The secrets of the tests.
An interview with rider “X”
Yesterday’s tests. What do you think?
I think they’re mad at Ducati. Very clever but mad.
Why?
They’re showing their cards. Stoner on the new bike went out and lapped in 49.3 then at the second lap he put in a 42.8. He likes the bike but it’s not new new. I think only the chassis was new. Of course they’re going to go ahead with development. However if they get the chassis right with the engine they’ve got they’re already half way through the work and then it’ll be trouble. And we’re not even one third through the season.
Suppo however says that it won’t be used in races until next year?
And you believe him? I mean, if they’ve got a chassis which is going better with the same engine, give me just one reason why they should keep it in the freezer till next season.
Frankly I really wouldn’t know.
Look they could even have said nothing. With the brains around here probably almost nobody would have noticed.
Well it’s enough for just one person to notice, the end result would be the same.
Do you know how many things have happened under your noses throughout the years without you guys even noticing?
For example?
Well for example the Yamaha went on with the 2005 chassis for a lifetime, practically including all of last year and meanwhile you were being told they had a new chassis. They talked freely about a new chassis to resolve Valentino’s chattering issues. Instead they’d just gone back to the 2005 one. And you guys were saying the bike went better with the new chassis. And Yamaha was running the old one. Just forget it.
But the idea of a chassis in carbon fibre? What do you think?
It’s not a new idea. Others have already tried and discarded it. But this time it’s different. Because the Ducati chassis is not a large load bearing structure. It’s two short arms which come out of the airbox, practically it’s the airbox which becomes a chassis. The load bearing element is still the engine which however still has torsional problems of its own, so this is being resolved by holding it in a carbon fiber vice. You’ll see, it’ll work. And well too. And if it works well it’s also a great marketing coup, because a novelty like that can replace even what’s currently on the market. If it works, in a few years from now the Ducati will no longer be the bike with tube frame chassis but the bike with a carbon fiber chassis. Nobody complains and all Ducatisti will know they have something exclusive.
But?
But Stoner is really something else. That is, he tries something new and on his second lap he puts in a hair raising time.
And Melandri?
Melandri didn’t have it. We’ll see today. Maybe it’ll be a change for the better.
Stoner was faster than Rossi.
Pity it was Monday. On Sunday Rossi won the duel. And it was a hard one because there was Stoner’s victory from last year to be washed away. And it was washed. And how.
Suppo just reminded me that it’s been 6 races out of 7 that Rossi has done better than Casey.
It’s good of him to admit that. As long as he admits it it means they’re motivated to try and turn the situation around. It’s not over. You’ll see.
Other things that we haven’t noticed? That we haven’t understood?
Honda’s electronics, it’s outrageous that you guys don’t know that the official bikes and the client ones have totally different electronics.
In what sense? Can you explain it in an elementary manner?
Of course, because the whole concept is elementary. The official Honda bikes have that system which is now widely used, even in 250, where the cpu output is mapped according to where the bike is on the track. Basically the bike is aware. On the client bikes however the gearing is mapped and that’s it. At any point on the track each gear will work in the same way. And please note there’s a huge difference between a bike that is programmed curve by curve and one that is programmed gear by gear.
Too much?
Too much according to me. Too much to bring out the true value of the rider. That only emphasises exactly how great a race De Angelis had at Mugello and Dovizioso in Barcellona.
You don’t like electronics. But are you happy with your season so far?
Maybe. Maybe not. If I say it’ll be easy to understand who I am. Actually, what have you called me?
X
Like Jackie X, the guy of the cars?
No, just like any guy called X who remains anonymous.
Stupid.
But effective.
An interview with rider “X”
Yesterday’s tests. What do you think?
I think they’re mad at Ducati. Very clever but mad.
Why?
They’re showing their cards. Stoner on the new bike went out and lapped in 49.3 then at the second lap he put in a 42.8. He likes the bike but it’s not new new. I think only the chassis was new. Of course they’re going to go ahead with development. However if they get the chassis right with the engine they’ve got they’re already half way through the work and then it’ll be trouble. And we’re not even one third through the season.
Suppo however says that it won’t be used in races until next year?
And you believe him? I mean, if they’ve got a chassis which is going better with the same engine, give me just one reason why they should keep it in the freezer till next season.
Frankly I really wouldn’t know.
Look they could even have said nothing. With the brains around here probably almost nobody would have noticed.
Well it’s enough for just one person to notice, the end result would be the same.
Do you know how many things have happened under your noses throughout the years without you guys even noticing?
For example?
Well for example the Yamaha went on with the 2005 chassis for a lifetime, practically including all of last year and meanwhile you were being told they had a new chassis. They talked freely about a new chassis to resolve Valentino’s chattering issues. Instead they’d just gone back to the 2005 one. And you guys were saying the bike went better with the new chassis. And Yamaha was running the old one. Just forget it.
But the idea of a chassis in carbon fibre? What do you think?
It’s not a new idea. Others have already tried and discarded it. But this time it’s different. Because the Ducati chassis is not a large load bearing structure. It’s two short arms which come out of the airbox, practically it’s the airbox which becomes a chassis. The load bearing element is still the engine which however still has torsional problems of its own, so this is being resolved by holding it in a carbon fiber vice. You’ll see, it’ll work. And well too. And if it works well it’s also a great marketing coup, because a novelty like that can replace even what’s currently on the market. If it works, in a few years from now the Ducati will no longer be the bike with tube frame chassis but the bike with a carbon fiber chassis. Nobody complains and all Ducatisti will know they have something exclusive.
But?
But Stoner is really something else. That is, he tries something new and on his second lap he puts in a hair raising time.
And Melandri?
Melandri didn’t have it. We’ll see today. Maybe it’ll be a change for the better.
Stoner was faster than Rossi.
Pity it was Monday. On Sunday Rossi won the duel. And it was a hard one because there was Stoner’s victory from last year to be washed away. And it was washed. And how.
Suppo just reminded me that it’s been 6 races out of 7 that Rossi has done better than Casey.
It’s good of him to admit that. As long as he admits it it means they’re motivated to try and turn the situation around. It’s not over. You’ll see.
Other things that we haven’t noticed? That we haven’t understood?
Honda’s electronics, it’s outrageous that you guys don’t know that the official bikes and the client ones have totally different electronics.
In what sense? Can you explain it in an elementary manner?
Of course, because the whole concept is elementary. The official Honda bikes have that system which is now widely used, even in 250, where the cpu output is mapped according to where the bike is on the track. Basically the bike is aware. On the client bikes however the gearing is mapped and that’s it. At any point on the track each gear will work in the same way. And please note there’s a huge difference between a bike that is programmed curve by curve and one that is programmed gear by gear.
Too much?
Too much according to me. Too much to bring out the true value of the rider. That only emphasises exactly how great a race De Angelis had at Mugello and Dovizioso in Barcellona.
You don’t like electronics. But are you happy with your season so far?
Maybe. Maybe not. If I say it’ll be easy to understand who I am. Actually, what have you called me?
X
Like Jackie X, the guy of the cars?
No, just like any guy called X who remains anonymous.
Stupid.
But effective.
