In a few hours, the MotoGP riders will return to the track at the Losail International Circuit to kick off the 2017 season.
2016 was the season of great upheavals with the return of Michelin, the arrival of the single software and the disappearance of the Open. These changes resulted in nine different winners and a season that will go down in history. What's new for 2017?
Manufacturers: where are we?
Although the Opens disappeared in 2016, advantages are still granted to certain manufacturers if they meet all of the following conditions (art. 2.4.2.1 of the regulations, version of 23/02/2017):
- Entering as a new manufacturer since 2013,
- Not having won in the dry since 2013.
For 2017, all the advantages granted to a manufacturer are as follows:
- 9 engines per season,
- Authorized engine development,
- Private testing authorized with test and contract drivers, regardless of the track, within the limit of 120 tires per driver per season shared with the test drivers.
At the start of the 2017 season in Qatar, only Aprilia and KTM will have these advantages, because they are two new manufacturers who entered the Championship after 2013 and who do not have victories in the dry.
Yamaha, Honda, Ducati and, more recently Suzuki, can use a maximum of 7 engines per rider. Likewise, the engine version is frozen before the start of the season and developments are prohibited during the season.
The withdrawal of these benefits during a season is based on a concession point system scored in the dry or wet. If the manufacturer scores 6 concession points (3 points for a victory, 2 points for a second place, and 1 point for a third place):
- Private tests will no longer be authorized with immediate effect,
- 9 engines and development authorized until the end of the season: 7 engines and development frozen the following season.
For example, until the finish of the last Australian Grand Prix, Suzuki scored 6 points:
- 1 point (3rd at Le Mans)
- 3 points (1st at Silverstone)
- 1 point (3rd in Motegi)
- 1 point (3rd at Phillip Island)
Suzuki therefore immediately lost the right to test freely. Of their 9 available engines, Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro had used 8 of which 4 were out of order, because the seals had been removed (for development purposes, controls, etc.). It is clear that Suzuki took advantage of this advantage to develop the engine for the GSX-RR.
At the start of the season, the Hamamatsu firm is now under the same umbrella as Honda, Ducati and Yamaha and its development should be less dazzling in 2017 for Suzuki.
Some changes for Michelin
Michelin marked his return to the premier category last season after seven years of absence. After a first year of development, the Clermont-Ferrand firm will offer a new front tire with a different profile. Used as a prototype in Valencia last season, it was perfected during winter testing, “ We inaugurated the new front tire profile in Valencia and it worked very well, " Explain Nicolas Goubert.
« During the three test sessions, the drivers gave us very valuable feedback which will allow us to meet their needs. We took into account their wishes for more traction at the rear – all drivers want to be able to accelerate harder. So we worked on that and we hope to have responded to their requests. We will continue development during the season in order to offer drivers optimum performance, whatever the conditions and on all circuits. We are much further ahead this year than we were last year at this time. »
A change to the regulations will now allow Michelin to offer three types of slick tires for the front and rear – compared to a maximum of two in 2016, “ Offering three front and rear slicks is a great opportunity to broaden the tire choices and thus create a real dynamic of competition between drivers and teams when selecting tires according to conditions and tracks, » adds Goubert.
The intermediate tire will no longer be authorized. The wet tire with the harder compound demonstrated its longevity in the dry and prompted the decision to abandon the intermediates. Finally, the two drivers promoted to Q2 after their passage to Q1 will have an additional soft rear slick.
Among other new features, Michelin is introducing a new Tire Detection System, wireless technology to identify the tires used. This system works using a pressure sensor (Tyre Air Pressure Sensor, TAPS) mounted inside the tire. This addresses the difficulties for the media and spectators in identifying tire choices.
The principle is simple: the sensor emits a signal to the motorcycle's electronic box. When the motorcycle passes a timing loop placed on the track (between 10 and 15 loops depending on the track), the box transmits the type of tire in addition to the usual information.
Remember that transponders have been used for timing since 1990 and are an integral part of the motorcycle. The 4th generation of transponders was introduced during the opening event of the 2014 season. The great particularity of this model lies in the fact that it is bidirectional. In other words, capable of transmitting AND receiving information. On this subject, only Race Direction is authorized to send information to the transponder at the moment. The transponder may offer teams the ability to send signage information, a topic at the center of discussions during the 2016 season.
Aerodynamic innovations
From this season, wings will be banned, but that has not stopped manufacturers from investing in R&D to find new aerodynamic solutions. In Sepang, Kohta Nozane, Yamaha test rider, released a new fairing including Maio Maregelli, Team Manager, was mentioned before it was revealed. This new fairing houses fins which are fully authorized by the new 2017 regulations. It was then tested by Valentino Rossi et Maverick Vinales at Phillip Island.
In the Aprilia clan, Alex Espargaro took charge of testing a new fairing during the second session of the Official Test at Phillip Island, “ It's not that bad, » confided Espargaro at the end of the day. “ In a wind tunnel in Italy during the winter, it gave good results. The force applied was quite interesting since it didn't cause us to lose at high speed, which is always important. However, on this track it wasn't so good: the bike feels heavier in a few places. This is not the best place to try it, because this circuit is special. We will try it again in Qatar. " For Asparagus whose Aprilia RS-GP concedes up to 10km/h on the other MotoGPs, it is important not to lose top speed because of the wings.
Suzuki has also joined this race for aerodynamic fairings in Australia. Davide Brivio, Team Manager Suzuki, explained, “ We tried the new fairing for the first time on track. We only did two runs, because the goal was to get an overview and collect initial data to evaluate its effect. If this is the case, we will have some time before Qatar to develop it further. It's still too early to say whether this fairing is worth it or not. This requires extensive testing and analysis. »
A precursor in the development of fins, Ducati has once again created a surprise with a radical fork crown unveiled at Losail a few days ago. On the Honda side, two versions were evaluated by Marquez in Qatar – these were also the cause of several falls for the reigning World Champion.
Most of these innovations have not yet passed the approval stage. We will have to wait until this weekend to see what solutions the manufacturers will keep this season. Please note that two different fairings are authorized for the season per driver (and not per manufacturer). The size of the fork head must not exceed more than 600mm in width.
