Decrease grip? What do you think?

[funsizeracing]

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=34846

[Jeff]

It's easier to limit the equipment than it is to have major structural changes at the tracks...  JMHO

[wolf44]

and if they can build a tire that has a little less grip, more durable and works for all the bikes, the productions costs go down

[mikendzel]

They could have just awarded the contract to Michelin....

[eboos]

Can you imagine being a rider given the choice of:

- this one will not offer you the grip that you need in the corners and will step out on you when you are getting a little more aggressive when either trying to pass someone or open up a gap on the person behind you,

- or this tire that will be a little softer but won't hold up for the race distance and will let go on you in the later stages of the race.

Not sure how reducing tire grip will result in an increase of safety. Kind of taking a step backwards isn't it?

[stickboy274]

With all th etraction contral electronics, it should just slow them down. It will just cut the power untill the bike gets off the corner to a fatter part of the tire.

I don't liek it, but I can see why they want to slow the bikes down. They already took displacement from the motors. This is the next place to try.

[Eye-p]

With all due respect to everyone here, I think that commenting on something like this with anything approaching certainty is just silly.

"Less grip" on one of these tires is without question more grip than any tire that any of us have ever used.

Further, these bikes make more power, and the riders are so much faster, that there is just no way to compare with what we race with.

Perhaps we should just let the racers explain what this will mean after they get to do the Jerez test next month...

[Super Dave]

Less grip increases and decreases risk.

Reducing the transmissions to four gears would have done more.

Either way, it's a reduction in the unlimited aspect of the top world championship class.

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

Perhaps we should just let the racers explain what this will mean after they get to do the Jerez test next month...

Last week I stumbled on to an article somewhere(?) that was talking about this issue, they said the main reason is because the cornering speeds are getting stupid fast and the severity of accidents goes up exponentially. They interviewed Rossi and he said that he is one of a few racers who are part of a commitee made up of racers, officials, and others who deal with various concerns and potential changes within MotoGP. Rossi said that he and the other riders have been very concerned about the ever increasing corner speeds due to tire technology and they have been asking if there was a way to actually take a step backwards with the tires to slow things down a bit in the turns. He also said that another concern is how far the riders are going after they crash due to the speed, that longer time tumbling or sliding can result in more or worse injuries.

Many of the riders are the ones who really wanted this.

[Super Dave]

I think it was in the last RRW or the one before it that JB called BS on the cornering issue.

Additionally, I guess I'm not noticing a substantial number of riders being as beat up as Rainey, Baldwin, Mamola, Schwantz, Doohan, etc.  I'm kind of unsure on how to approach it all.