as race pace and we have a new player upsetting the apple cart at a few rounds this year. Cooom on Maverick! One of the few chances to see what a ‘top’ guy looks like on another bike / against a different teammate.
The Yamaha speed issue must seem like a bad joke for Fabio - can they be sand-bagging?
Yam won BSB, WSB and Moto GP last year - so they can build a race bike. However, the Ducati’s were so strong in the last few races of last Yr that it was clear to everyone they needed to make a jump. Do I understand there will be some engine freeze after the 1st 1 or 2 events this yr. so it’s now or never (or not for a while..)
The Yamaha speed issue must seem like a bad joke for Fabio - can they be sand-bagging?
Yam won BSB, WSB and Moto GP last year - so they can build a race bike. However, the Ducati’s were so strong in the last few races of last Yr that it was clear to everyone they needed to make a jump. Do I understand there will be some engine freeze after the 1st 1 or 2 events this yr. so it’s now or never (or not for a while..)
five50 said:
Hoping that Aprilia testing pace comes through as race pace and we have a new player upsetting the apple cart at a few rounds this year. Cooom on Maverick! One of the few chances to see what a ‘top’ guy looks like on another bike / against a different teammate.
As somebody mentioned above, Maverick would be many times WC if testing was the game that dished out the points 
The ability to ride under pressure is so, so critical in this sport. Tense up, just a tiny bit, at the the limits these riders are at and you will be on your backside before you have had time to dream up an excuse / blame the bike / blame the setting that was fine last time out.
five50 said:
The Yamaha speed issue must seem like a bad joke for Fabio - can they be sand-bagging?
No....five50 said:
Yam won BSB, WSB and Moto GP last year - so they can build a race bike. However, the Ducati’s were so strong in the last few races of last Yr that it was clear to everyone they needed to make a jump. Do I understand there will be some engine freeze after the 1st 1 or 2 events this yr. so it’s now or never (or not for a while..)
Indeed, but Fabio's points haul from earlier in the season was so important. He was up against it in the later stages.Have Yamaha reached the current limit of what the crossplane I4 can do....? Yes they won WSB and BSB, but the rev restrictions naturally favour the crossplane. If the V4R was allowed to run at it's proper peak for example, the Yamaha would struggle rather more.
Honda look to have a promising base with their new bike, Aprilia still putting the good work in too. Could be a cracking year
Every manufacturer has the same restriction of an 81mm bore and 4 cylinders. The bore size will determine the maximum valve sizes. The big issue then lies with the stroke and the rod length. To obtain 999.9cc on an 81mm bore with 4 cylinders you need a stroke of 48.51mm.
However it is widely believed that in order to overcome the rev restriction that an 81mm x 48.51mm gives you that some are using a shorter stroke and are therefor less than 999.9cc.
I suspect that Honda have gone down this route hence why the bike was so aggressive on initial application of the throttle and why they have an external flywheel to try and slow down the initial inertia ?
Ducati may have taken this route also and that may be why they have such bhp and ability to rev higher etc.
Yamaha are most likely using the 81 x 48.51 dimensions and relying on a sweet chassis and lots of torque but the big torque of the crossplane crank and longer stroke may just be why they cant control the wheel spin. Yamaha and Suzuki cannot have an external flywheel as an inline 4 is of course wider than a V4 so there is no room and it would limit ground clearance.
I love all of the different approaches to the same set of "Rules" and love the innovation.
It will be a great season with many young chargers out to make a name. It will be strange to not be cheering on my much loved VR46 though.
Roll on round one.
However it is widely believed that in order to overcome the rev restriction that an 81mm x 48.51mm gives you that some are using a shorter stroke and are therefor less than 999.9cc.
I suspect that Honda have gone down this route hence why the bike was so aggressive on initial application of the throttle and why they have an external flywheel to try and slow down the initial inertia ?
Ducati may have taken this route also and that may be why they have such bhp and ability to rev higher etc.
Yamaha are most likely using the 81 x 48.51 dimensions and relying on a sweet chassis and lots of torque but the big torque of the crossplane crank and longer stroke may just be why they cant control the wheel spin. Yamaha and Suzuki cannot have an external flywheel as an inline 4 is of course wider than a V4 so there is no room and it would limit ground clearance.
I love all of the different approaches to the same set of "Rules" and love the innovation.
It will be a great season with many young chargers out to make a name. It will be strange to not be cheering on my much loved VR46 though.
Roll on round one.
Interesting - thx - particularly as the pundits roughly determine the i4's to be the 'handling' bikes and the v4's to be the 'power' bikes.
Given how long Honda have run V4's in successful racing configurations (pre-RC30 through RC213v) and how baked into their fundamental engineering approach this design is, it is quite puzzling that they don't have a production v4 halo bike for the road - particularly as the road market moves away (by sales volume) from the inline 4 to more to more characterful applications (i4 crossplane excepted - triple, offset parallel twin, V4's in the case of Aprilia and Ducati, BMW parallel twin etc).
I can imagine that there are some production economics (and also servicing benefits) with an i4, however, Aprilia offer a great example of how you can play with the configuration to release lower cost spin-offs that are still characterful - eg the RS660 using the front two cylinders of the RSV4.
Come on Honda - sort it out!
Given how long Honda have run V4's in successful racing configurations (pre-RC30 through RC213v) and how baked into their fundamental engineering approach this design is, it is quite puzzling that they don't have a production v4 halo bike for the road - particularly as the road market moves away (by sales volume) from the inline 4 to more to more characterful applications (i4 crossplane excepted - triple, offset parallel twin, V4's in the case of Aprilia and Ducati, BMW parallel twin etc).
I can imagine that there are some production economics (and also servicing benefits) with an i4, however, Aprilia offer a great example of how you can play with the configuration to release lower cost spin-offs that are still characterful - eg the RS660 using the front two cylinders of the RSV4.
Come on Honda - sort it out!
I think that because Yamaha had such a successful season last year they may well being blissfully and willingly ignorant to the bikes flaws because they still won. Every other team appears to be putting more effort into development.
Power isn't the be all and end all especially if it's not useable or ruins the bikes characteristics but it's incredibly difficult to fight in a race against opponents with a massive speed advantage, I've experienced it myself racing cars.
I suppose Yamaha could be looking for power but just can't find it...?
Power isn't the be all and end all especially if it's not useable or ruins the bikes characteristics but it's incredibly difficult to fight in a race against opponents with a massive speed advantage, I've experienced it myself racing cars.
I suppose Yamaha could be looking for power but just can't find it...?
Edited by Yazza54 on Tuesday 8th February 18:15
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