after reading dennis noyes' article on electronics in motogp, i'm torn (like an old sweater) between the two sides. the world's premier class of motorcycle racing should be both the bastion of technological development as well as great entertainment.
the 2007 season was quite the snoozfest with ducati running away rider, constructor, and team championships. great for ducati. not so great for the fans as tv ratings were fading as quickly as michelin rubber.
enter carmelo ezpeleta, ceo of dorna, to save the day. under pressure from investors and riders, ezpeleta stated that it was time for motogp to consider a single standard ecu a la formula 1. this is quite the turnaround from earlier this year when he advocated the safety of traction control.
many of the old school riders (rossi, mamola, criville, rainey to name a few) think that traction control has dumbed down the sport making it more like a videogame than an arena to display courage and talent. basically, the computers are taking all the fun out of the racing. no more slides, tire smoke, and spectacular saves. just the stuttering of the engine as ignition timing is pulled.
but isn't motogp supposed to be the epitome of motorcycle technology? every 2008 liter bike has traction control. so now a run-of-the-mill production bike has this technology but a multi-million dollar prototype doesn't?!?!?! that doesn't make sense. motogp machinery should be the best of the best, expense-be-damned, fastest of the fast.
motogp is in a real dilemna. it is at a crossroad. one leading to fun-filled exciting racing and the other to technological superiority. a compromise is in order to get the best of both worlds...
1 comments:
I say add Traction Control..and beef up the HP to make it more exciting! It's all about getting around the track faster, nothing wrong with safer...and then EVEN FASTER :-)
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