It looks like at least one of the reasons behind Colin Edwards’ early retirement form his position as a contracted rider for NGM Forward Yamaha is his commitment as a test rider for Michelin. After the official tire supplier for MotoGP Bridgestone announced they are no longer interested in the business, a tender was called and Michelin became the new tire supplier. However, after negotiations, Bridgestone agreed to supply tires through the end of the 2015 season, allowing Michelin to develop their new 17” range.
The relationship between Michelin and Edwards was older, speedweek reports, but as time was ticking away, the tire manufacturer had to actually start testing really soon, and Edwards’ schedule as a full-time MotoGP rider was incompatible with his duties as a tire tester. Michelin is said to have made a special deal with both Forward Racing and Yamaha for an early release of Colin Edwards.
Even more, the same source mentions that the Texas Tornado also tested for Michelin even before Bridgestone became the official supplier for MotoGP, so now he’s only back for more similar work, only at a higher level.
After the rookie rule of MotoGP was changed to allow Honda to move Marc Marquez directly into the factory team, instead of having him for at least one year in a satellite outfit, it looks like the minimal age for entering in the Grand Prix racing will once more get a waiver. Sources say that Moto3 team Estrella Galicia 0,0 is eyeing bumping Alex Rins and Alex Marquez into Moto2 next season, and is therefore looking for replacement riders.
Problem is that one of the young guns they’re trying to bring into the GP is 15-year-old French Fabio Quartararo, and this doesn’t exactly work with the actual 16 years of age rule. Quartararo will be 16 in April 2015, and this means that he would miss the first two races. CMG says that the FIM and Dorna are already making an exception to allow the French to ride even before he’s 16. Wonder whether such exceptions would apply to other than Spanish teams…
Finally, Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna says that he’s quite confident that the “reds” can become as competitive as Honda… much like any other factory team could. However, taking a peek at the first 11 races of the 2014 season, it is clear that making such a claim is infinitely easier than actually fielding a bike to give Honda a run for its money.
While Yamaha has always been almost on par with Honda, the gap Ducati machinery has at the end of a race is still speaking for itself. In the end, it’s not the position in the race that matters, as it is the gap after 20 or so laps. At Brno, the third position on the podium was 5 second adrift the leader and the best Ducati, Andrea Iannone was 5th, but 17 and a half second slower than the best time, still 7 seconds adrift a rather slow Marquez, who finished 4th.
This is where the difference in competitiveness is best observed, Dall’Igna says, but this is also the very reason why the Desmosedici GP15 will not be present at the post-race test in Valencia. There is still a lot of work to do, and according to the Ducati Corse boss, the engineers and mechanics are working around the clock to find the optimal solution for the understeering issue which has been plaguing Ducati for at least 3 and a half seasons.
Audi has also become involved in developing certain aspects regarding the engine and electronics, but Dall’Igna smiles and says that bikes and cars remain two exceedingly different things, despite some common parts.
However, few efforts have been spared in the development of the new bike, the Ducati official adds. He admits that Andrea Iannone might receive at least one penalty through the end of the season, because of exceeding the engine allowance. Testing a lot, Iannone went through 9 of the total of 12 engines for the current season, but Dall’Igna also envisages Iannone’s pit lane start as a necessary sacrifice, if needed. “The main goal for this season is the engine development,” he says.
The GP15 prototype will only be delivered to the pilots in February, at Sepang, whereas Honda and Yamaha have already tested the 2015 machines in the Brno post-race session. Some even say that Dall’Igna also want to make sure that Cal Crutchlow doesn’t know anything when he leaves from Ducati to join Honda’s satellite team LCR after Valencia…
Even more, the same source mentions that the Texas Tornado also tested for Michelin even before Bridgestone became the official supplier for MotoGP, so now he’s only back for more similar work, only at a higher level.
After the rookie rule of MotoGP was changed to allow Honda to move Marc Marquez directly into the factory team, instead of having him for at least one year in a satellite outfit, it looks like the minimal age for entering in the Grand Prix racing will once more get a waiver. Sources say that Moto3 team Estrella Galicia 0,0 is eyeing bumping Alex Rins and Alex Marquez into Moto2 next season, and is therefore looking for replacement riders.
Problem is that one of the young guns they’re trying to bring into the GP is 15-year-old French Fabio Quartararo, and this doesn’t exactly work with the actual 16 years of age rule. Quartararo will be 16 in April 2015, and this means that he would miss the first two races. CMG says that the FIM and Dorna are already making an exception to allow the French to ride even before he’s 16. Wonder whether such exceptions would apply to other than Spanish teams…
Finally, Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna says that he’s quite confident that the “reds” can become as competitive as Honda… much like any other factory team could. However, taking a peek at the first 11 races of the 2014 season, it is clear that making such a claim is infinitely easier than actually fielding a bike to give Honda a run for its money.
While Yamaha has always been almost on par with Honda, the gap Ducati machinery has at the end of a race is still speaking for itself. In the end, it’s not the position in the race that matters, as it is the gap after 20 or so laps. At Brno, the third position on the podium was 5 second adrift the leader and the best Ducati, Andrea Iannone was 5th, but 17 and a half second slower than the best time, still 7 seconds adrift a rather slow Marquez, who finished 4th.
This is where the difference in competitiveness is best observed, Dall’Igna says, but this is also the very reason why the Desmosedici GP15 will not be present at the post-race test in Valencia. There is still a lot of work to do, and according to the Ducati Corse boss, the engineers and mechanics are working around the clock to find the optimal solution for the understeering issue which has been plaguing Ducati for at least 3 and a half seasons.
Audi has also become involved in developing certain aspects regarding the engine and electronics, but Dall’Igna smiles and says that bikes and cars remain two exceedingly different things, despite some common parts.
However, few efforts have been spared in the development of the new bike, the Ducati official adds. He admits that Andrea Iannone might receive at least one penalty through the end of the season, because of exceeding the engine allowance. Testing a lot, Iannone went through 9 of the total of 12 engines for the current season, but Dall’Igna also envisages Iannone’s pit lane start as a necessary sacrifice, if needed. “The main goal for this season is the engine development,” he says.
The GP15 prototype will only be delivered to the pilots in February, at Sepang, whereas Honda and Yamaha have already tested the 2015 machines in the Brno post-race session. Some even say that Dall’Igna also want to make sure that Cal Crutchlow doesn’t know anything when he leaves from Ducati to join Honda’s satellite team LCR after Valencia…
Google News