It's an approach that can be surprising in a mechanical competition that demands the highest level and surpassing limits. But this is the reality of a Moto2 with a single engine supplier. What ? The fine imposed by Triumph on teams whose drivers are guilty of over-revving. It is announced at 9 euros. Shocking?
En Moto2, you have to be the fastest, but in style. There is no question of pushing the mechanics to its limits. Otherwise, it's the fine Triumph. A situation which may seem surprising and which is dissected by the site speedweek. A situation that is also causing discussion, because it is rather presented as… cost sharing! Not all pilots are enthusiastic about this solution. “ If Triumph can't build robust racing engines, they shouldn't supply the unique engines », It is reported. “ We've never seen anything like this in racing. Thanks to the Magneti Marelli electronics, it should be possible to prevent over-revving when downshifting. And although this is presented as cost sharing, in reality it is a punishment. »
According to our information, this new method to protect the English three-cylinder was introduced after a meeting with the teams at Brno but it had already been notified to them in Qatar. The problem comes from excessively “strong” downshifts which, above 14 rpm, not only damage the valves but can force Triumph to also change the pistons and connecting rods.
The fine can then rise up to 9 euros.
After each day, the men from Externpro, in charge of maintaining the engines, go through each box to retrieve the data. In the event of slight excesses, they are satisfied with a verbal warning. To take the lead, most teams have also installed their warning system to notify the driver of excessively virulent downshifts at this or that place on the circuit.
The technical director of MotoGP, Danny Aldridge, gives his version: “ We have set some parameters within which drivers should behave when downshifting. If these parameters are not followed and we have to remove an engine from allocation, this impacts cost control. We may need to replace damaged parts and provide an additional engine quickly. These costs are passed on to the teams ».
The same Aldridge insists: “ this is not a punishment, it is just cost sharing in case Triumph's orders are not followed. In the future, no driver will be allowed to exceed the limits set when shifting into gear. »
Aldrigde confirmed that the fourth in the championship, Jorge Navarro, who finished second in England, is one of those who take too many laps when they shift back. But Aldridge assures: “ we have generously set the limits. We work closely with the Moto2 teams on this aspect and have found this solution with them. »
The $9000 mentioned do not constitute a fixed price, the amount of compensation for Triumph and the service provider ExternPro depends exactly on the effort required and the extent of the damage. The team director, Jochen Kiefer specifies, however: “ there was also such a distribution of costs over time with Honda. We also had to pay once, it was in 2012 with Max Neukirchner, if I remember correctly. You have to limit over-revving, otherwise too many engines fail. »
Speedweek recalls that the unit's engines Triumph, exchanged and revised after three Grands Prix, cost the team per driver and per season, 20 euros per year. Dorna subsidizes the costs of 765 cc three-cylinder engines from England.
