In the midst of a massive software upgrade for MotoMatters.com, David Emmett took time out to record another episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast with Stephen English. Despite the absence of Neil Morrison, who is on his way to Argentina, and Tony Goldsmith, who was taking photos of other kinds of motorcycles, Steve and David managed to fill three quarters of an hour of chat about the upcoming racing this weekend.
As usual, we covered a lot of topics in our preview of Argentina, discussing the possible effect which the tires and electronics may have. This will be an even bigger factor in Argentina, as this is the first track MotoGP visits where they haven't already tested. We talk about the sense of choosing Michele Pirro over Casey Stoner to replace the injured Danilo Petrucci at Pramac, and take a look at Moto2 and Moto3 as well. We also cast a quick glance ahead to Aragon, where the World Superbike series will be racing this weekend, giving fans an action-packed weekend of motorcycle racing action.
The other major topic of debate is the future of winglets and aerodynamics. We discuss why Dorna wants them outlawed, and why doing so is not as simple as it seems. We also talk about the complexities of aerodynamics on a racing motorcycle, and how it isn't anywhere near as simple as in racing cars.
Finally, one last note: there will be an event at Austin, where you can come and meet the Paddock Pass Podcast crew, as well as Scott Jones, MotoMatters.com's star photographer, and Jensen Beeler of Asphalt & Rubber. The meet up will be an informal affair, and will happen on Friday night at The Handlebar, on 5th Street in downtown Austin. More details of the event are up on Facebook.
If you don't want to miss out on these episodes as they are released, make sure you follow The Paddock Pass Podcast on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to it on iTunes or Soundcloud. If you do use iTunes, please remember to rate the show and leave a review, as this helps other MotoGP fans find it. Enjoy the show!
Comments
transcript?
Any chance of getting the podcasts transcripted?
Chris
tires
You guys missed the fact that Ducati did not have access to the extra-hard tires last season and still came in second place. They should be in a better position to fight for the win this time.
Aerodynamics
Hi David,
First of all I hope your Easter break was better than it sounds, software updates are a serious pain. As usual a great podcast, your comments on aerodynamics are spot on in terms of exploding costs and complexity. However aerodynamics are not absent from GP bikes it's simply that the FIM Grand Prix rules on body work controls what can be done pretty tightly (Section 2.4.4.7 body work for those who care to read them).
The mention of the dustbin fairings was interesting in particular the fact that they were dangerous. There was certainly plenty of crashes in the period they were around to support that view but I wonder if some of that was in part caused by the higher speeds and changed weight distribution of the bike rather than changes in centre of pressure. It is interesting to view a image of a modern GP bike and a image of the MotorGuzzi V8 dustbin fairing in tandem. Not a lot of difference in a side view but as always detail is important. I suspect the banning was in part developed to make sure that the rider on board was still largely visible to the spending public. A potential logical development of the dustbin was a fully enclosed bike.
Certainly not a spectacle that would add to my viewing.
Steve