Yooperbikemike's 2013 MotoGP Thread

"I would say the two main areas we have to solve are the understeer and make the bike turn better. We made some steps with the aluminum chassis, but for more feeling and more feedback, which was important. But we have not really solved the turning problem. So a lot of the turning problem also leads to other problems on the corner exit and if you cannot make the bike steer you cannot lift the bike up, therefore you don't have as good a traction, tire life is not as good. I would say that's a big problem. And also we still need to smooth the engine on the bottom, the first touch, especially in slower corners to make the throttle be more connected to the rear tire. So for me I would say those are the two main areas to focus on."

IOW, we haven't done dick

bet you can haul a shitload of turnips with that...

Nicky on Rossi's tenure and departure:

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/s...si/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

And where he talks about the problems they need to solve (Still. How many years later?).

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/s...ue/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Sounds like Gino Rea will have a Moto 2 ride on an FTR with the new Ekerold/Stigefelt GP team with some backing by former Williams F1 co-owner Patrick Head.

I hope this is a solid team with solid backing. It will be interesting to see what Gino can do.

And the MILK! Think of all the MILK one can haul...!

For the first-time ever, the second Ducati team will have separate sponsors. Iannone's sponsor has been announced as Italian energy concern Energy TI. Spies will pull the cover off his Desmosedici to reveal the Ignite Pramac Ducati. Ignite Asset Management is a financial services firm based north of New York City.

GP1 is estimating that Ducati lost 6-7 million Euro in sponsorship with the departure of Valentino Rossi, including Italian insurance company Generali.

A casual Googling of Ignite reveals next to nothing. Maybe it's where Spies stashes his Suzuki millions...

I sure hope they have nothing to do with Ignite Energy out of Texas, which is the first thing that pops up when I Google 'Ignite'.

Seems like they will be money ahead by not having to pay Rossi the 15 million euros, no? I realize they gotta pay Hayden, Spies, Dovi, Iannone, but the likelihood of the 4 of them costing what Rossi cost seems slim?

Andrew

PS - Ducati reveals this bike, and the only thing available are crappy low res pics? They must not want anyone scrutinizing pictures too closely

Ben Spies &#8207;<s>@</s>BenSpies11 Great night with the Ducati family and seeing actual emotion out of people enjoying it! pic.twitter.com/M553qkG8




Would seem that Yamaha might have been a bit stuffy?

He's left a team that know's how to win to join one that know's how to party!

Well, I can see nothing wrong with that.

Got more Horse Power.

Gobmeier: "No revolution, but evolution"

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

At this morning&#8217;s press conference at Ducati&#8217;s Wrooom, new General Director of Ducati Corse, Bernhard Gobmeier told the press that he plans to evolve from the current Ducati platform, rather than introduce radical changes.

Gobmeier, just over a week after joining the Italian outfit, highlighted that he&#8217;s &#8220;only been here a few days and it&#8217;s too early to talk about changes. We are still in the analysis phase.&#8221; This was also reflected in the bike for 2013, which, as the German pointed out, at this point is not a new bike, and that the main changes will occur during the testing period and early next season. He commented: &#8220;We will have this bike as the basis. The first steps are to explore its potential, although we have plans for the chassis, electronics and engine already.&#8221;

Part of the development plan is to also take a more structured approach to testing, with Gobmeier commenting that any new development will be thoroughly test before handing it to the official riders, as this has caused confusion in the past. When prompted whether he plans to alter the Ducati approach, ditch the Desmodromic system, and make a bike that not just Casey Stoner can win on he said: &#8220;There is no reason to change an engine that works and is part of Ducati&#8217;s history. As long as the rules allow it, we&#8217;ll remain with the same Desmodromic configuration. And the bike should be rideable for everyone. It should not just be a motorcycle that Casey Stoner can win on. We will not copy a Yamaha, and will stick with the Ducati philosophy."

Filippo Preziosi, who Gobmeier has replaced at Ducati, has moved across to the Italian company&#8217;s road bike operation, yet his ideas will not be disregarded. Gobmeier continued: &#8220;Of course we will use his experience. We are in contact and we both want Ducati to win. His new role will also provide a channel of communication between the Racing Department and Production. In addition to Filippo, I must say that there are other great engineers within Ducati that have great ideas as well. Regarding my ideas, I prefer to talk with them first, and will then tell you."

With Audi in the background, there was speculation about what the German car manufacturer will bring to the table. Gobmeier said that whilst Audi does not have motorcycle technology to share, Ducati will benefit from further testing, manufacturing and engineering facilities.

With regards to the season ahead and how soon he might be able to make an impact, he commented that there are no parts for miraculous change and there are many factors involved in success, starting from the tyres, the team (motivation), the people, the riders, the technicians, and not to mention luck. &#8220;We have to work on all aspects of our bike. There will be no revolutions, as they can destroy both the good and bad things. It will be an evolution.&#8221;

Finally, he stated: "I agree with the approach of Andrea (Dovizioso) in a medium to long term development. Races are in the DNA of Ducati, and this will be a year of development, but that doesn&#8217;t mean we do not want results. To reach the top we will need some time, and with the changes in the 2014 regulations, this represents an important opportunity for us to bridge the gap with those ahead of us."

Translation: We got nothing new, I have no idea how we're going to change it and we're going to continue to ignore Hayden's input. (Editorial Comment -- To be fair, Gobmeier, when he was at BMW, took a bike that was considered nearly unridable and turned it into a race winner. Granted, that only happened after BMW <s>poached</s> hired Yamaha Italia's data techs.)

That says it all to me. 2013 is going to be yet another year of slow development, but results would be nice if they happen. (my rewording )

I'm now hoping that the Ducs gets even slower as the CRT's get faster. Then maybe we'll see some racing at the back, as long as the cameras are on. :eek1

These last several posts are really getting me excited for the 2013 MotoGP seasozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Y'know, the Ducatis still aren't very attractive to look at compared to the Honda and Yamaha. And I'm still a believer that good looking bikes tend to be the winners. They still look like the Desmosedici from a few years ago, which I thought was kind of lumpy (and yes, it tested my good looking wins rule ). So I predict another frustrating year for our boys in red.