Michael Scott | May 19, 2018
2018 MotoGP News Saturday from Le Mans —
Mir to Suzuki?
A new rumor surfaced on Friday at Le Mans, for the second factory Suzuki seat alongside Alex Rins … that the place is earmarked for his highly fancied Spanish compatriot Joan Mir.
2018 MotoGP News Saturday from Le Mans
Already Moto3 champion and so far easily top rookie in Moto2, the 20-year-old from Majorca is tipped for a big future, and an early switch to MotoGP could be part of a primrose path.
But Suzuki team boss Davide Brivio, spotted yesterday in a stand-up row with current incumbent Andrea Iannone, remained cagy when pressed by Dorna’s cameras.
“We are talking to several riders. We all know each other, all the managers. We have two ways to look at: one is to find an experienced rider, the other to take another young rider. We are talking to Iannone’s manager, also to others. I hope to know more at Mugello.”
Lorenzo looks destined for pay cut
The second factory Ducati seat remains hot property, with Jorge Lorenzo’s tenure looking no less shaky after the mediocre start to his second season.
Most problematic might be the money. His two-year sign-on fee was more than 20-million Euros. Sporting director Paolo Ciabatti had already commented that he would have to accept a pay cut. After signing up Dovizioso for two more years for an undisclosed sum, certainly much closer to Lorenzo’s pay than his own previous two-million Euros, that has become even more the case.
“There is a big gulf,” Ciabatti told Dorna, “between his fee and our budget.”
As for the second seat at Pramac, that would probably go to Jack Miller, he said, with a 2019 bike. Moto2 star Pecco Bagnaia was already signed up for the team, on a 2018 Desmosedici. “That is a done deal,” he said.
Le Mans Crashfest
Was this a new dry-weather record? There were an impressive 81 crashes during two days of practice at Le Mans, with the explanation difficult to find. The Bugatti circuit was in excellent condition, fully resurfaced last year, and the sun shone throughout.
Only a cool wind could be put forward, with the suggestion that the tyres were having trouble getting up to temperature, and then cooling down unexpectedly quickly.
Nor could the headstrong youth of Moto3 be blamed. The lowest number of crashes was in the smallest class, with 19 recorded. MotoGP clocked up 23, with Moto2 taking the lion’s share on 39.
The worst victim was Cal Crutchlow, with a soaring high-side at the corner before the back straight in qualifying. He did not lose consciousness, but was stretchered off, and taken to hospital for observation.
Other high-profile fallers were Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi. Bradley Smith was lucky to escape unhurt from a big high-side on day one; and Aleix Espargaro from a very fast slide-off at well over 240 km/h at Turn One during qualifying. In Moto2, Stefano Manzi fell four times, including twice in the qualifying session, and every time at the same place, Museum corner.
Aside from the problem of the cool breeze, Marc Marquez had another theory. “Here you have a lot of grip, then when the tyre starts to slide, it slides very aggressively,” he said.
New KTM engine delayed
KTM’s expected reverse-crank engine will not be seen until after the summer break, according to sources close to the team.
Although it has not been officially admitted, the backward-spinning crank in the otherwise similar V4 engine was the biggest difference in Mika Kallio’s “2018 prototype” that he rode to tenth place at the previous round at Jerez, beating both of the regular riders.
The Austrian factory has always been coy with technical details, but it is known that the first version of their engine was as heretical as the use of a steel-tube frame and White Power suspension, spinning in the same direction as the wheels when all the rivals spin the crank backwards. (Honda were relative late-comers to this practice.)
The gyroscopic results of crank spin confer different advantages, but the common belief is that a reverse-spin crank improves mechanical grip on corner exit.
Finn in at SIC Racing Team Moto2
A mid-season change of line-up in the Malaysian-backed SIC Racing Team in Moto2 sees 22-year-old Finnish rider Niki Tuuli move over from Supersport 600 to take the place of Zulfahmi Khairuddin. The Malaysian former 125 and Moto3 veteran had been drafted in after the unexpected departure of Hafizh Syahrin to Tech3 in MotoGP, but had told the team he did not feel up to speed after two years absence from the series.