Cycle News

Cycle News 2020 Issue 46 November 17

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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VOLUME 57 ISSUE 46 NOVEMBER 17, 2020 P121 gation, on the eve of the first race. This last point is somewhat notional, because not all engines will have been built at the cut-off date. But the specifications are sealed. Yamaha had strayed in improperly deviating from the specs—and (the actual crime) failing to inform their fellow MSMA (manufacturers' associa- tion) that they'd done so. After Yamaha homologated their 2020 engine, they'd been forced to source valves from a different supplier, the original having ceased production. The specs were apparently identical, but the goods and the invoice came from a different address. This alone, apart from likely, if minor, material or process differ- ences, required that they should obtain unanimous approval from the rival teams. The "misunder- standing" was failing to realize this was necessary. Then things got worse. The new "illegal" valves suffered multiple failures at the first race. They were able to switch back to the originals, but having already effectively lost two each of the five sealed engines per rider they had to cut back on revs and power, to be able to make the season. Already lacking in out- right grunt, the riders lost more top speed than ever. Even then, they had to dig out the first-race engines in Austria for a couple of riders, just to avoid overworking the others. The punishment was for factory and teams to lose points earned at these races. Should the riders also have lost points? This was the source of a fresh argument. On the one side, they had been innocent of wrong-doing. On the other, as Jack Miller and others pointed out, if there is a technical in- fringement—say a deviation from spec lubricant or ECU configura- tion—riders are punished along with their teams and factories. What's the difference now? Or had they been punished enough already? Because being left short of power was just one aspect. Maverick Vinales had to break out a sixth engine in Valencia, and his chances were wrecked with the resultant pit-lane start. Rossi was (er…) lucky enough to miss two races thanks to the virus, and will probably have enough, But maybe not, since another one died at the first Valencia race, another day of dire results. Although apparently just an electronic glitch—a failed fuel pump. Quartararo and Morbidelli are definitely on the cusp of pit- lane starts. One of Quartararo's engines has already seen use at ten race weekends; Morbidelli has already lost a third engine to a blow-up. Of the remaining pair, one has seen use at 11 week- ends, the other ten. On top of all this, Yamaha— having already had to quarantine factory engineers earlier this year—lost five pit staff as well at Valencia. And the last title hopes also faltered. Earlier dominant force Quartararo crashed on lap one, remounting for two feeble points; Morbidelli fell back with tire pressure issues. Never mind the self-help book. Neither the Japanese en- gineers nor the riders might be aware of it, but Shakespeare had already written their 2020 script, in Hamlet. "When sorrows come, they come not single spies—but in battalions." CN That's how it stands, in spite of inevitable rumors and conspiracy theories that there was some more sinister intent. Innocent until proven guilty. But punished anyway.

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