Cycle News

CN III IN THE PADDOCK P98 BY MICHAEL SCOTT COMBINE 'EM? B ad news from Jerez. At the first joint tests in recent years prior to the holidays, in identical conditions, a small slew of World Superbikes shared the track with a handful of MotoGP bikes, both CRT clunkers and the factory Ducatis. It's not surprising that the Superbikes thrashed the CRT bikes. The jaw-dropper was just how close they were to factory MotoGP pace. Only at the last gasp did Nicky Hayden manage to regain the upper hand over Aprilia-mounted Eugene Laverty. And only by less than a tenth of a second. Bad news for MotoGP, certainly: the pinnacle of the sport under threat once again, more strongly than ever, from production bikes. Bad news also for World Superbike, methinks. It means that for new controllers Dorna, the matter of slowing them down has become all the more pressing. Dorna's current thrust in MotoGP is firmly aimed at dumbing the bikes down: away from speed and towards economy. The supposedly apex-predator racing bikes aren't going to get much faster in much of a hurry. The Superbikes will have to bear the brunt. There's nothing new in the dumbing down of racing, but it's a good time to pause and observe how far it has already gone. For Casey Stoner, it was a powerful influence in his decision to quit. For the rest of us, it's been a time of inner turmoil. It asks one of the most basic questions: is speed necessary for good racing? The answer depends on your viewpoint. For an engineer, toiling over a hot laptop, improving the speed is everything. It is the whole aim, and the only way to measure progress. For a fan on the sofa, it matters not a jot. At least, up to a point. For the self-esteem of MotoGP, it means everything. It is of little comfort that at Jerez like was not being compared with like. Technical regulations are already in place that shackle MotoGP bikes in several areas. MotoGP has to run with longlife low-consumption motors: factory bikes only get six engines a year, so basically each one has to do three weekends. That's barring mishaps – like losing a motor in a crash. And only 21 liters of fuel. The jolly jokers in World Superbikes can use as many engines as they need (did Max Biaggi really use two or more at each race meeting?). They can also burn gas at will. Makes a big difference, as the dismal CRT generation shows. Then there's the tires. MotoGP's Bridgestones are also aimed at longevity, and consistency over race distance – fastest laps not infrequently come near the end. Superbike Pirellis are very different: great when cold, bad when old. They're fine for the first eight or 10 laps, then go all slithery (much to the benefit of the spectacle). Point being, Pirellis are good for fast one-off laps; Bridgestones not so much. None of this widens the gap

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