I'm Obsessed with MotoGP - Page 11

sand_man · 10-09-2015, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javadog

...Marquez seems off his game though....
JR

I noticed this too.

sand_man · 10-09-2015, 09:46 AM

And in Moto2 news, Zarco is the champ:

Quote:

A dominant seasons sees Zarco become the most successful French rider in history and take the 2015 Moto2™ World Championship.
The seeds of Johann Zarco’s 2015 Moto2™ World Championship title were born at then end of 2014 when acclaimed manager Aki Ajo began to build the foundations for a Moto2™ team. After years of success in the lighweight class, the Finn set his eyes on success in the intermediate class and needed a rider with the talent and dedication to start the adventure with, Ajo’s eyes fell squarely on Johann Zarco. The Frenchman had shown his speed on the Caterham last year, securing four podiums amongst a sea of Kalexs.

Ajo and Zarco had worked together previously in the 125cc championship when Zarco challenged for the title in 2011 on the Derbi. At Valencia in mid-November they got their first chance to reunite during testing and the potential in the team, bike and rider was immediatley noticeable.

In the build up to the season it was clear that defending Moto2™ champion Tito Rabat would be the man to beat, but Sam Lowes on the Speed Up also emerged as a real title threat during winter testing. With two of Moto3™’s brightest stars, Alex Rins and Alex Marquez also in the mix, the battle for the 2015 crown was set to be a tight one.

Qualifying in Qatar delivered on the off season predictions with Lowes, Zarco and Rabat all lining up on the front row. Disaster struck in the race for all three, Zarco expereinced a technical problem with his Kalex that saw him unable to shift gears in the closing laps. After a near run in with the pitwall, the Frenchman ended in eighth as Jonas Folger took a surprise win.

The paddock headed to Austin with Zarco and the Ajo Motorsport squad determined to leave the Qatar incident behind them. A solid second place behind a blistering Lowes thrust Zarco back to the sharp end of the championship table.

Argentina saw Zarco’s first truly dominant performance, pole position followed by a comfortable victory of over 2.5 seconds. At the Termas de Rio Hondo the partnership between Ajo and Zarco began to flourish as they took the lead in the Moto2™ World Championship.

From this point Zarco’s confidence, and points lead, began to grow and the rider from Cannes began to gain momentum. The likes of Folger, Luthi and Rabat all challenged him as the championship returned to Europe, Zarco claimed second in a hectic last lap at Jerez and was forced to settle for third at home in Le Mans. Even in his attempts to limit the damage, the Frenchman stretched his lead as his rivals faultered.

After Mugello, where he finished second, Zarco’s season came alive with back to back wins, and backflips, in Barcelona and Assen. Much like Argentina, Zarco converted pole position to victories in both races, closing considerable gaps in the final laps and proving he was a threat at every stage of the race. A solid second in Germany allowed Zarco to head into the mid-season break with the luxury of the title lead.

Indianapolis saw Zarco return immediatley to form with another second place. By this stage in the season Zarco was the title favourite and while still aiming for race wins, he began to consider the season as a whole. It was back to the top step of the podium in Brno for Zarco, taking his fourth win of the year. Silverstone and Misano continued to the same beat as Zarco dominated both races, claiming three victories in a row.

The Aragon GP played host to Zarco’s first shot at the tile, the Frenchman needing to finish seven points ahead of Rabat to gain the 2015 crown. A smart and safe ride saw the Ajo Motorsport rider finish in sixth, forcing him to wait until Motegi.

It would be at the Japanese Grand Prix, the sight of his first ever World Championship win, that Johann Zarco became the 2015 Moto2™ World Champion. Tito Rabat was unable to start the Japanese GP due to injury, cementing Zarco's title before the race. The Frenchman was officially decalred as the 2015 Moto2™ World Champion after FP1.

javadog · 10-09-2015, 09:58 AM

Odd that they made it official before the race, regardless of Rabat's intentions.

JR

flatbutt · 10-09-2015, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javadog

Odd that they made it official before the race, regardless of Rabat's intentions.

JR

Well no one else was close enough to matter so maybe it was announced to relieve some pressure off of Zarco.

javadog · 10-09-2015, 11:54 AM

Well, he said he was not going to race, and he did skip practice. So, it's a pretty safe bet he won't race, although it's happened before. Granted, Zarco needs something like 4 points to wrap it up for sure. What happens, though, if he crashes tomorrow, breaks a leg and is out for the season? Think Rabat wouldn't try and hop back on a bike the last three races?

JR

sand_man · 10-09-2015, 12:48 PM

Question for the riders: what causes a "high-side" crash? What are the dynamics that cause the bike to behave that way? Man, those look horrible!!!!

javadog · 10-09-2015, 12:55 PM

The rear tire starts stepping out, usually as a result of too much throttle, the rider backs off of the throttle, the rear tire grips again and the lateral momentum of the rear of the bike pivots around the rear contact patch (in one axis) and the rider gets tossed off. Much rarer now that the electronics have evolved; fairly common in the two-stroke days and the first few years of MotoGP.

JR

cheeze · 10-09-2015, 01:19 PM

Something to do with the power delivery of a 2 stroke as well, no? As I recall, the RPM band in which real power is made is super narrow, so riders have to keep it hot in there and have to switch from heavy throttle to a delicate touch dynamically.

motion · 10-09-2015, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javadog

The rear tire starts stepping out, usually as a result of too much throttle, the rider backs off of the throttle, the rear tire grips again and the lateral momentum of the rear of the bike pivots around the rear contact patch (in one axis) and the rider gets tossed off. Much rarer now that the electronics have evolved; fairly common in the two-stroke days and the first few years of MotoGP.

JR

Very nice description!

motion · 10-09-2015, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheeze

Something to do with the power delivery of a 2 stroke as well, no? As I recall, the RPM band in which real power is made is super narrow, so riders have to keep it hot in there and have to switch from heavy throttle to a delicate touch dynamically.

Yeah, for sure. Two strokes have an on/off power band. They go from zero to hero in a couple hundred RPM. Even my 80hp 250 GP bikes are something you have to treat with respect.

javadog · 10-09-2015, 02:32 PM

Two strokes can have a fairly broad torque curve, or a very peaky one, depending upon how they are tuned. The usual problem that led to high sides was the fairly abrupt increase in torque as the motor "came on the pipe" which is to say the area of the power band that the expansion chamber in the exhaust starts having a pretty major effect on the amount of fuel/air in the cylinder. It feels somewhat like a turbo coming onto boost, but a two stroke can make a turbo feel lazy. A 500cc two stroke available to mere mortals, like a Honda CR500, will be a single cylinder bike making around 55-60hp. A GP two stroke was usually a 4 cylinder, making 180hp. They made their power at much higher revs than a CR500 and their powerband was quite a bit narrower.

A modern 250 two stroke GP bike is a serious weapon indeed, partly because they do make a lot of power for their weight but also because they are so damn small, you'd be amazed the first time you see one. Their corner speed is stupendous, if you have the talent and the balls to come close to its limits. A 125 is even smaller, looking like a half-size toy. A 250 GP bike can still lap near lap record pace at a typical US track.

JR

motion · 10-09-2015, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peteremsley

Yep. It's amazing how a 400lb bike can decide to flick you half way to the moon.

I think they're around 340lbs?

javadog · 10-09-2015, 02:59 PM

Minimum weight on a current MotoGP bikes is around 348 pounds. 500GP bikes varied in weight, but in what I consider the modern era, they could be around 260 pounds. Suzuki often went to great lengths to minimize the weight of their race bikes. They even used plastic footpegs at one point.

JR

sand_man · 10-09-2015, 06:56 PM

Thanks for all that, JR! That explains a lot.

flatbutt · 10-09-2015, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motion

Yeah, for sure. Two strokes have an on/off power band. They go from zero to hero in a couple hundred RPM. Even my 80hp 250 GP bikes are something you have to treat with respect.

My old Kawasaki 500cc two stroke triple was ALWAYS trying to kill me. I loved it!

sand_man · 10-10-2015, 05:04 AM

BEST QUALIFYING SESSION EVER!!!!! It is official, Lorenzo is an escaped animatronic figure from a Walt Disney MotoGP display; the man is not human!!!!

And poor Bradley Smith, Motegi qualifying did not like him!!!

flatbutt · 10-10-2015, 06:20 AM

Alex DeAngelis is in moderately poor condition after his crash

MotoGP™

Here's hoping he walks out under his own power.

motion · 10-10-2015, 06:27 AM

100% chance of rain tomorrow, so quali positions are irrelevant. This one is going to go in VR46's favor!

javadog · 10-10-2015, 06:30 AM

Alex may be in the hospital for a while. He's pretty banged up. Right now, his head seems okay, but the next couple of days will tell the tale.

Rossi is definitely in Goerge's head this weekend and the shoulder is worse than it appears. The rain may come earlier tomorrow, too. Could be a very interesting day.

If it is dry, I expect George to get the holeshot and disappear. Rossi will try and tag along and see if the bum shoulder can do a whole race. Crazy Joe, if he gets a good start as he is known to do, could really hurt Rossi's plan.

If it is wet or drying when the race starts... Rossi is looking good. A wounded Lorenzo will not have the same confidence.

JR

flatbutt · 05:03 PM

Warm up delayed due to weather. Looks a bit dodgey. The mist is heavy and low keeping the MediVac chopper grounded.