<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Arrabbiata1 @ Jul 1 2009, 09:20 AM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>In Babels defence,
I really don't think there is none. He's quite crazy in his pseudo-understanding of complex technical issues of MotoGP despite his semi-intelligent posts claiming such knowledge.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>I would implore anyone going to Donington to park their arse outfield at Starkeys, (with the bar close to hand), and watch at the exit to Schwantz. Last year during Saturday qualifying, albeit a wet one, it was astonishing what you could divine by simply watching and listening to each individual rider. I noticed that Pedrosa and CV appeared to be using the most pronounced TC, - in the case of Dani, the contrast with his HRC team mate Nicky was appreciable. It was also interesting to note the degree of change during the session. With many bikes it seemed to become more pronounced as qualifying progressed.
Arrabi, here is the thing brotha, Babel is saying he can determine the 'level' of TC by the "popping" sound he hears relative to other bikes (and nobody is disputing you hear this "sounds", the question/ claim is whether it be TC or a combination of other systems working and how much, as in magnitude, in relation to other bikes). I don't think he can make such an assessment by mere listening to the noise note and then concluding some linear correlation of degree; and certainly not as it relates to rider “assist”.
TC is a very complex system, as well as other systems managing the machine. Some of which also produce various sounds emanating from the machine and exhaust. (I'm laughing right now even thinking about how absurd his statement is and having to explain how its a bit more complicated than mere listening for some stuttering and then voice some iron clad declaration like Babel has done).
As I said to Babel, TC is not some knob that is turned up and down like some volume dial on a car stereo. Its a complex electronic system and software that takes information from various sensors, mapping, settings, tire characteristics, and rider inputs, and computes solutions to manage power delivery. After all, RIDER INPUT is part of that complex solution. Its not an autopilot like Babel implies, and quite frankly, he's been saying this for a few years now to rubbish Casey’s accomplishment (hence why the rationalization that it was tire issue leading to Rossi’s demise in a previous season). ‘Listen’ (no pun intended); Babel has taken the visual impairment of rose-colored-glasses concept and extended it to ‘hearing’ impairment now!
I remember an interview with Mat Mladin discussing TC (and one can find it at onthethrottle.com). He basically said TC is not some magical system that makes you automatically faster; he described it tantamount to anything else on the bike that requires settings. He said like anything else, if you get the setting wrong, then everything is off, and the rider will struggle just as much with a foul suspension setting, poor tire choice, etc. as one would with a foul TC setting. In fact, he went on to say, TC is critical in that it could have a bit more performance repercussions if the setting was wrong. Following such logic, is Babel now going to claim that a particular suspension setting is "more or less" an assist “level” relative to other bikes? In other words, how many turns of a spring is Babel now going to claim is too much of an "assist" to the rider relative to other suspensions on the grid? It follows the same logic then; that one would make such an absurd statement as to first claim that TC was ‘more or less an assist’ compared to other bikes on the grid. First of all, we need to accept that Babel was able to 'determine' one bike having "more" TC from its sound (as if this isn't ridiculous enough), but then you must accept that TC is a linear system, as in a volume knob on a radio. And all this, determined by the "popping sound" Babel (or anybody) hears emanating from a bike??? Oh an not to mention his 'smoking gun' evidence of Casey's throttle hand response as, alas, proof Casey had “more” TC. (Truly breathtaking).
This whole thing reminded me of a time I came back from a trackday. My neighbor came over to help me unload the bike. He looked at my tires and saw the little bits of tire at the ends of the sidewall that accumulate from hard cornering and declared, “Dude, your tires are falling apart, look at all those little pieces.” Haha, those were new tires and I had just used them in one 10 minute session (these tires normally last two trackdays, or over 3-4 hours of continues track riding). Ah, we all have had such moments of non-riders telling us things like this right? But they get a pass because we know they don’t know ..... But when the statements come from people that claim to be knowledgeable in the sport, like Babel here, well its indefensible.
