There’s so much coverage not just for the regular MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 season these days. But why is pre-season testing so important?
Why do teams pay so much attention to just four sessions over three months, although the race calendar covers 19 venues worldwide over eight months?
The main objective of the pre-season tests is to discover more about the new machinery and gain the all-important data. This term is oversimplified as there are countless number of regimes that the riders, teams, the component engineers, tyre engineers, so forth need to test for and gain the required feedback.
The riders would put in a large number of laps on track while trying to figure out how the tyres and bike work and finding the optimal way of extracting the best performance (i.e. lap times) out of them. The team’s engineers meanwhile, need to figure out what suspension and electronic settings could unlock the bike and its components’ full potential. That data will be useful in the races to come as the teams have a basic idea of what the bike does.
Other suppliers such as helmet and racesuit makers for the riders, exhaust makers, motorcycle component makers, etc. are also keen for feedback to improve their products. This is when they can tailor a certain fit for the rider. That goes for footpeg suppliers, for instance, as well.
However, that still doesn’t explain the immediacy we see these days. That is due to the limits on testing mandated by the GP Commission.
Along with standardized technological specifications, the GP Commission limit the number of official testing events to curb the cost spent by the factory teams, besides giving less time for the bikes to “evolve” over the season.
At the conclusion of the fourth and final pre-season test at Qatar, teams without concessions must declare the engine they will use for the entire season. When the engines are produced, they will be crated and sealed by the Grand Prix Commission. Thus, the team will need to use that engine throughout the year.
Therefore, the team is screwed for the entire year if they picked the wrong engine.
The GP Commission made this decision to keep development in check and ensures that teams with more resources (read: money) could not keep upgrading their bikes as the season progresses.
The progress we see these days come from elsewhere such as suspension tuning, electronic strategy, tyres, bike’s suitability to certain tracks and of course, rider skill.
By the way, what does it mean by “teams without concessions”? Under the rule book, teams or manufacturers who have not attained the number of podiums in dry races are given more leeway i.e. concessions to develop their motorcycles throughout the season.
This arrangement encourages new teams to join the MotoGP class. Indeed, manufacturers such as Ducati and Suzuki benefitted from this to challenge the Big Two of Honda and Yamaha. They are not without concessions.
On the other hand, Aprilia and KTM are allowed more concessions in terms of fuel limits during the race, more engines per season, more testing and development, and wildcard riders. This will help to fast-track their MotoGP programs to join the upper ranks.
Without this rule, the bigger manufacturers will keep staying in front, while the smaller teams or newcomers find themselves languishing at the back of the field.
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Malaysian Moto3 and Moto2 riders found the going tough during their respective class’ pre-season tests.
The three-day test session held at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain saw rain and subsequent cold weather, hampering the quest for racking up more track time and faster laps.
Returning rider, Zulfahmi Khairuddin, now riding for the SIC Racing Team saw his track time cut down just three 70-minute sessions and completing only 72 laps in total over three days.
There were nine sessions (three per day) for each class. In Moto2, the first day was a total washout. No riders went on track in Session 1. Sessions 2 and 3 saw only Dominique Aegerter riding for 12 and 14 laps, respectively.
The weather stayed more or less the same on the second day. Session 4 saw only five riders posting very few laps, with Isaac Vinalez completing the most number of laps at 20. The next closest riders Stefano Manzi and Jorge Navarro completed only 7 laps apiece.
All riders saw action in Session 5 and 6 but posted times slower than the normal pace.
Session 7 on Day Three was another washout and only Mattia Pasini went out riding, completing a token 4 laps. All riders rode in Sessions 8 and 9, however, just the days before, no one put in a large number of laps to be of true meaning.
Test sessions in good weather usually see riders completing many more laps as they work on setting up their bikes.
It was a learning experience for Zulfahmi as he adapts to the Kalex, having been roped in to replace Hafizh Syahrin at almost the 11th hour.
“The first day was rain and the second day we did only a few laps to check the bike and get a feel for the bike,” said Zulfahmi.
Zulfahmi continued, “The hardest part for me is getting used to the tyres; we are now working on the engine braking to make me more comfortable to brake harder.”
Riders need time to adapt to the characteristics and limits of new tyres, especially when they make the switch from road-legal race compound tyres to full-on race tyres. Race tyres may provide more grip, but it remains as potential grip if the rider could not find the way to make them work i.e. keeping them in the optimal working range.
He remains optimistic and cheerful, however, “It’s fantastic to be going to Sepang next week because the weather is so much better than in Europe right now.”
Team Manager, Johan Stigefelt said, “This test was the first time riding the Moto2 bike for Fahmi; a week ago he didn’t know he would be here, so of course it’s quite nerve-wracking for him to have a complete new bike and new crew around him.”
As with Moto2, the Petronas Sprinta Racing team’s riders Adam Norrodin and Ayumu Sasaki (from Japan) saw rain disrupting their plans. Only four riders completed a few laps throughout the day.
Day Two’s Session 4 in the morning saw only four riders completing 4 laps each; while 17 out of 24 riders went on track in Session 5.
All riders finally went on track in Session 6, which saw Sasaki posting the 11th fastest time, while Adam was way back in 24th.
Day Three was almost the same, having full participation in Session 8, only. The most lap completed was a measly 30.
Both riders crashed due to cold tyres and Adam injured a finger. “It’s been quite a frustrating first test with the weather being so cold! We couldn’t ride at all on the first day because of the rain and then even when it stopped it was too cold to get any real heat in the tyres,” he lamented.
About the last day, “Today it has been sunnier but still so cold, so when we went out I just concentrated on getting used to the bike again.”
“Today has been a better day,” said Sasaki, “it’s been a lot sunnier but still very cold.”
Both teams will head home to the Sepang International Circuit for private testing from
The trend in MotoGP for being the fastest rider out there during testing sessions is hand down dominated by Maverick Vinales of the Movistar Yamaha outfit. At the end of the third day of testing over in Qatar, Vinales was consistent in all three days and of course setting the fastest time in Day 2 and Day 3. Yesterday’s best time was at 1:54.330 during his 33rd outing in the Losail International Circuit. (more…)
It was Andrea Dovizioso from the Ducati factory team who top the MotoGP timesheets in the last pre-season testing session before the first race of 2017 gets under way in Qatar. Having completed a total of 36 laps in the first day, the Italian smashed Lorenzo’s 2016 race lap record with a blistering time of 1:54.819 on his 26th lap. (more…)
Ducati and Casey Stoner missed out chance for private testing in Qatar. (more…)
The final MotoGP pre-season tests in Qatar closes with reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo on top. (more…)
Zulfahmi Khairuddin completes first WSSP pre-season tests in Spain with Orelac Racing. (more…)
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