MotoGP – Dani Pedrosa explains what will happen from the Sprint at Assen: “Without a holeshot, we reduce power in first and second gear, the starts will change.”

KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa explained how engineers are adapting the bikes without the holeshot device. "The front wheel will lift more easily. We'll have to reduce power in first gear and maybe even second." The technicians, who are working on the engine maps, are searching for the ideal compromise. The revolution is underway.

The disappearance of the front holeshot device not only signals the return of wheelies at the start of MotoGP races, but also forces engineers to rethink part of their electronic philosophy.

While debates have focused for several days on the safety of new departures, Dani Pedrosa provides a much more technical perspective. For the test pilot KTMThe real work is not in the hands of the pilots, but behind the engineers' computers.

« Now that we no longer use the device as before, the wheel will lift more easilyThey will have to reduce the power a little in first gear and perhaps even in second. " explains the triple world champion.

In reality, the riders aren't starting completely from scratch. The automatic reflexes remain the same: clutch modulation, rear brake management, throttle control. However, The motorcycle, however, no longer reacts in the same way..

Until now, the holeshot device compressed the front suspension and naturally limited wheelies. Now, with this assistance gone, manufacturers must artificially recreate this balance… electronically.

Pedrosa: " The real difference, if there is one, will be at the first braking point. »

In other words, what was previously achieved mechanically will now have to be compensated for by engine mapping. Pedrosa revealed on GP One that KTM is still in the experimental phase.

« They probably always use the same output power to see how far they can go. They may have one or two versions where they reduce the power until they find the optimal point."First and second gears thus become the engineers' new playground. It is during these acceleration phases that the motorcycle's stability is now determined."

This development explains why the starting tests carried out on Friday at Assen were so important. It wasn't just about observing the drivers' reactions, but above all about comparing different electronic strategies to determine which one would limit wheelies without sacrificing performance.

According to PedrosaThis adaptation period could ultimately be quite short. Once the right settings are found, starts should regain an efficiency very close to that observed with the holeshot. The real difference will become more apparent a few hundred meters later.

« The real difference, if there is one, will be at the first braking point. », Estimates the Spaniard.

Without a locked front suspension, drivers will no longer have to deactivate the system before diving into the first corner. This procedure has become almost automatic in recent seasons, but it sometimes disrupted initial braking.

The ban on the holeshot doesn't represent a nostalgic return to the MotoGP of yesteryear. On the contrary, it opens a new technological battle. Manufacturers haven't lost an advantage; they're already looking for another way to regain it.

In MotoGP, when a regulation closes a door, the engineers almost always find a window…