Circuit Info
Length: 4.226 m / 2.626 miles
Width: 14m
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 10
Longest straight: 565 m / 0.351 miles
Constructed: 1969
Modified: 2008
Race Length: 28 laps
Total Length: 118.3 km - 73.5 mile
Signs of the Times
There are such things as signs of portent. The old ones as they sit in their chairs, stereo-typically decrepit and creaking, will mumble of how this and that point to the winds of change. The younger generation will scoff under their noses and the innocent youth will nod their heads as they are mesmerized by the story. As the 2014 season trundles on to its inevitable conclusion events begin to unfurl that could, and in some cases will, have tremendous impact on the series. Here are a handful of such....
Michelin Test Schedule Announced
Michelin's exit from the premiere class could be seen as both a strategic move, or an ungraceful ousting depending on which conspiracy theory you subscribe to. Amidst the hype and controversy a few key facts seem to remain. After years of being the dominant tire manufacturer Michelin began to suffer some very high profile tire failures that (mostly) coincided with a rule change to eliminate the "overnight specials" that top teams had grown accustomed to. Shortly thereafter Bridgestone emerged as a force to be reckoned with thanks to a strategic pairing with Ducati to develop a tire aimed squarely at beating one Valentino Rossi. Well, yada yada yada, single tire rule and Michelin declined to submit a bid.
Fast forward a few years and just like a boomerang Michelin is back in the series, this time as the new sole provider of rubber for the top flight class. The mere possibility sets the entire lineup for The Michelin Season in question. Few parts as single entities have as dramatic effect on the performance of a motorcycle as the rubber that meets the road. Anyone who questions this is welcome to talk to Ducati, whose MotoGP fortunes plummeted as Bridgestone became less singular in focus. The manufacturer who will make the best use of the technology that Michelin has been developing in their time off will have a distinct jump on the rest of the field.
To ensure that everyone has an equal shot of getting that jump on the grid, Dorna has decreed that every officially sanctioned test of 2015 will include an extra day dedicated solely to trying the offerings from Michelin. The first time that teams will get a peek under the covers will come during February's test in Sepang, where the world will see who has the leg up already and who trails behind. From there it will be a one year arms race to outdo each other in adapting their chassis to the new manufacturer.
Gresini Aprilia
Team Gresini has a long and storied relationship with Honda. Over the years they have built a stellar reputation as one of Honda's top satellite rides. The ultimate sign of Honda's esteem for Gresini is that the team is "allowed" to run a factory backed RC213V on its squad. For a price, to be sure, and under the lose watchful eye for factory engineers to be sure, but the Gresini team is one of the few to peek behind the curtain at what a Honda can truly do outside of the factory.
So it comes as quite the shock to learn that they will be parting ways with their long time partner in favor of running Aprilia kit in 2015. In a climate of shrinking grids and decreasing sponsorship there is likely only one thing that could lure Gresini away - lower running costs and the promise of full factory support. The move itself represents a coup for Aprilia, who inherits one of the best run teams on the grid today, and a loss for Honda.
It is also, in some strange way, a win for the fans who now get to witness the MotoGP grid thrown into disarray. This is well and truly the silly season, and forget everything that happened earlier this year. There was never really any question of where the top 4 would end up. Crutchlow's defection from Ducati was a minor blip on the charts but this... this one is juicy. The rest of the best are now scrambling to see who can snatch up the choicest ride no shackled to a factory, and big money is about to change hands. Scott Redding and the bike that he brings with him are the hottest commodities in motorcycle racing at the moment. All you need is... a couple million euros.
Aprilia to MotoGP in 2015
There has been a lot of upheaval caused by WSBK and MotoGP now falling under the same umbrella. The first shot across the bow was the establishment of the Evo class. Then came news that Evo class would really be the class starting in 2015 and... well to be honest some manufacturers didn't seem all that worried. Kawasaki and BMW have built machines that are beasts in superstock form, and seem to align well with the proposed rule changes. Rumors immediately began swirling, however, that Aprilia may be in trouble. While the RSV4 was, and is, an absolute rocket in superbike trim it seems to struggle when deprived of the delicate touch from the factory.
So it isn't surprising to learn that Aprilia is planning on moving up their timetable in the premiere class. The Italian manufacturer has had mixed success in MotoGP. The Cube project was largely regarded as less than successful, however it brought a host of new technologies to the class that it took years for the larger factories to adopt and perfect. The RSV4 based ART was wildly successful in comparison. While it never made it to a podium, the bike was a revelation about what could be possible. It forced Honda's hand into developing the RCV1000R customer bike, and Yamaha's hand in offering an M1 based customer machine.
Aprilia is hoping to make a splash with their new, ground up design. The only question that remains unanswered is the company's technical prowess since the defection of technical lead Gigi Dal'Igna.
layfull::bounce:
