Joined Apr 2008
7K Posts | 3K+
Out of Nowhere
I hear that despite the ban, fox hunting is quite popular in North London still...only they clearly suck at it.
I hear that despite the ban, fox hunting is quite popular in North London still...only they clearly suck at it.
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Canada clubs baby seals!
And I am all for enjoying a gun or 5, but it's still an outdated practice from the Wild West days. Don't get me wrong, I partake, but only because it's allowed.
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
I missed the article - but had already proposed that last weekend's crash-fest was likely in large part due to the ..... track surface. So many crashes in practice were in the same corner that claimed MM and Dovi, and the same was true for the Moto 2 race on Dunlops.
Not saying Michelins haven't been awful thus far - but when Lorenzo can go out and break the track record on 'em - you know Michelin is moving in the right direction.
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
They set track records at Qatar, then proceeded to .... the bed in Argentina. Qatar they were desperate to get right to try and make a statement about their tires versus the Bridgestones. Let's not forget that the teams all were testing two weeks before the grand prix which also helped the situation quite a bit so Michelin could get more data.
I was back in Aus. Great reception.
So I'm assuming you were at the humped beast in need of a drink?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Joined Jul 2006
11K Posts | 291+
Texas
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
Fair observation. But no two weeks testing by MGP teams at Le Mans. True it's home turf, but one wonders what bikes they use for test there, surely they're not GP bikes.
Joined Oct 2015
2K Posts | 827+
Texas
MOTOGP: PEDROSA REVEALS THE HONDA RC213V’S ISSUES
The MotoGP race at Le Mans, France, was not kind to the Repsol Honda squad of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. Marquez crashed out while battling with Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso (both riders lowsided in Turn 7 simultaneously) and stated afterward that he was having to ride on the limit every lap to stay with the leaders. Pedrosa finished fourth, but much of that finish was due to several other riders crashing out of the race in front of him. So what exactly makes the Honda so difficult to ride this year? Is it the new engine with counter rotating crankshaft? Is it the lack of ability to adapt to the new ECU software? Is it the Michelin tires? With precision and clarity, Pedrosa explains what has been happening with the new bike.
The Repsol Honda squad have been struggling in 2016, but especially Dani Pedrosa. Even so, he still sits fourth in the MotoGP Championship standings.
The MotoGP race at Le Mans, France, was not kind to the Repsol Honda squad of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. Marquez crashed out while battling with Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso (both riders lowsided in Turn 7 simultaneously) and stated afterward that he was having to ride on the limit every lap to stay with the leaders. Pedrosa finished fourth, but much of that finish was due to several other riders crashing out of the race in front of him. So what exactly makes the Honda so difficult to ride this year? Is it the new engine with counter rotating crankshaft? Is it the lack of ability to adapt to the new ECU software? Is it the Michelin tires? With precision and clarity, Pedrosa explains what has been happening with the new bike.
"I'll explain in concept, rather than every detail, because there are many things that affect each other,” Pedrosa states, before elaborating further. “The basic problem is that we lack of acceleration or the ability to apply power. We’re not lacking horsepower, because in 4th, 5th and 6th gear the bike is accelerating and increasing speed, but it’s either the grip or wheelies or the power delivery or change in delivery that causes an issue, because in some of the changes the difference is very clear. At this circuit (Le Mans), it is more obvious than at others because there are many more acceleration points.”
It’s a problem that stays hidden unless he is running with someone else on the track. “For example, in practice you can follow someone and well, you're seeing that the times are two tenths, three tenths down when the tire is new. You go a little longer and then say, ‘I’ll stop, I don’t understand where I’m losing time.’ But of course when you get to the race and you’re out front, you find that out of the corners the problem doesn’t appear to be happening. It’s something you don’t notice when you're riding alone because you already are near that limit, wheelying and sliding everywhere.
“I don’t know how the race went for Marc, but in mine, I was with the two Yamaha satellites and both Suzukis. At the beginning it was almost impossible to stay with them because I was losing so much time (under acceleration). I could not recover (that lost ground) under braking because the grip was not very good. Then, when the tank was getting empty, I could brake later and the balance was a little different. Then my pace was as good as those in the front and I passed some and others had crashed, but it was too late.
“Every acceleration point was easy for the first two or three tenths and then it was impossible to overtake, because of course you accelerate and try to stay with them…and then when you get to the braking, you're too far behind. To get ahead I had to pass people on the brakes. I tried to overtake Bradley (Smith) because he was slower, but there was no way to do it; at the end of the straights I was always too far behind, and I was losing laps stuck behind him. In the end I found some way to get in front so then I could take a steady pace. It was the same pace that I had in FP1, the same times, but we couldn’t get ahead. The key problem is the acceleration. There is no acceleration so we gifted time to everyone whenever we were on a straight.”
Pedrosa is also being frustrated by qualifying, and knows that a better grid position will help him avoid being stuck behind slower riders because of the bike’s issues. “Another key was also the qualifying. I tried to do better qualifying, but it seems that every time I try harder, I get worse. So I’ll see if next time I can try something different, if I go calmer and position myself ahead and start the race without losing four to six seconds in the first two laps, because I usually get behind. The bike is different, the tires are different and electronics are different, so altogether much more than last year. For now the strategy is to improve the first part of the race and see where I am hurting in the second part. But if I gain a lot in the first and lose a bit in the second, the change will likely be from 15 seconds to five or seven seconds from the front because I'll gain more than I lose, then it will be better to improve the beginning of the race."
source: MotoGP: Pedrosa reveals the Honda RC213V?s issues | Sport Rider
The MotoGP race at Le Mans, France, was not kind to the Repsol Honda squad of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. Marquez crashed out while battling with Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso (both riders lowsided in Turn 7 simultaneously) and stated afterward that he was having to ride on the limit every lap to stay with the leaders. Pedrosa finished fourth, but much of that finish was due to several other riders crashing out of the race in front of him. So what exactly makes the Honda so difficult to ride this year? Is it the new engine with counter rotating crankshaft? Is it the lack of ability to adapt to the new ECU software? Is it the Michelin tires? With precision and clarity, Pedrosa explains what has been happening with the new bike.
The Repsol Honda squad have been struggling in 2016, but especially Dani Pedrosa. Even so, he still sits fourth in the MotoGP Championship standings.
The MotoGP race at Le Mans, France, was not kind to the Repsol Honda squad of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. Marquez crashed out while battling with Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso (both riders lowsided in Turn 7 simultaneously) and stated afterward that he was having to ride on the limit every lap to stay with the leaders. Pedrosa finished fourth, but much of that finish was due to several other riders crashing out of the race in front of him. So what exactly makes the Honda so difficult to ride this year? Is it the new engine with counter rotating crankshaft? Is it the lack of ability to adapt to the new ECU software? Is it the Michelin tires? With precision and clarity, Pedrosa explains what has been happening with the new bike.
"I'll explain in concept, rather than every detail, because there are many things that affect each other,” Pedrosa states, before elaborating further. “The basic problem is that we lack of acceleration or the ability to apply power. We’re not lacking horsepower, because in 4th, 5th and 6th gear the bike is accelerating and increasing speed, but it’s either the grip or wheelies or the power delivery or change in delivery that causes an issue, because in some of the changes the difference is very clear. At this circuit (Le Mans), it is more obvious than at others because there are many more acceleration points.”
It’s a problem that stays hidden unless he is running with someone else on the track. “For example, in practice you can follow someone and well, you're seeing that the times are two tenths, three tenths down when the tire is new. You go a little longer and then say, ‘I’ll stop, I don’t understand where I’m losing time.’ But of course when you get to the race and you’re out front, you find that out of the corners the problem doesn’t appear to be happening. It’s something you don’t notice when you're riding alone because you already are near that limit, wheelying and sliding everywhere.
“I don’t know how the race went for Marc, but in mine, I was with the two Yamaha satellites and both Suzukis. At the beginning it was almost impossible to stay with them because I was losing so much time (under acceleration). I could not recover (that lost ground) under braking because the grip was not very good. Then, when the tank was getting empty, I could brake later and the balance was a little different. Then my pace was as good as those in the front and I passed some and others had crashed, but it was too late.
“Every acceleration point was easy for the first two or three tenths and then it was impossible to overtake, because of course you accelerate and try to stay with them…and then when you get to the braking, you're too far behind. To get ahead I had to pass people on the brakes. I tried to overtake Bradley (Smith) because he was slower, but there was no way to do it; at the end of the straights I was always too far behind, and I was losing laps stuck behind him. In the end I found some way to get in front so then I could take a steady pace. It was the same pace that I had in FP1, the same times, but we couldn’t get ahead. The key problem is the acceleration. There is no acceleration so we gifted time to everyone whenever we were on a straight.”
Pedrosa is also being frustrated by qualifying, and knows that a better grid position will help him avoid being stuck behind slower riders because of the bike’s issues. “Another key was also the qualifying. I tried to do better qualifying, but it seems that every time I try harder, I get worse. So I’ll see if next time I can try something different, if I go calmer and position myself ahead and start the race without losing four to six seconds in the first two laps, because I usually get behind. The bike is different, the tires are different and electronics are different, so altogether much more than last year. For now the strategy is to improve the first part of the race and see where I am hurting in the second part. But if I gain a lot in the first and lose a bit in the second, the change will likely be from 15 seconds to five or seven seconds from the front because I'll gain more than I lose, then it will be better to improve the beginning of the race."
source: MotoGP: Pedrosa reveals the Honda RC213V?s issues | Sport Rider
Joined Jul 2011
1K Posts | 872+
Dont Know
Honda has always been reluctant to run engines with a balance shaft, presumably as they reduce max power. So this Honda engine is the usual screamer firing order which is perfectly balanced, while all the others ala Yamaha, Suzuki I4's, but more notably Ducati and Aprilia V4s are running big bang firing orders with balance shafts.
The big bang engines always seamed to allow better corner exit, as they can put down more power earlier. Honda previously had electronic trickery to compensate, still even with Stoner and Pedro it was a real art form how they used to pick the bike up really early on corner exit to stop the rear spinning. But now they are struggling so I wonder how long they can hold out until they relent to a big bang engine. Certainly trackside the Honda's sound wicked with a higher bitched scream rather than the big bang baritone, sounding good doesn't win races though.
The big bang engines always seamed to allow better corner exit, as they can put down more power earlier. Honda previously had electronic trickery to compensate, still even with Stoner and Pedro it was a real art form how they used to pick the bike up really early on corner exit to stop the rear spinning. But now they are struggling so I wonder how long they can hold out until they relent to a big bang engine. Certainly trackside the Honda's sound wicked with a higher bitched scream rather than the big bang baritone, sounding good doesn't win races though.
Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
Joined Apr 2008
7K Posts | 3K+
Out of Nowhere
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
