F-C

MotoGP will adopt a control ECU for all entrants from 2016, bringing an end to its current two-tier structure.
The debate over the future of MotoGP electronics has been a fierce one, with current champion team Honda threatening to walk away from the championship if series-issued systems were mandated.
But at a meeting of the Grand Prix Commission -- on which Honda and fellow works team Yamaha are represented by the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers' Association -- in Qatar on Tuesday, it was agreed that a control ECU would be brought in after two more years.
Honda, Yamaha and all "current and prospective participants" will be able to assist with the design and development of the new software.
Ducati had drawn the ire of Honda by helping to develop Magnetti Marelli's spec system over the 2013/14 winter, before announcing it would use that software and run in the Open class.
"The championship ECU and software will be mandatory for all entries with effect from 2016," said a commission statement. "During the development of the software a closed user web site will be set up to enable participants to monitor software development and to input their suggested modifications."
MotoGP has also adjusted the regulations for its current Factory and Open class split. The latter category was intended as a lower-cost option for independent teams running the standard ECU.
Open runners get 24 liters of fuel per race compared to Factory bikes' 20 and are allowed 12 engines per year rather than five, with the engine freeze waived.
Now the GP Commission has announced that any manufacturer with a Factory entry that has not won a dry race in preceding season, automatically gets the same benefits as Open entries, meaning Ducati's switch was ultimately unnecessary as it has not won since 2010 so is entitled to the breaks.
Suzuki, which will rejoin the series in 2015, is set to get the same allowance.
But those concessions can be removed if a team achieves a set level of success, as had been proposed in the "Factory 2" tier outlined by MotoGP commercial chief Carmelo Ezpeleta last week. If a manufacturer with those benefits wins a race, gets two second places or three podium finishes in the dry, its fuel allowance will be brought down to 22 liters for the rest of 2014-'15.
Three wins would mean it loses the use of the softer tires provided to Open entrants.

SlowLane

Did anyone else watch the first race in Qatar? The battle between Rossi and Marquez was pretty good. Too bad Bautista crashed on the 2nd to last lap. It would have been nice to see one of the satellite bikes on the podium.

F-C

The first race was epic. Can't wait for the next one.

Legend2TL

Good to see Rossi battling at the front again, Marquez even with a broken leg is amazing. Far better than F1 for exciting action.

F-C

I was surprised at the poor form of the Ducatis.

Legend2TL

Ducati really need a Stoner like rider to develop the chassis, for whatever reason Rossi was not able to.

SlowLane

The Moto 2 and 3 races were exciting to watch. Too bad they disqualified Nakagami from his 2nd place finish in Moto 2. He was in 1st or 2nd for pretty much the entire race.

"IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia’s Takaaki Nakagami was disqualified from his second place in the Moto2™ race in Qatar last weekend due to the use of a sponge-type air filter instead of a paper one."

Edward'TLS

With a competitive enough bike, seems like Rossi has finally come back.

F-C

His bike wasn't competitive last year?

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

Last season, the Repsol Honda bikes were simple out of this world in performance.

Even rookie Marc Marquez was able to walk away with the 2013 Championship Title in his Repsol Honda, during his very first year racing in MotoGP.

F-C

Don't agree. Rossi was on the same factory Yamaha as Lorenzo. Lorenzo had multiple wins and the title wasn't decided until the last race. Marquez hardly walked away with the championship. How many wins did Rossi have last year on the same bike Lorenzo used? One.

Legend2TL

They didn't walk away with the championship, factory Honda team finished 1 and 3 and factory Yamaha team finished 2 and 4 in riders championship. The M1 and RC213V are both formidable machines.

+1, Lorenso won 7 times and 93 points ahead of Rossi.

SlowLane

Wow, that was some jump-start by Lorenzo . Good to see a Ducati on the podium.

SlowLane

Austin test for Suzuki as they plan ‘Factory’ 2015 MotoGP return:

Having tested alongside current MotoGP™ teams at circuits such as Aragon, Brno, Catalunya and Sepang in the past 12 months, Suzuki want to further their development at the Austin track and also plan to test at the new Termas de Río Hondo track in Argentina in a fortnight’s time.

During the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, Suzuki MotoGP Test Team Manager Davide Brivio told motogp.com that upgrades to their in-house developed electronics software are a key focus for the test as they adapt to the latest standard championship ECU hardware.

Brivio stated, “Electronics in one of the main items we will work on because we started in Sepang with the Magneti Marelli electronics but it was not ready yet. Despite that we decided to start the development. So here in Austin we will have a new update, a new release of the software, because in the mean time we have been working on that in Japan.”

He added, “Another target of this test is for us to get to know this track and to collect data for next year, because as Suzuki we have never been here. So we need to get to know it and try to be more ready for 2015 when we will be here to race.”

Also asked to confirm whether Suzuki intend to return to the premier class with Factory or Open entry class machinery Brivio replied, “Our plan is to be a ‘Factory’ entry so we are developing software and we want to use our own software next year, then for 2016 we will go to the standard software.”

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2014/A...+MotoGP+return

Legend2TL

^ no podium but they did get a 4th place.

Lorenzo's had a miserable 2014 start

F-C

Rossi regressed back to his form. Lorenzo must not be used to mosquitoes.

Best part of the race was when Marquez over-relaxed on the last lap and almost wiped out.

SlowLane

The Moto 2 race at Austin was more exciting to watch.

Marquez's little brother Alex had problems on the last laps of the first two Moto 3 races. He crashed out on the 2nd to last corner this week, and ran wide at Qatar costing him 1st place .

F-C

After three races, will anyone catch up to Marquez this year?

Legend2TL

^ not at this moment, his talent is quite amazing.

• Another 3 Spaniards season
• Somehow I don't think Dani will ever get to be MotoGP champ
• Lorenzo and Marquez will dominate the future
• Rossi is looking good this year, he will hang around for '15 as long as he's getting results

SlowLane

^^ Agreed. Marquez looks unstoppable at this point.

Pedrosa ran a good race. Supposedly, the new Suzuki factory team wants him for next season. Maybe Lorenzo and Marquez could be teammates next season?

F-C

Pedrosa missed his chance. He's prime years were spent mostly with casts on his legs.

You think Rossi will hang around for one more year? Based on some of the comments he made prior to the season, I don't think the current results are enough for him to come back.

Legend2TL

^ Rossi made some comments a few weeks ago about contract for '15

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2014/V...on+his+renewal

F-C

That's the same article I'm referring to. However, he made those comments after Qatar, when he looked very competitive(it helped that Lorenzo crashed and Marquez was spooked by those crashes in front of him). But for the last two races he hasn't been, so I don't think he wants to renew if all he's fighting with are the satellite teams.

SlowLane

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2014/r...anish+gp+day+2

"Marquez now also boasts a 59% ratio of poles in all MotoGP starts (13 in 22 attempts) after clinching the top spot in Jerez, breaking the lap record en route with a 1’38.120."

Legend2TL

He placed 2nd in Spain, Lorenzo 4th. Battled for the lead in the opening laps and hung in there at the end when under attack from Dani. The Doctor is in for 2015 baring any injuries.

Legend2TL

Marc is phenomenal to say the least, 10 wins in first 22 MotoGP races and all his finishes were on the podium. He's the Rossi of the future, also he's mentally strong as well nothing rattles his cage.

F-C

Le Mans this week. Marquez looks unstoppable at this point. I fell asleep for most of the Spanish GP. Don't know what happened to Lorenzo in Jerez, but he couldn't keep up with Rossi, which was a surprise.

SlowLane

Marc Marquez. Starts on the pole position, falls back to 10th, and then races back to win without breaking a sweat.

Great race for Rossi, Bautista, and Pol Espargaro. Lorenzo left the track and garage in a hurry.

The Moto 3 was awesome. There must have been 8 riders bunched up at the front for most of the race.

F-C

Marquez is riding like Rossi did back in his prime. It's great to watch, even if you know who is going to win.

What in the world happened to Lorenzo? Completely demoralized probably.

Legend2TL

Not sure what but something is definitely up with Lorenzo. I could see one bad race, but two in a row with no apparent injury or bike problem. Tires were not the problem in Spain as he fell back pretty quickly in the first few laps. Didn't watch France but will have to soon.

F-C

Who watched the epic race yesterday at Mugello?

Legend2TL

^ saw the last couple laps. Pretty ballsy passing going on, the apexing Marc did was pretty late on his passes.

SlowLane

Great battle between Marquez and Lorenzo. Rossi did well considering that he started in 10th position.

Another solid race from Pol Espargaro. He's having a pretty good rookie season so far. Maybe another future top Spaniard.

Oh yeah, the paddock girls were hot .

F-C

I thought Lorenzo was going to end Marquez's win streak. There really wasn't much between the two.

F-C

What are the chances that Marquez will sweep the season?

Legend2TL

Fair, at some point fate will stop it.

Lorenzo looked better this race than the previous few, I think he will eventually get a win this year, and perhaps Dani and Rossi as well.

One thing about Marquez is nothing seems to faze him, he's an amazing all around rider.

SlowLane

The 2014 Marc Marquez World Domination Tour continues, but Rossi, Lorenzo, or Pedrosa will win a race soon. I thought it might happen last week after Marquez crashed during qualifying. Yeah, nothing seems to faze or slow him down.

Little brother Alex Marquez won the Moto 3 race by a sizable margin. Brothers winning separate races on the same day has to be a first.

F-C

Agreed. The probability of a sweep is not high, but it's going to be fun seeing how many wins he can get.

F-C

Another win for Marquez.

Looks like Lorenzo's throwing in the towel. That was definitely the worst race I've seen him ride.

Edward'TLS

Look like a trip to the Shrink is in order for Lorenzo to overcome his mental fear, which may ruin his bright MotoGP career.