P114
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
H
ydrogen-powered two-
strokes? The more imagi-
native elements of the
motorcycle press leapt on the
idea, when it was proposed as
a piece of blue-sky thinking for
Formula One a week or so back.
"MotoGP to return to two-
strokes" was too tempting a
headline to resist.
If only. Dump those big die-
sels and let's get back to "real
racing bikes," no?
But there are several pungent
reasons why more than just the
one grain of salt is required here.
Perhaps most important is
simply the vast difference be-
tween F1 and MotoGP.
F1 cars serve no purpose
other than to race against one
another, bearing no relationship
to (say) a mass-market SUV.
F1 is a megabucks industry,
independent from the automo-
tive industry in every way, except
in name, Ferrari the exception.
Mercedes Benz and Renault
lend their badges and spend
their budgets, but the cars and
the technology are from south-
ern England's highly specialised
"F1 belt." This is where F1 lives,
and incidentally where Kenny
Roberts went when he wanted to
build a four-stroke to challenge
the Japanese.
The technology gap between
four and two wheels was dem-
onstrated by his lack of success,
as well as the all-but still-born
Ilmor.
MotoGP bikes are proper mo-
torbikes—close siblings to sport
bikes and in turn even to their
humbler commuter-bike breth-
ren. The controls are the same,
the electronics closely related,
the engines likewise; so too the
suspension systems, chassis ge-
ometry and overall design. If you
HYDROGEN BOMBS
Will MotoGP
ever return to
two-strokes?
There is talk.
