GP 12 development

[roadrunner]

Seems that Vale needs some help to continue the test on GP12 bike.

http://www.moto.it/MotoGP/checa-in-sella-alla-gp12-di-valentino-rossi.html

[Grifo]

Looks like Ducati lost the Marlboro sponsorship. 

[Grifo]

I'm not a fan of that body style. Looks Hondish to me..

[Dave]

I'm not a fan of that body style. Looks Hondish to me..

That might be the point, as they won about everyhting last year.

I say get Victoria's Secret or Fredrick's to sponsor as the paddock girls would look fantastic!

[sTD]

I'm not a fan of that body style. Looks Hondish to me..

MoroGP bikes are no longer built to exploit new ideas, they're built to suit the single tire rule.  Bridgestone makes the tires to suit the RCV and particularly its twin-spar aluminum frame, so if you wanna have a shot at winning, you gotta build an RCV.

The single tire rule is killing the innovation in the sport, not displacement, and not electronics.  How many true, ground-breaking innovations has MotoGP chassis design brought to the rest of world in the last 20 years?  Zero.  The RCV frame is basically a narrowed 1993 CBR900 one, which was an update of the 1991 GSXR unit, which was a street version of the early-80's 500GP frames. 

Ducati tried to make their frameless concept work, but it was doomed to fail from the start.  Why?  Because it sucks?  Nope, simply because it didn't initially suit the mandated tire as well as the twin spar one.  Good on Ducati for sticking with the design on the 1199, because the design has a lot of room for development well beyond the capabilites of the ancient twin-spar setup. 

How ironic that in order to try and develop fresh new ideas as a manufacturer, you have to avoid MotoGP... which is supposed to be a prototype class!!!  Moto2 has the same problem, only worse.  With their bodywork off, I defy you to tell the bikes apart.

[Dave]

ok, so am I understanding you correctly that motogp bikes all have to use the same tire?  As a result of this bikes are limited in design possibilities?

I don't understand why a tire limits bike design.

Now please understand i have about 5 minutes worth of experience in this, so if there are loads of articles I need to read and so on to catch up link me to them.

cheers for any explanation you are willing to type up though.

[GRUBBY]

I don't understand why a tire limits bike design.

It's like beers. They're all made about the same way, look about the same and some even taste the same. Now I can drink half my weight in Guinness but I drink 1 Coors Light and I have a splitting headache.

Some tires, whether it be physical construction, rubber compounds or even shape just plain don't work on some bikes. Remember Rossi used to ride Michelins.

[1FastFox]

I say get Victoria's Secret or Fredrick's to sponsor as the paddock girls would look fantastic!

I second this idea. Is that enough to make it happen???

Plus, I would like to see Rossi on a pink bike. lol

[Grifo]

http://ducati.com/racing/motogp/news/the_ducati_team_starts_work_on_the_gp12_at_day_1_of_sepang_test/2012/01/31/810/index.do

[screaminss]

 Cool Vid   

http://www.motogp.com/en/videos/2012/Behind+the+scenes+at+Ducati+Corse+A+sneak+peek+at+the+GP12+1