P26
Some riders thought the seamless shift was worth .2 of a second a lap, but Rossi thought the
benefit was greater over race distance.
"For me in one lap it doesn't
change the lap time a lot," he
said. "The big improvement is
I think in the 20 or 30 laps because the bike becomes a lot
easier to ride, more stable in acceleration and also braking; less
stress for the tires, and also for
the riders because the bike become more easy to bring to the
limit. You don't have to modify tricks to go faster. If you need to
your style, but you can use some change gear you can do it even
on the very edge.
"Now it's a little bit of a bad
feeling to come back. The normal gearbox feels very fast, until
you try the seamless," he said.
Jorge Lorenzo, who has been
pressing Yamaha for the gearbox, was less effusive. "We tried
it, but at the moment it is still in
evolution, so for the moment
it's not ready. I hope to use it as
soon as possible."
Michael Scott
Valentino Rossi was happy with
Yamaha's new seamless transmission
during a test prior to the Indy GP at
Brno in the Czech Republic.
INDY GETS MOTOGP… BUT LAGUNA STILL ON
FOR 2014
F
ears that this weekend's Red
Bull Indy Grand Prix would
be the final GP at the iconic Indy
Speedway were laid to rest during race weekend when Dorna
confirmed that the series will
return for a seventh consecutive
year in 2014.
This would be the last year
of the agreement with IMS, but
talks were already under way
discussing renewal for 2015 and
beyond, said Dorna.
IMS president J. Douglas
Boles said: "We are optimistic
about the growth of the event in
Indianapolis… also eager to continue working with our friends at
Dorna to ensure a long-term future for MotoGP at The Racing
The Brickyard
will again host a
MotoGP in 2014.
Capital of the World."
Whether this is merely window-dressing remains to be
seen. With the addition of the
Red Bull Circuit of The Ameri-
cas GP this year there are three
rounds in the U.S., hampering
the chances of new countries
joining the calendar. Rumors
floating around at Indy were that
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
WIND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
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