VOL. 52 ISSUE 13 MARCH 31, 2015 P57
way down the long straight, he
would win.
He didn't. Rossi led the start
of the last lap, and stayed just far
enough clear to cross the line
.174 ahead.
How, at the age of 36, could
he still do this? Surely it was not
simply his exclusive choice of a
harder front tire?
"It is not a sport of athletics,"
Rossi explained. "The motivation
Briefly...
ered machine, with Nicky Hayden
clear on where the biggest improve-
ment lay. "Acceleration," Hayden
said. "It's a lot better. Though I'd be
happier if I was going a bit quicker."
The 2006 World Champion, em-
barking on his 13th season, was also
busy coming to terms with the new
stock electronics, more complex
than last year's. "They have more
channels, and with the extra power
they need them." But the Magneti
Marelli equipment was relatively new
to Honda, so it was still something of
a work in progress. Hayden qualified
17th, best of the four riders on the
new machine.
Grand Prix racing's only Indian bike
has taken on a more Italian flavor in
its new incarnation, with an all-new
Mahindra MGP3O now developed
in the company's own Italy-based
facility, with the team's own engi-
neers in charge. The original was a
Suter design, with Mahindra based
adjacent to the Swiss race designer.
While Eskil Suter is still involved as
a supplier and consultant, the 2015
bike is constructed under the aegis of
technical director Davide Borghese,
who has overseen a raft of changes
that mean although the crankshaft
is interchangeable with last year's
bike, the redesigned engine will not
fit in last year's frame, and few other
parts remain unchanged. As well as
chassis alterations, the main thrust
has been to adapt to this year's
lower rev limit, down to 13,500 from
14,000, as well as to address com-
plaints about difficult corner entry.
The clutch was new, and now on the
other side of the motor. The mapping
had also been extensively revised,
said Borghese, with the work done
continued on next page
A rookie error had
Marc Marquez
absent from the
pack on the start.
