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Posted

Is it just me, or are the highsides we see in MotoGp today happening earlier in the turn than is say the days of 500's. Often before the apex towards the completion of the steering input

 

Examples that spring to mind -

Lorenzo at China last year, then again at Laguna this year

Casey at Laguna this year

Hayden at Sachenring this year

 

Anyone have any theories on this? Or perhaps want to tell me I'm imagining things..........

Posted

You are obviously dreaming this.

No...I agree and if you look at where Rossi low sided in the chicane at Donnington it was really early in the turn.

My theory is this. It has nothing to do with 500's vs 4 strokes, it is about the leaps and bounds that tyre technology has taken in the last few years. Look at the lean angles that the super sport guys are using now vs 5 or 10 years ago let alone the MotoGP guys who seem to defy the laws of physics.

As the levels of grip have gone up, the ability to get on the gas earlier has come forth and as that has progressed they are getting on the gas harder earlier as well. In the heat of racing where thousands of a second count the mistakes are happening and riders are going into orbit sooner.

My theory but I am open to other options on this as I think that this is a great topic and one that I would love to hear more theories on.

Posted
You are obviously dreaming this.

No...I agree and if you look at where Rossi low sided in the chicane at Donnington it was really early in the turn.

My theory is this. It has nothing to do with 500's vs 4 strokes, it is about the leaps and bounds that tyre technology has taken in the last few years. Look at the lean angles that the super sport guys are using now vs 5 or 10 years ago let alone the MotoGP guys who seem to defy the laws of physics.

As the levels of grip have gone up, the ability to get on the gas earlier has come forth and as that has progressed they are getting on the gas harder earlier as well. In the heat of racing where thousands of a second count the mistakes are happening and riders are going into orbit sooner.

My theory but I am open to other options on this as I think that this is a great topic and one that I would love to hear more theories on.

 

It could be a combination of limited tyre choices for this year during races, (Casey's crash at Laguna and Lorenzo's(I think he had one too) were attributed to not having a special asymmetrical tyre for the track, and the "off" side being too cold too early) and not having specialized qualifiers anymore.....plenty of crashes in qualifying!

Posted
Is it just me, or are the highsides we see in MotoGp today happening earlier in the turn than is say the days of 500's. Often before the apex towards the completion of the steering input

 

Examples that spring to mind -

Lorenzo at China last year, then again at Laguna this year

Casey at Laguna this year

Hayden at Sachenring this year

 

Anyone have any theories on this? Or perhaps want to tell me I'm imagining things..........

 

 

Lorenzo and stoner at laguna seca were both on an out lap on fresh tyres, Steve Parish was the commentator on tv and said they were both off the throttle highsides which I thought was a bit strange, then I thought maybe if they were off the throttle, they were just turning in and steered the bike so fast that a lack of heat in the back tyre caused the rear to come around and highside them!

The interesting thing about Rossi's lowside at donington is that it looked like he was going to highside but kept the rear spinning until he went down on the lowside, If this is what actually happened then throttle control rule #1 really saved him from a big crash!

Posted

I think traction control has a lot to do with them getting on the gas earlier and harder. I've read several interviews where the riders say that they just have to nail the throttle and let the TC do its thing. I may not be the main thing, but it definately changes the way the bikes were ridden compared to a 500 or a 990.

Posted

I think everyone's theory is right, and it's a combination of them. New tires, limited choices, advancement in tire technology and the riders trust, traction control; they can all affect that. The riders pin the throttle earlier, and if one thing is not as solid as it should be, the riders are the one's who receive the free flight lessons.

Posted

Yeah, the highsides are happening sooner. Lorenzo's at Laguna's T5 was a really good mid-corner highside. His China looked like a combination of many things. He chopped the throttle at the end a right turn to flick the bike over to the left for a downhill left. I think the hill, the quick right-left flick, and the engine braking (what ever he has it tuned to) caused the rear to step out rather quickly. I've come close to doing that a few times with takeoffs.

 

In my racing on my ZX-10, I'm noticing the rear is stepping out when or close to when I get on the gas and not really at where I would say I was exiting the turn. The tires are promoting awesome lean angles and adding acceleration is a real tricky thing.

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