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MotoGP, Ducati, Honda and Yamaha: 2017 technical tests

The three Manufacturers are already hard at work on the bikes for next year with more or less pronounced evolutions and revolutions

Ducati, Honda and Yamaha: 2017 technical tests

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It may seem almost absurd, but despite the fact that the current championship title still being up for grabs, MotoGP has been in the 2017 mind-set for a while already. We are not talking about the riders, but the manufacturers who have been rolling up their sleeves for months now, preparing for next season. The August tests at Brno were historically the chance for the Japanese to introduce next year’s bikes, but that was not the case this time.

This does not mean that the racing departments are slacking off; to the contrary, preparations are intensely underway and Honda, Ducati and Yamaha have much work to do. Because in MotoGP, the rider still makes the difference, not miracles, and nothing is more counterproductive than having a champion on a bike that is not up to the job.

HONDA AND ITS ENGINE - In Tokyo they have already been hard at work preparing for 2017 and both Marquez and Pedrosa have already been able to sample the V4 for next year, first at Misano and then at Aragon. In past seasons, the powerplant had not exactly won over the riders and this time HRC wanted to get ahead of the game.

Partly because the rules prohibit not only development during the championship season, but they also require all the units to be delivered at the first race. This means that if something goes wrong and it is discovered too late, there is no time to address the problem.

The tests in Italy and Spain came in handy for gathering useful information in view of Valencia, when the riders will have the chance to give the engineers their final indications for the winter homework.

Overall, the RC213V is the bike that has been refined the most during the course of this year. We are not talking about any great revolutions, but some painstaking work that allowed no less than 4 riders to win in her saddle. This is a feat that no other manufacturer managed to achieve, so it must mean something.

YAMAHA PREPARES FOR THE REVOLUTION - Maybe it is too strong a word and it probably will not be a radical upheaval, but the M1 seems to be in need of a facelift. Lately, even Valentino has reminded the mechanics from Iwata that the Yamaha has not won a race in a long time (too long): “in these final races we need to at least build a solid foundation for the future.

In the first races of the year, the M1 was the sharpest bike on the track and now it seems to have lost a bit of its lustre. The frame that had the fuel cap on the tail fairing was never used and Rossi even put the most recent evolution off to the side.

The baby-steps policy paid off in recent seasons, but the time seems to have come to change pace. It is not by chance that the men in blue will fly to Sepang for two days of tests after the Valencia tests.

A DUCATI FOR LORENZO - The Desmosedici GP16 was without a doubt a step forward for Ducati and, in fact, the win that so many at Borgo Panigale had awaited finally arrived. However, the Ducati is still not perfect and on some circuits, the best competitors still have the advantage.

With the arrival of Lorenzo, the only goal is to make a play for the World Championship. A rider of the Majorcan’s calibre and the eight-digit investments made to this end demand it. Therefore, the GP17 - or whatever it will be called - will need to eliminate all the deficiencies.

To make things even more pressing, Yamaha has denied permission to release him from his contract, which means that in 2016, Jorge will only be able to ride the new bike on the two days of testing at Valencia. Therefore, the new Desmosedici will need to be ready for that date. In recent years, Ducati had introduced the new model in February in Malaysia, but this time that will not be possible.

Lorenzo will need to be able to test the new bike in order to provide his feedback and direct development.

Furthermore, Gigi Dall’Igna will have to do without ‘his’ wings and he most likely already has some other invention in mind. A lenticular rim was already spotted on Pirro’s bike, a sign that aerodynamic development will continue to be a feather in Ducati’s cap.

 

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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