Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128391
MotoGP Tech Update: Honda Wants a Less Stable World H onda used the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring to debut a new frame with slightly different geometry for Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau. Both tried one of the new chassis on Friday, August 5 and quickly converted their second bikes to the new spec after they had ridden it on the tight and twisty sections of the 5achsenring circuit. The new frame, which is almost identical to the old one, has a revised steering-head angle that is roughly one degree more vertical. The frame has been extended forward at the headstock to ensure that the new angle does not affect the wheelbase (in the same way that the adjustable headstock on a roadgoing Ducati 916/996/999 chassis does). This modification will typically make the bike less stable, and it will therefore be eas- ::; ier to initiate a turn. Honda wouldn't say anything about the modification other than it was an interim step before it launches something much more radical later in the year. While Honda wouldn't comment, Jeremy Burgess, Valentino Rossi's c"rew chief, thought that Honda's priority would be to provide something that would try and match Yamaha's agility in corners. "They have had the riders screaming at them all year for something that will turn like the Yamaha, but Honda don't like to make anything too unstable, and to make it turn, you do need to be a little less stable," Burgess said. "If they want to try and match us, they will have to do something to make it more easy to turn." Nicky Hayden didn't get the new chassis Aoki the o () :; « w o z g .....r ..""":,. >w cr iii ~ r a. '~uto Racer" Haruchika Aoki, the 1995 and '96 125cc Grand Prix World Champion, has taken to "auto racing" in Japan in search of a way of extending his racing years. The unsuitably named sport of auto racing in Japan is a form of two-wheel racing where eight identical speedway-style motorcycles race on a 500meter paved oval for six laps. The popularity of auto racing has as much to do with the excitement of the races as it does with the fact that spectators are allowed to place wagers on the outcome of races. "I want to be an auto racer:' Aoki confessed during a break in action at the Suzuka 8 Hours. "Road racing is like football and baseball - maximum competitive age is about 30 or 35 years old. But auto race can be much older." Nicky Hayden's old Honda chassis. Max 8iaggi's new Honda chassis, with revised steering·head geometry. and was clearly put out by not being on the list, though it is possible that his dirt track styte doesn't need the quicker steering as much as his ex-250cc World Champion teammate Max Biaggi does. Honda changed its chassis spec at Sachsenring last year as well, the timing of the race allowing them to try something before making the same spec available to all the official HRC riders at the end of the summer break. Neil Spalding Except that both forms of racing take place on pavement, auto racing is the antithesis of road racing. "Both are fun," Aoki said. "The oval track looks easy, but it's so difficult. Also here, [there are] many corners and it's very difficult, but a different kind of difficult. Normally, I ride only Nevertheless Aoki's older brother Nobuatsu Aoki, long associated with Team Roberts in MotoGp, has envied his younger sibling. "Nobu wants to try for the auto race, but it's not possible for him," Haruchika said. "For auto racing, you have to go to school. Already I have had 10 months of auto race riding school - yes, sure. I don't know why it's so long. Maximum age to start the auto race riding school is 28, and Nobu is now 32 or 33." Given Aoki's talent and motivation, he stands a good chance at being one of the best left comer in auto racing. Now it's a Ijttle bit difficult to ride the right corner, braking and the speed. Everything is different. At the beginning, there was a gap [between himself and the faster riders], but now it's coming down little by little. Total time in an auto race is about I minute and 50 seconds. That's why 8 Hours is too long for me!" Auto racing is a specialized discipline that reqUires new riders to study in a school for auto racing. Despite Aoki's impressive achievements in road racing. he has only managed one victory in auto racing thus far. auto racers ever in Japan. "I want to be a racing rider for a long time," he said. "Now the age of the oldest auto race rider is 66-years old. But there is no maximum age. If you want, it's possible to continue more. There is possibility for me to be an auto racer when I am 70 or 80 years old. So that's why I start auto racing." Rossi Back on Four Poland Lifts Speedway World Cup World Champion Valentino Rossi tested a Ferrari Formula One car for two days at the private Ferrari test track in Fiorano, Italy, last week, basically at the same time that an announcement came from Yamaha that the Italian had signed with them for another season of MotoGP racing. The secret test was held August 2-3, but no information was released on Rossi's performance. This is the second time Rossi has tested for Ferrari, with his first outing coming on April 21, 2004. Ferrari and its president, Luca di Montezemolo, were so impressed with Rossi's first test that they have told him that there is a Ferrari drive in his future if he wants ~. Rossi has stated that his future is on two wheels, but the surprise test further indicates that he hasn't really made a decision on what direction he will go once his contract with Yamaha expires at the end of the 2006 season. "I wanted to get deeper into knowing the real behavior a FI car," Rossi told ANSA, an Italian news agency, after his second day of testing. "I want to thank Ferrari for giving me the opportunity to do that. These two days have been pretty intense and really interesting. 1put plenty of miles and laps behind, and I can say now that I've started to understand a little more [about] the car with the help of the Ferrari technicians and of Marc Gene. It's time to go back to the two wheels now - the MotoGP season is still far from being over." It's no secret that Ferrari would like to have the immensely popular MotoG? star on its team in the future, and as of right now there are no drivers under contract to Ferrari after the end of 2006 season. Only time will tell if one of them will be Valentino Rossi. Team Poland was crowned World Champion on home territory when it won the 5peedway World Cup inside a packed Olympic 5tadium in Wroclaw, Poland, on August 6. The Poles, pipped by 5weden and Australia in the August 2 qualifier at Eskilstuna, Sweden, took their revenge to see off reigning World Champion Team Sweden by a massive 28 points and the Swedes hat trick of Speedway World Cup titles. Denmark put real pressure on the Swedes in the battle for the runner-up spot before finishing three points adrift, while the injury-hit Great Britain team rode their socks off but still finished at the rear of the field. The Brits qUickly had their backs to the wall when they mustered only three points from the first five races. They then upped their game with back-to-back victories from Lee Richardson, who brilliantly came from the back to win heat six, and Scott Nicholls, who saw off Tony Rickardsson in heat seven to move into third place, ahead of Denmark. They were only four points off Poland and Sweden at that stage, but the host nation then flexed its muscle with fIVe consecutive wins between heats 10 and 14, the first of them seeing Tomasz Gollob (pictured) defy all logic when he climbed on the back of 5imon 5tead's bike on the third tum. 12 AUGUST 17, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS Not only did he show uncanny ability to stay aboard his machine, but he also recovered to pass Stead, who then lost second place to Kenneth Bjerre on the final turn. Richardson, who won four of his six rides, inflicted the only defeat of the night on Gollob in heat 15, but wins in heats 18, 19 and 20 sealed Poland's first World Cup triumph since 1996 - with five races to spare. Poland then put the icing on the cake by winning four of the last five heats to finish with 16 first places out of 25 races. All five Polish riders topped double figures. "It has been a long time since our last World Cup win, and Iam happy for the team, happy for the fans and happy for the whole of Poland," Gollob said. The Swedes were in danger of surrendering second place to the Danes when a subdued Rickardsson collected his third last-place finish in heat 23, and Denmark went into the final race just one point behind their Scandinavian neighbors. But Andreas Jonsson finished second as Nicholls kept Hans Andersen at the back. As well as Rickardsson, Peter Karlsson had an off night with just four points for the 5wedes, while Nicki Pedersen managed only six from six rides for Denmark. John Hipkiss