An era ended quietly with the conclusion of the Moto2 race in Valencia. Dunlop was out of Grand Prix racing. And the next day a new era opened, with the first official test for the Moto2 and Moto3 teams on spec Pirelli tires.

        Already the control tire in World Superbike, World Supersport, and several National-level series, (as well as in Formula One car racing), Pirelli made a positive first impression in the smaller-displacement classes, beating the best-ever Moto2 lap times at Valencia and crushing the Moto3 lap record…

            “Pirelli Takes Over,” by Michael Gougis

            Giorgio Barbier, Racing Manager for Pirelli, was on hand in Valencia to give an overview of the first official test for Pirelli tires in the Moto2 and Moto3 classes, and he was quite pleased. Setting lap records will do that. Read his impressions in the latest issue of Roadracing World!

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        Urban legend says Henry Ford once commissioned a study of Ford cars in junkyards. The researcher reported back that they found that the cars had died for all sorts of reasons: Transmissions, crankshafts, broken pistons, etc. The researcher did offer that, on the upside, all the king pin bushings in the front suspension were in excellent condition.

        “Make the kingpin bushings cheaper,” was Ford’s response.

         That unverified and argued-over anecdote could explain why the king pin bushings on my 1970 E100 were garbage. It also could illustrate how manufacturers may aim to have all the parts wear out at the same rate, as well as strive to deliver performance at a price point…

            “An Autopsy Of A 2020 Yamaha YZF-R1 Race Engine,” by Sam Fleming

            In the interest of science, Sam Fleming enlisted Michael Godin from KWS Motorsports to tear down a 4,000-mile Army Of Darkness race engine and provide an independent assessment of its condition and a recommendation for how to proceed if it was a track day/streetbike instead of an engine intended to win the 2023 N2 WERA National Endurance Championship. This is what Godin found—and it’s in the latest issue of Roadracing World.

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         While many manufacturers have used carbon-fiber for parts of their MotoGP machines, few have committed to full composite chassis. The most successful were the Ducati Desmosedici GP09 and GP10 models in the hands of Casey Stoner, but after going winless in 2011, the Italian company, which had used steel trellis frames until adopting the carbon monocoque design, fell in line with orthodoxy and built its GP12 with a twin-spar aluminum frame.

            KTM has been MotoGP’s technical rebel in recent years, sticking with a steel frame and its own suspension components when all others adopted variations on aluminum twin-spar frames and Öhlins…

            “Back To The Future,” by Michael Gougis

            Now KTM has gone where others have feared to tread, equipping its factory RC16 racebikes with full carbon-fiber chassis. KTM’s Technical Manager for MotoGP, Sebastian Risse, explains why the company feels it is not only the correct choice, but will soon be the only choice for MotoGP machines. It’s in the latest issue of Roadracing World!

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        Why did Marc Márquez quit a hugely lucrative factory Repsol Honda ride to race a second-hand Ducati for an independent team? The six-time MotoGP World Champion ended the first half of the 2023 season crashing Honda’s uncompetitive RC213V seven times during June’s German and Dutch Grands Prix.

        Even for Márquez, who has always ridden on the ragged edge, that was a lot. He knew he couldn’t go on like this. “After the summer break I said to myself, ‘I will ride more calmly,’ so I started riding in a safety way,”  says the 30-year-old Spaniard. “But that was so boring! For me it was like a nightmare to go to a circuit and ride in easy mode and fight for 15th place. I said to myself, ‘Can I do one more year like this?’ ”

            “Marc Marquez Interview,” by MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley

            The short answer is no, Marc Marquez could not see himself doing one more year on the Honda RC213V. He explains why he quit Honda to race an independent-team Ducati in 2024, why the Ducati is MotoGP’s best bike, and why he wouldn’t wish his recent injuries on anyone. It’s all in the latest issue of Roadracing World!

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        The aerodynamic revolution took place in plain sight, fundamentally changing the way MotoGP machines work by undercutting the physical limitations in effect since their inception.

        MotoGP racebikes have gone far beyond the streamlining of the traditional full fairing and even the wings that started appearing about seven years ago on Ducati’s Desmosedici racebikes.

        Now, it’s about downforce. With horsepower to burn, MotoGP engineers are heading down the path of racing car designers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, who realized that downforce was worth the extra drag and the top-speed penalty that came with it, because lap times tumbled…

            “How Far Is Too Far?,” by Michael Gougis

Everything on a contemporary MotoGP motorcycle is designed around aerodynamic downforce. Here’s a step-by-step description of the main areas of aerodynamic development, what is happening in each, and how they interact—which is critical. It’s in the latest issue of Roadracing World!

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The post MotoGP Revolution: What Aerodynamic Devices Do, In The January Issue appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

        “The rear of the Yamaha YZF-R1 spun up as I gassed it out of Turn 11 and headed down the hill into Kyalami’s fast, sweeping, left-hand Mineshaft corner. It’s a fourth-gear turn that takes serious commitment to get though fast.

        “I lightly squeezed the front brake to set the forks as I turned in, putting a ton of pressure on  the front tire as I got to full lean. Then I picked up the gas and accelerated hard out of Mineshaft with the rear lit up.

        “In years past I would not have imagined ripping through Mineshaft at any level of commitment on anything less than a race tires, but there I was on a set of well-used Bridgestone Hypersport Battlax S23 tires flicking the bike into a fourth-gear corner without a worry.

        “Performance of OEM and OEM replacement tires has come a long way in the 25 years I’ve been testing bikes. And Bridgestone has been at the front of it…”

                “Intro: Hypersport Battlax S23 Tires,” by Racing Editor Chris Ulrich

            Bridgestone has now released the fifth version of the S series tires that started with the S20 back in 2012. The latest iteration, the S23, has been fine tuned, featuring more tire life, better edge grip, and improved wet-weather performance. Racing Editor Chris Ulrich reports in the latest issue of Roadracing World!

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Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.

—

Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats. SUBSCRIBE NOW. Or call (909) 654-4779 to subscribe, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.

Log in HERE to read the January 2024 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology with your online subscription.

JANUARY 2024 ISSUE

FEATURES

Inside Info: KTM 1390 Super Duke R EVO Known as “The Beast;”
KTM 890 SMT “Ultimate SuperMoto Tourer”; Ducati Panigale Racing
Replicas; Triumph TF 250-X Motocrosser, and more…

Historic Racing: Between The Isle of Man Hedges, Part Two

Historic Racebike Illustrations: Classic Engines X

Battlax S23 Tire Introduction: Bridgestone Gets Serious

MotoGP Analysis: Can Anyone Catch Ducati In 2024?

MotoGP Analysis: Are Carbon-Fiber Frames Back For Good?

MotoGP Analysis: What Aerodynamic Devices Do

Army Of Darkness: Autopsy Of A Yamaha YZF-R1 Race Engine

Hanging With: Tyler O’Hara, The Original King Of The Baggers

RACING

MotoGP: Marc Marquez, On Why He Left Honda To Ride A Ducati

Good Neighbors: How Solar Farms May Help Preserve Racetracks

Pirelli Takes Over As The Spec Tire In Moto2 & Moto3

COLUMNS

Letters To The Editor: Racing A DOHC, 16-valve 400cc I-4 In 1993

10 Years Ago, January 2014: Racing Editor Chris Ulrich tested Attack Performance’s
one-off MotoGP CRT racebike; Marc Márquez became the youngest-ever premier class World Champion; Maverick Viñales won the Moto3 World Championship; newly crowned AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champ Cameron Beaubier was profiled in Cribs; and engineer
Gigi Dall’Inga reported for his first day of work at Ducati.

The Crash Page: Aleix Espargaró Goes Flying In Qatar

Racing, School, & Track Day Calendar: Where & When To Ride

Classified Ads/Advertiser Index

High Performance Parts & Services Directory

Chris Ulrich: Adventures Of An Ex-Racer: On A Safari

*******************************************************************

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The post January 2024 appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

        Rarely has one rider shone so brightly on one motorcycle for so long: 11 seasons, winning six Moto GP World Championships and 59 Grand Prix races. Only Giacomo Agostini and Mick Doohan come close: Ago rode MV Agusta 500s for nine years, taking seven world titles and 64 race wins. Doohan rode Honda NSR500s for 10 years, scoring five titles and 54 Grand Prix victories. 

        What made Márquez’s glory years so special was the strength of his rivals—the MotoGP grid of recent years has been much stronger than the 500c grid in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s—and especially how he changed the art of riding a GP bike: Tucking the front at every other corner and, when he surpassed the limit, avoiding disaster by using his elbows as outriggers. 

        It didn’t always work, of course. During those 11 years aboard Honda’s fast and fiery RC213V he had 196 crashes during MotoGP weekends. Imagine if HRC published the total crash damage bill!

            “Marc Marquez And Honda: A Magician’s Best And Worst Of Times,” by MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley

            The Marc Márquez/Honda story was something special, one of Moto GP’s all-time greatest relationships. So what were the highs and the lows of their 11 years together? Mat Oxley details the significant milestones in the latest issue of Roadracing World!

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        “I pulled into the pits and rolled to a stop in front of the main building at the Streets of Willow course at Willow Springs Raceway. A small crowd quickly gathered around the 2023 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS, admiring the lines of the beast. Then Brady Walker, organizer of Classic Track Days, strolled up, pointed at me and said, ‘So you’re the one on the missile!’ 

        “Guilty as charged!” 

        “The tight, twisty Streets course was the perfect playground for MV Agusta’s flagship hyper-naked model. Naked literbikes are all the rage nowadays, and the Brutale RS fits that segment…”

            “Quick Look: 2023 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS,” by Michael Gougis

            Fast and sophisticated, the MV Agusta Brutale has its own interpretation of the hyper-naked concept and has its own inimitable Italian style, even if that forces some, well, interesting engineering choices. Why is the ignition key hidden behind the dashboard? Why does the oil fill cap require an Allen wrench to remove it? Well, it’s an MV Agusta. As a beer company famously asked in a series of popular commercials years ago, why ask why? Read about this stylish, sophisticated beast in the latest issue of Roadracing World!

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        The article titled ‘The Way It Was’ in last year’s December issue concluded with mention of ‘real’ road racing on public roads. This two-part article will cover the 1970s experiences I had at such an event and how it compared to the same event in 2017. 

        By the early 1970s I was working as a designer at Norton in Wolverhampton, England and competing in club and occasional National races. Unlike some, natural road race talent was not part of my DNA but with persistence and careful machine preparation my results improved. 

        Like most sports, as your performance improves you get noticed by those who are also climbing the ladder. What many of us had in common was competing on closed road circuits in Ireland and on the Isle of Man. As a young motorcycle racing nut, I had first visited the Isle of Man in 1969 to help out a couple of friends competing in the Manx Grand Prix, an amateur race held on the TT circuit in August. Like the TT, the Manx GP was a two-week event with practice and races…

            “Historic Racing: Between The Hedges, Part One,” by Mick Ofield

            What was it like to show up to race at the Southern 100 as an open road racing rookie in 1967? Mick Ofield remembers that experience in great detail, and he shares those memories of what it was like when a legend like Joey Dunlop was sponsored by a dumpster rental service! Read about it in the latest issue of Roadracing World!       

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