Official report - MotoGP racing sucks (in terms of competitiveness)

[smileyman]

The series has always been a technical engineering exercise since we are dealing with racing prototypes. Build the better mousetrap and you get it to work to the conditions, then collect the trophy.

What made it different was that in the olden days men had to control the two stroke beasts without rider aids. Not everyone had the touch and the smoothness to do what the machine needed done. Even then there were moments that only physics was in control.

Fast forward and the game is the same only now with rider aids the required skill has been removed from doing the magic from the seat to doing the magic in practice while setting up the bike. Yes the rider needs a special skill set but the machine has become the predominent factor. Make that machine the fastest machine and lap it at the maximum pace it will run for 20-30 laps.

Fail to run it at that pace and inside those parameters and you lose regardless of your actual riding skill. The only chance for a different result is whom Simoncelli runs into.

Formula One Racing in the modern era 1990s and up, has always suffered this problem...

[Dave]

Originally Posted by smileyman

The series has always been a technical engineering exercise since we are dealing with racing prototypes. Build the better mousetrap and you get it to work to the conditions, then collect the trophy.

What made it different was that in the olden days men had to control the two stroke beasts without rider aids. Not everyone had the touch and the smoothness to do what the machine needed done. Even then there were moments that only physics was in control.

Fast forward and the game is the same only now with rider aids the required skill has been removed from doing the magic from the seat to doing the magic in practice while setting up the bike. Yes the rider needs a special skill set but the machine has become the predominent factor. Make that machine the fastest machine and lap it at the maximum pace it will run for 20-30 laps.

Fail to run it at that pace and inside those parameters and you lose regardless of your actual riding skill. The only chance for a different result is whom Simoncelli runs into.

Formula One Racing in the modern era 1990s and up, has always suffered this problem...

F1 needs to go back to 1.5L turbo 4's

[Dave]

Originally Posted by smileyman

The series has always been a technical engineering exercise since we are dealing with racing prototypes. Build the better mousetrap and you get it to work to the conditions, then collect the trophy.

What made it different was that in the olden days men had to control the two stroke beasts without rider aids. Not everyone had the touch and the smoothness to do what the machine needed done. Even then there were moments that only physics was in control.

Fast forward and the game is the same only now with rider aids the required skill has been removed from doing the magic from the seat to doing the magic in practice while setting up the bike. Yes the rider needs a special skill set but the machine has become the predominent factor. Make that machine the fastest machine and lap it at the maximum pace it will run for 20-30 laps.

Fail to run it at that pace and inside those parameters and you lose regardless of your actual riding skill. The only chance for a different result is whom Simoncelli runs into.

Formula One Racing in the modern era 1990s and up, has always suffered this problem...

F1 needs to go back to 1.5L turbos

[anthonyk]

Originally Posted by Dave

F1 needs to go back to 1.5L turbos

They're going to 1.6L turbos in 2014, right?

[smileyman]

Prototype racing will always have a better mousetrap. Someone will engineer an edge so the test will be the machine and not the man. On the other hand we will always have proddy racing too, where control tires and limited changes to the OEM make for a test of a man's skill. Tighter racing and usually larger grids...

I say watch them both and enjoy the drama.

BTW if motorcycle racing ever gets TV production values like F1...We'll have a great show!

[Dave]

Originally Posted by anthonyk

They're going to 1.6L turbos in 2014, right?

Hadn't heard that, I stopped paying attention when they limited them to ten cylinders. Awesome news if true.