MotoGP 2018

providing everything else is equal... length/suspension/electronics
Everything else being equal includes the rules of being limited to 20 liters of fuel per race. If we throw all the rules out the window, the lap times will improve, but don't think that will happen. One needs to consider that Mugello has the longest straight at 3/4 of a mile and the fastest speed so far was Petrucci's Duc doing 219 mph on a shorter straight Losail. The thing is they have to do this 24 times including braking acceleration and not burning through the tires and the fuel.

We the Busa crowd are proud when we reach the 200mph on a straight mile, maybe a few runs. Totally differrent ball game.

You are an HP junkie, but there is a bit more to this than that.
 
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providing everything else is equal... length/suspension/electronics

Read this article:
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/superbikes/wsb-bike-faster-motogp-bike

Quote 1

Racing is all about grip. And the more horsepower you have, the less power matters and more grip matters, because it’s all about getting that power to the ground. This becomes apparent if we compare lap times at actual MotoGP and WSB events at Jerez.

Quote 2

The gap shrank dramatically due to a change of tyres and subsequent reduced grip. At the 2016 Jerez GP Michelin supplied extra-hard rears, after Scott Redding had delaminated a tyre in Argentina. The Jerez tyre caused wheelspin, even in a straight-line in fifth gear. Hence the race was 31 seconds slower than the 2015 Jerez GP.
 
The direction of this thread made me think of Rich Oliver for some reason. :fire:http://www.cyclenews.com/2014/06/article/archives-oliver-beats-goliath/

MotoGP is now (practically) all about tire management. So much so, that Ducati has enlisted MegaRide to help them manage it. I suspect that the others are already doing something similar; that is the game now. In its element, a high horsepower Hayabusa is a beautiful thing, but if you think for a second that there is a damn thing you could do to stave off the onslaught of even the lowliest MotoGP bike on a road course you are just kidding yourself. A drag strip or a top speed venue is another matter, but that is not (at least it didn't start that way) the focus of this thread.
 
Sooo.... Getting back on track who is your favorite for Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas this weekend?

If Marquez has the same form as before there will be no contest. Will be interesting to see how he and Rossi react towards each other should they both be competitive.

Go Rossi, go!!!
 
Race weekend has begun with a bang in Austin. The press conferences are about what you would suspect, ironically Jack Miller seems to be the most reasonable sounding of the bunch! Esparagaro is on the war path with Petrucci, which to my mind is as much about staying relevant in the class as it is about any real safety concern. Several of these guys are about to be ousted from the class by younger hungrier talent and it is showing. Espargaro brothers, Redding, Smith, Abraham etc are all wearing meat pants and the wolves are out!

Sounds like COTA tried to smooth the track by grinding off the bumps, but in doing so may have created more of a problem for everyone. The resulting grooves could tear the tires apart; this combined with the differing rubber compounds (Michelin and Dunlop)being laid down by the different classes, and questionable weather means we may see mandatory pit stops. Hope not, the last thing they need right now is more Argentina action. Hell the press center might melt down in the aftermath!

Randy Mamola is being inducted as a legend of MotoGP this weekend, much to the dismay of Johan Zarco. He is calling the powers that be out, as Mamola never actually won a championship. Mamola is definitely legendary but he and Pedrosa are likely the 2 winningest riders to have never won the big show.

Cota has done a pretty cool tribute to Nicky by putting large 69 Logo on the hillside at turn 19.

As for a favorite its going to be hard to bet against Marquez here. But I will do it anyway. I'll go with Dovi, just because Marquez and Rossi are more worried about one another than the race.
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Marquez,especially if he gets out front at the start and doesn't have to worry about penalties for passing/bumping slower riders in his way.Dovi will have the usual hp advantage on the straights(doesn't do much good to be four or five bike lengths ahead of him coming out of a corner when the Ducati has the power to catch back up on the straights,those other teams need to find a few extra hp for their riders).
 
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Sooo.... Getting back on track who is your favorite for Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas this weekend?

If Marquez has the same form as before there will be no contest. Will be interesting to see how he and Rossi react towards each other should they both be competitive.

Go Rossi, go!!!

I’m hoping the Doctor and baby face do not end up racing each other while other riders are racing to win. This just slows both of them down.
 
If an Aussie is complaining about the dust , then believe that it's bad... What's the story with track preparation this year ... it's like the $ were misspent . Hope the bikes can be safely configured for track , and we get a great as expected , US Moto GP . Hope Miller goes hard and tops the podium , truly even with Rossi , in the twisted toad mind ...:thumbsup:
 
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It still amazes me that these guys can ride up and over 200 mph (every freakin lap) for twenty laps. That wouldn’t be so shocking but to brake hard enuf to scrub off 150 mph (every freakin lap)....:beerchug:. Only the select few eh?:thumbsup: Dayum!
 
Watching the Qs it certain that the pavement is bad. Even leaned way over you can see their front ends bouncing. Hopefully their forks can keep their tires
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planted or we’re gonna see some slides and crashes. Oh, I got in a 100 mile ride around a nearby lake before my allergies started to blur my eyes. Nice day though, just wish Spring would...get over already!:confused:
 
What’s the point of the pit crew members wearing those semi bicycle helmets? The bikes don’t pit except for a bike swap, no pit work like F1 or Indy cars so why? I can see dust swirls in sections of the track too especially if they’re off line even a bit. The pre race scraping of the pavement is going to chew up the tires as well. Good luck boys especially when slowing from 200+ down to a first gear corner lap after lap. I see that baby face is already pissing off some riders during Qs.:confused:
 
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