Let's talk MotoGP: We bet you won't believe this statistic

Certain unusual statistics put our knowledge of the MotoGP, and we bet you're not going to see this one coming. Indeed, a little over a week ago, an image went viral on social networks, highlighting the evolution of the Grands Prix and the increasing speed of the machines, in the three categories. Are you ready ?

 

David Alonso poleman in 500cc?

 

As is often the case, the authorship of this montage is difficult to trace due to the vastness of the Internet.. But a British page, obviously, had fun analyzing the reference times established during the Moto3 test in Jerez not long ago, before the season even started. And the results are edifying; you can find out about this by clicking here.

David Alonso, CFMoto Aspar Team rider and winner in Qatar, on KTM therefore, turned in 1'43.315. Alex Criville, 1999 world champion, took pole at Jerez the same year, and ran a time of 1'43.674. It's hard to believe. The worst thing is that it wasn't such a dazzling trick on the part of the Colombian, since he passed under Crivillé's reference several times, just like Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) by the way.

 

 

Of course, the comparison is valid since both times were achieved in the dry, and on a similar track – Jerez has not evolved much since. That said, the Crivillé loop was not the most flamboyant since a year earlier, Carlos Checa took pole in 1'43.467, but again, Alonso is faster. Okada, in 1997, took it in 1'43.404. Same observation.

 

But why ?

 

Difficult to answer this question precisely. Technological developments partly explain this barely believable statistic. The 500cc two-strokes made a lot of power, but didn't have as much electronics to control it. The Moto3, 250cc four-strokes, are getting faster and faster, but this year, they are going one step further.

Indeed, the 2024 season will be marked by big changes. First, Pirelli tires replace Dunlops. This is a large part of the improvement explained, because tires play a vital role in performance. For reference, Deniz Oncu achieved a 1'45.668 in Q2 to take pole position during the 2023 Spanish GP. That’s more than two seconds saved. In reality, we knew since the winter tests in Valencia that the new Moto3s were already going faster with the Pirelli mounts.

 

 

Then, KTM works hard. This year, the Austrian manufacturer is introducing the RC4 to replace the RC250GP. It presents interesting new features, which I invite you to discover by clicking here. It's faster, okay, but these are only the first official releases of the new machines. We can expect some smashing times in qualifying this season.

 

Moto3 too fast?

 

 

To the study of times comes a subsidiary question. Aren't Moto3s too fast compared to Moto2? Indeed, during this day of testing, the best time achieved in the intermediate category by Fermin Aldeguer was a 1'40.307, or 3.3s faster. In qualifying last year, Sam Lowes took pole in 1'40.750. The MotoGP, for their part, runs in a small 1'36, which illustrates a difference of around four seconds. Namely that the latter could well go faster in 2024 given the services carried out in Qatar.

This means that there is more gap between Moto2 and MotoGP than between Moto2 and Moto3. Shouldn't we, instead of restricting the smallest of them, increase the capacities of Moto2 to make the riders more "ready" when it's time to take the plunge? It's an option. Pirelli will also equip the Moto2s so it will be interesting to see how they react, even if in Jerez the improvement was less obvious.

We're curious to know what you think! Tell us in the comments!

Cover photo: CFMoto Aspar Team