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/1520301
Sexton Changes Mechanics C hase Sexton revealed that he and his tuner since 2022, Brandon Zimmeron, have parted company. It's not unusual for riders to change mechanics, but it is mid- season. However, Sexton made it clear that the split had nothing to do with his crash at the Nashville Supercross, where a rock damaged his throttle, causing the fall. "I have nothing but love for [Zimmeron], and he will always be a super important person to me," Sexton said via social media. "I want to thank him for everything, and I had the best time working with him. I wanted to come out and clear the air that us not working together had nothing to do with the throttle in Nashville. That was a freak incident and no one's fault. This was a decision made independently by the team and Brandon. Zimm is an awesome mechanic, and I wish him the best on his next endeavors. Ready to see him at the gate soon." Sexton was teamed with Kyle Defoe as his mechanic at the Denver Supercross. CN WIND IN THE P36 Chase Sexton had a new tuner at the Denver Supercross. the top of the front fairing will be 50mm narrower, and the nose will be pushed back 50mm, re- ducing the effect of aero where it matters, on the straights and the braking areas." Also, any aero up- grades to the rear seat unit will be controlled, with one update permitted per season, unlike in the present day, when manufac- turers can fit as many new wings to the seat unit as they please. Ride-height and holeshot devic- es are other recent phenomena that have regularly been criticized for affecting racing and further simplifying a rider's life. Both will be banned from 2027 to increase the ability to overtake. Fuel is another area of perfor - mance that will be addressed. The premier class switched to 40 percent sustainable fuel for this year and saw next to no de- crease in performance. For 2027, all MotoGP machines will race with 100 percent sustainable fuels. What's more, fuel-tank capacity is reduced from 22 li- ters to 20 (and 11 for Saturday's Sprint race). Intriguingly, GPS data was an- other area addressed in the new regulations. "To level the playing field even further, GPS data from all riders will be available to all teams after each session," read the official statement. "Providing data to all competitors offers better opportunities to progress for the less performing teams and riders, and at a controlled cost. Access to this range of data will help make the sport safer, and it will also increase the level of insight available to fans around the world." To ensure close competition, the new regulations state all manufacturers will begin 2027 at Rank B in the current conces - sion system (engine develop- ment frozen through the season, three designated test tracks and wildcards, and 190 test tires al - located), with performance then judged midseason to determine any changes. This will represent the big - gest shift in technical regula- tions since MotoGP switched to 1000cc capacity engines in 2012 after five years of dreary racing during the five-year 800cc era. Neil Morrison