Michael van der Mark missed the
test after breaking his right lower
leg in a bicycle training accident.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing
Team) rounded out the top eight,
after recovering well from all
his 2021 injuries, and like many
riders, missing a final chance to
put in a fast lap when the rains
showed up just after noon on the
last day.
Independent rider Lucas Ma-
hias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
was ninth overall and the sec-
ond official HRC Honda of Xavi
Vierge (HRC Honda) rounded out
the top 10. The new Honda rider
suffered a subsequent heavy fall,
fracturing a rib.
Rookie privateer Philipp Öttl
(Team GoEleven Ducati) was
11th, Andrea Locatelli (Pata
Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 12th,
Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action
BMW) 13th and Kohta Nozane
(GRT Yamaha) 14th. 2021-season
MotoAmerica rider Loris Baz
(Bonovo Action BMW) was 15th,
one place up on Ilya Mikhalchik,
who stood in for the injured van
der Mark at this test.
Former MotoGP rider Hafizh
Syahrin Bin Abdullah (MIE Rac-
ing Honda Team) had his first
taste of WorldSBK machinery,
finishing 20th.
Gordon Ritchie
Catalunya WorldSBK Preseason Test
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yam)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Duc)
3. Iker Lecuona (Hon)
4. Jonathan Rea (Kaw)
5. Garrett Gerloff (Yam)
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 13 MARCH 29, 2022 P39
MotoGP Bans Front Ride-Height Devices
A
fter a meeting of the GP
Commission in which all six
MotoGP manufacturers attended,
it was decided by a 5-1 vote to
ban the front ride-height devices
for 2023.
Pioneered by Ducati, which
unsurprisingly was the only one
to vote for the front ride-height
device's continued use in Mo-
toGP, the system lowers the front
of the motorcycle under acceler-
ation but has come under intense
fire from some riders who believe
the device causes greater air tur-
bulence and thus makes overtak-
ing more dangerous.
"During the meeting of the
Commission held in Lusail,
March 4, the Grand Prix Com-
mission delegates were asked to
consider two alternative propos-
als on this matter," a statement
released by MotoGP commercial
rights holder, Dorna, said.
"Both had the objective of
preventing further performance
improvements and development
cost increases. After consider-
ation of the proposals the fol-
lowing regulation was approved
unanimously.
"The use of any device that
modifies or adjusts the motor-
cycle's front ride height while it
is moving is forbidden. The deci-
sion of the Technical Director
will be final when determining
what constitutes a front ride-
height device; devices that only
operate one-shot at the race
start (i.e. "holeshot" devices)
are allowed."
CN
MotoGP Bans Front Ride-Height Devices
Marc Marquez with his
front end locked down
for a practice start.
The start devices will
remain, but front-end-
lowering systems that
operate during riding
will be banned from
2023 onwards.
