The season is pretty much over for the CRT's before it even starts, IMO. Edwards was able to extract some semi-decent performance from his CRT bike but he's still a long way from the front.
Honda is struggling with chatter issues but Casey doesn't seem to mind too much. He's still the fastest in all pre-season tests thus far.
The whole CRT thing is a bit weird. It allows teams to field a bike for less expense, but the factory proto engines will always have an advantage, and if the time ever comes that they don't, the regs will be changed so that they do again. All that financial expense has to count on the track. CRT teams are definitely fighting a losing battle, and I'm sure they're well aware of that.
Now that both WSBK and Motogp are owned by the same financial corporation, I know there has been talk of a merging of the two, which I can't see ever happening but it's interesting how the bikes are closer to each other than they have ever been, what with the switch to 1000cc and the CRT bikes making up the numbers. Probably this similarity has prompted the discussion, but for me there's always a place for world championship road bike based racing alongside an elite class GP series with prototype bikes.
Looking forward to it anyway. I do wish they'd dropped the tc this year too, but the rules changes are still a good thing. I wasn't a fan of the 800 bikes.
It's not the factory engines that give the factories an advantage, but the electronics. The CRT bikes are actually allowed more fuel than the factory bikes, so they don't need to reduce power for the sake of fuel efficiency like the factory teams do.
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"To be honest, it was frustrating for two days and finally on the last day, we were working with the throttle connection and we found something. In that respect, it was a good test,” said Edwards.
“In terms of the electronics I don't think we will reach the final stage of development of the electronics until the last race in Valencia: we are going to be working on them the whole time."
I got a feeling stoner is going to destroy it this season.
Yamaha has been behind evrry trst and ducati seem to be rubbish again, all signs are pointing to it.
Well it was an interesting weekend. I'd say a ~40km/h top speed deficit is an indication that the CRT engines are at a sizeable performance disadvantage, I think Edwards was 20km/h or so slower than Rossi's Ducati in qualifying. So considering the laptimes it was an impressive showing from Edwards and his team.
I dislike the CRT bikes' presence. They aren't really adding to the show. Putting bikes on the grid achieves nothing if they're not in the race, and even if they're mixing it up with the stragglers, they'll always be a second division.
Still the race at the front was as good as ever. You only really need 6 bikes on the grid to give viewers what motogp is worth watching for. Stoner got arm pump, and otherwise I doubt Jorge would have had a sniff.
Moto2 was amazing as always, Iannone had no chance, his bikes was so slow in the first half of the straight. Moto3 promises to be a more level playing field, but the bikes just don't look as sharp and raw as the 125s were, probably because they aren't.
I thought the Motogp race was pretty bog standard. Without Stoner getting arm pump it was a pretty predictable affair. Pretty much a repeat of several races we saw last year. the 1000cc bikes aren't any more exciting to watch either, not much different to 800cc. viva la electronics
CRTs don't add anything and the whole show is desperately lacking some theatre. Marco was going to be that extra X factor we needed, but tragically it will never be the case. Rossi hasnt got a hope in hell's chance of being anywhere near the front. The year is one of hardcore MotoGP fans, for everyone else it's going to be one big switch-off. Dorma know that too and are worried about it.
Going back to CRT. Still can't quite grasp the concept. You are a CRT team until a comittee decides you're a full factory outfit? yuuucckkkk
Won't be tuning in this year. Sammmeee ollldd ZZZzzz...
Considering the gap currently on a completely fresh bike and relaxed rules for CRT i would give it by the end of the season untill they are able to sort the electronics out then they will be able to mix with theprotos but with that much rule advantage by the time this happens it could be a matter of races before there faster then them all, depending on team budget on R & D.
Im not a fan of it, i think for the sake of a full on proper bike world champoinship they need to combine WSBK with Moto GP and Find a compramize to keep budjets low but keep it high on tech and keep it prototype to a degree.
CRT wasn't so bad considering that it's only the first race, maybe with more development they will mix with the slower prototypes, but still, doesn't make much sence to have bikes run on such different regulations in one unique class, IMO.
I think this year again the good fights will be found in the lower categories. Moto3 was pretty good and Moto2 was epic as always.
I think it's a case of him being heavier than the others(especially Marquez), AFAIK the engines are spec.
I was kind of disappointed when Gresini picked Pirro instead of him, but in the end it's better to watch him kicking some asses in Moto2, rather than sinking on a CRT failboat.
If they gave CRT 18 engines then they could be much closer. They have to turn down the SBK engines they have quite a lot to get them to last. Last year Max Biaggi used 28 engines for 13 weekends.
Yeah, but there's no engine restriction so they can run them for 200km then bin them. CRT will have to run the same engine for 600km+ hence they have to dial it down and all the CRT bikes are 20-50kmh down on the straight.
The main problem with CRT is they aren't allowed to be good. If a team gets it right, they will lose CRT status. There's no way on earth Honda/Yamaha will let some CRT team compete with them while maintaining status as a CRT outfit. The weird committee thing that judges whether a CRT outfit is CRT will have to 'upgrade' them.
The ambiguity of what a CRT actually is annoying too. I still today struggle to tell someone what a CRT actually is. I can just about make sense of it in my brain, but try and tell any old punter what CRT is. They are literally grid-fillers and if we are all honest did nothing to improve the show other than provide a nice picture for the start grid.
MotoGP does need to decrease costs and build a decent grid full of variety, but running a two-tier system isn't going to fix inherent problems. Dorma know without Simoncelli (RIP) or Rossi at the front there is no show, no atmosphere and more importantly... no viewers.
Agreed about the perception of the "show". Less than hardcore viewers will probably only appreciate just how mind-bogglingly good Lorenzo and Stoner are when they are gone.
I would watch a race with just those two in it, but CRT keeps the Tornado employed and swearing in live BBC interviews, so it serves a purpose
That article was immediately discredited. Telegraph rarely post anything of interest regarding MotoGP and then suddenly Tom Cary has a worldwide exclusive. The entire Rossi team has said it's bollocks
Makes perfect sense. Lost passion for the sport because it's going in a direction he doesn't like. Fair play to the lad I say. Wish other riders/drivers had the same balls.
I do think that arm pump problem is really getting to him, he is complaining about it a lot and I would imagine that the fun in racing a motorbike is gone when you're constantly in pain trying to keep the beast on the track. As you said already I can see him comming back once he feels fit and fully recovered.
He always said he didn't want to race against CRT bikes, so this just confirms it. He also has a young family so probably wants to spend more time with them.
MotoGP is shit, has been for a few years, this CRT stuff is just a pointless attempt at filling the grids up.
World Superbikes and British Superbikes is where the action is at
Don't forget Moto2! I tend to look forward to that a lot more then MotoGP these days, and not just because there's a Swiss going for race wins. Also some great racing in WSBK at Donington last weekend, loved every bit of it.
I doubt he would go to Superbikes though, he would destroy it.
He is basically the best rider on the planet currently.
I do got a Feeling its to give his body a rest, it doesn't seem like its up to the task and probably needs to solve his Arm pump issues amongst other things.
