Yooperbikemike's 2013 MotoGP Thread

Why is everyone shocked and amazed and acting like this has never happened before?
Rossi last year...(Hector Barbera and Casey Stoner also had chunking issues)


Dani in 2009...


http://www.bikesportnews.com/news-detail.cfm?newsid=7421



It isn't new...it has happened before and it will happen again.

Comforting thought at 300+kph eh?

You take the worlds most powerful motorcycles, you develop a tire to take the most physically demanding stresses in motorsports and you hope for the best. Most of the time, they get it right. Sometimes, they get it wrong.

When it happened at Assen last year, nobody said, "Oh...Bridgestone must not have tested enough..."
When it happened to Dani in 2009, it was attributed to a manufacturing hiccup.

Bridgestone came into the race with as much information as they could attain short of a top name rider on a top flight bike and a weekend worth of testing and they miscalculated.

They took a risk by supplying a tire without having 100% of the data they needed. That risk *normally* pays off...this time it didn't.


Talk to test pilots about risk...about taking a plane up that seems to work great on paper but then crashes in a fiery ball of...well...fire.

The point is, it is all about calculated risk.
I am not trying to be the devil's advocate here but shit has happened before and shit will happen again. Best to learn as much as you can from it and move on.

Source?

Agree with the rest of your post but I don't think that statement is accurate.

Amazing that the major limiting factor that Dorna puts on these bikes is the one item that has the greatest safety risk to not only the riders, but the whole show (as seen last weekend).

Andrew

So you don't think that connecting a motorcycle, leaned over, at 200+mph on a contact patch the size of a credit card requires a tire that can handle immense physical forces?

Compare this to a NASCRAP slick or a Formula 1 slick...those tires have massive contact patches comparatively.
They spread the force of braking through all 4 contact patches while a MotoGP bike is a lot of time 100% braking on just the front tire.

From: http://www.motogp.com/en/MotoGP+Basics/tyres

After 11 laps?

Rossi pitted at like lap 13 at Assen in 2012 and swapped out his rear tire.
By then, the tire had lost several chunks about the diameter of a baseball.

I never said the tire is not handling high forces. I am just not convinced it's the most demanding tire application in motorsports. It wouldn't take much to convince me, just a quote from a tire engineer from Bridgestone or Pirelli would be enough.

I have actually read that top fuel dragsters/funny cars is the most demanding tire application in motorsports. That was a comment from a Goodyear person but, goodyear aint making motogp tires.

Can´t remember them getting the tyres so wrong before, that nobody could do no more than 10 laps, or they will be toast. Ok, Marquez did, and his rear was in a dangerous condition.

Besides, Bridgestone claims that they will be able to make a tyre, that will last the distance for 2014. So they admit, that lack of testing was really the only reason.

(BTW, Stoner lives in Oz, has tested for Honda just lately, and does go pretty well at PI...)

I agree with you Pecha...but several riders claimed that they were able to go over 20 laps on the same tires with little to no issues...

swimmer...several publications are available on the subject...
Vehicle Dynamics and Control, 2005, R. Rajamani
Tire and Vehicle Dynamics, 2005, H.B. Pacejka
Contact Mechanics, 1987, K.L. Johnson
Vehicle Dynamics: Theory and Application, 2009, R. N. Jazar

Unfortunately, I don't have the ISDN's handy atm...

Anyway, I won't deny that the rotational forces in top fuel dragsters are immense but you are placing force on the tire in 2 planes...while a motorcycle tire up to 4 planes of directional force.

While the Wikipedia explanation simplifies things quite a bit, it is still a good read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_and_motorcycle_dynamics

In comparison, the elaborate explanation of car tire dynamics doesn't require nearly as much to explain:
http://www.menet.umn.edu/~gurkan/Tire Modeling Lecture.pdf

Meanwhile, Yamaha are reported to have asked for the incident between Lorenzo and Marquez - who made contact in Australia as Marquez rejoined the circuit following his late pit stop - to be examined by Race Direction...

just read this on Crash .... the things Yamaha will do to win ... tossers
JL already said it was a 50/50

I disagree - MM seemed to move into the racing line when he should have stayed left. As the pit speed limit was extended to the end of the lane, there was no way he could have been anywhere near race speed.

MM already has a full dance card - this could see him at the back of the grid.

As JL said he braked late and took a wider line

Jorge's perception of what exactly happened isn't gonna be the same as an external observer. Heat of the moment, Ludicrous Speed, intense focus and all that.
Some have stated that MM was in the wrong. If that's the case, then I don't blame anyone who wants a review. The rules are there and a review is legal so I can see their point.

your missing the point JL said he ran wide and it was 50/50

My guess is that the touch at PI wasn't completely accidental, and that Lorenzo would like to dish out more payback for Jerez. Taking out a teammate sure isn't something Pedrosa can ever get away with again, but Lorenzo's ironic statements regarding Marquez and penalties might be a foreshadowing that he's ready to make the last two rounds a little more physical.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that was one somber pre-event conference. Gotta wonder what happened before cameras were rolling.

Your comment about Yamaha being "tossers" would seem call into question your impartiality in this matter. Notwithstanding the fact that it would be difficult for an international corporation to indulge in this Aussie pastime, this is an area where MM has previous form and to rely on JL’s recollection of a split second may be a bit generous.

Seems to me that the stress is building big time .... Not a fan of JL tho, seems he only gets the title when Rossi and Stoner hurt themselves

Lol. No that was the point of my argument.

It's like in hockey when they call for a video replay to see if the puck went in. Ask 4 players and you'll get different answers. Their opinion doesn't count when you watch the replay.
BTW I'm a fan of them all; no favourite really. I have to admit that Jorge is incredibly smooth though, and honourable of him to admit 50/50 blame. But he's on a team, and they may see it differently.