[five46]

Hello folks,

A new thread dedicated for discussing the 2016 motogp season.

Rossi-Marquez feud notwithstanding, there are advancements taking place to prepare for the 2016 show.

How about the French Footwear for icebreaker? Or may be Tito Rabat??

Let the discussion pour in.

Provisional 2016 MotoGP Calender:

March 20: Qatar Grand Prix (Losail)
April 3: Argentinian Grand Prix (Termas de Rio Hondo)
April 10: Grand Prix of the Americas (Austin)
April 24: Spanish Grand Prix (Jerez)*
May 8: French Grand Prix (Le Mans)
May 22: Italian Grand Prix (Mugello)
June 5: Catalunya Grand Prix (Barcelona)
July 26: Dutch Grand Prix (Assen)
July 10: German Grand Prix (Sachsenring)
July 17: British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
August 14: Austrian Grand Prix (Red Bull Ring)
August 21: Czech Grand Prix (Brno)*
September 11: San Marino Grand Prix (Misano)
September 25: Aragon Grand Prix (Aragon)
October 9: Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang)
October 16: Japanese Grand Prix (Motegi)
October 23: Australian Grand Prix (Phillip Island)
November 6: Valencia Grand Prix (Valencia)
* subject to contract
Source

The 2016 MotoGP Grid:

Repsol Honda
Marc Marquez
Dani Pedrosa
Movistar Yamaha
Valentino Rossi
Jorge Lorenzo
Ducati Team
Andrea Dovizioso
Andrea Iannone
Suzuki
Aleix Espargaro
Maverick Vinales
Aprilia Gresini
Alvaro Bautista
Stefan Bradl
(Sam Lowes has Aprilia MotoGP deal for 2017 & 2018)
Monster Yamaha Tech 3
Pol Espargaro
Bradley Smith
Pramac Ducati
Danilo Petrucci
Scott Redding
LCR Honda
Cal Crutchlow
Marc VDS Honda
Tito Rabat
Jack Miller
Aspar Ducati
Yonny Hernadez
Eugene Laverty
Nicky Hayden is moving to WSBK with Ten Kate Honda
Avintia Ducati
Hector Barbera
Loris Baz
Forward Racing
Racing in Moto2, WSBK and WSS but not MotoGP next year.
AB Motoracing
Karel Abraham? (Future of team unclear, may switch to WSBK*)
Iodaracing
Alex de Angelis? (de Angelis has two-year deal with Ioda, who are working to secure 2015 Aprilia RS-GP machinery for next year)
Source

Request to the mods: Please allow adding a poll at a later time to this opening post of the thread.

[shyn]

What about KTM? They haven't signed anyone yet?
And it would be a great help if somebody could also list out all the regulation changes.
I think there wont be an 'Open' class anymore as everybody will be required to switch to the new regulation ECU.

[badri]

Major changes for 2016

Fuel limit: 22 litres (up from 20)

Engine limit: 7 per year (up from 5). Factories with no dry win between 2013 to 2015 and new entries can still use 12 engines.

Min weight: 157Kg (down from 158)

Standard ECU: Hardware and software of ECU will be controlled. There are a host of rules on homologated parts, free devices etc. Full details are available at the following link. Also check out the picture of Ducati in this link. So complex (with all those wires and sensors) that it looks straight out of a sci-fi movie.

http://www.crash.net/motogp/feature/...otogp-ecu.html

Manufacturer Concessions: Point system introduced. 3 points for win, 2 for second and 1 for third. Any manufacturer reaching 6 points will lose all privileges (12 engines, engine development, unlimited testing). From 2016 wet podiums will also be considered for concessions points. Also, manufacturers who do not score a single podium in 2016 will be eligible for full concessions in 2017.

What I consider to be the biggest change (which can impact riders most) is not a change in rule book but the shift from Bridgestone to Michelin tyres. While the riders and teams have conducted dedicated tests with Michelin, we still do not know how the tyres perform at various tracks.

Initial feedback seems to be that the rear tyre is better than Bridgestone and gives more grip and better drive. The front doesn't seem to be as good. This resulted in crashes for almost all the riders. The rear driving the poor front which tucks in due to relatively lesser than expected grip.

Which rider will benefit from Michelin? Not an easy answer. Feedback is that some top riders are clearly happier than others.

Better rear tyre: May help riders who are affected by spinning tyres more than others (Lorenzo, Pedrosa)
Weaker front tyre: May rob riders who push the front a lot (Marquez)

Looking at the current form, and the changes coming up, 2016 could be the best year for Pedrosa

Sources:
https://motomatters.com/news/2015/04...ngines_22.html

[mayankk]

I am not entirely certain about the Italian.
My opinion is that if he wins the title(fingers crossed), he may prefer to break his contract and retire. This season, and the constant edgy tension saw cracks appearing i his usual demeanor. Conversely, he may decide to retire even if he doesn't win, for the same reason.
Somewhere I read an analysis, posted it to, of what of Lorenzo leaves for D team, Iannone moves across.
Even scenarios of teaming Dani with Rossi, Marquez with Lorenzo. That would be something

[shyn]

Originally Posted by mayankk

I am not entirely certain about the Italian.
My opinion is that if he wins the title(fingers crossed), he may prefer to break his contract and retire. This season, and the constant edgy tension saw cracks appearing i his usual demeanor. Conversely, he may decide to retire even if he doesn't win, for the same reason.
Somewhere I read an analysis, posted it to, of what of Lorenzo leaves for D team, Iannone moves across.
Even scenarios of teaming Dani with Rossi, Marquez with Lorenzo. That would be something

Doesn't everybody from the top teams have a contract with their current teams till the end of 2016? So I don't expect any changes for next year in the top teams, even after the Sepang incident and irrespective of whether Rossi wins the championship this year or not.
But 2017 should be interesting as there are so many young talented riders in Moto2 and seeing how even Moto3 riders are jumping straight to MotoGP.

[shyn]

Here's Mat Oxley on the new control ECU: http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/ra...ectronics-era/

[shyn]

With the 2015 MotoGP season over, the Michelin era begins with two days of testing at Valencia. After an absence of seven years, the French manufacturer is back as the single tire supplier. For the first time since private testing began at Sepang in February this year, we will get to see how the Michelin tires perform and who will adapt best to the new tires. The Michelin tires in are the opposite to the Bridgestones - they have outstanding rear grip and a front that needs to be handled with care.

Some riders are concerned. "We are a bit worried," confessed Valentino Rossi. "We know very well Bridgestone, but we don't know if the new tires will be better or worse. For sure, with the introduction of the single ECU and the change of the spec tire supplier, it's a new challenge for us and we want to continue to be competitive."

Ducati's Andrea Iannone: "The tires are complete different but I had a good impression. The braking point is different, the pressure too. For me, it might be easier because, with Bridgestone, you had to push a lot on the front. With Michelin it will be impossible. It's too early, but I think the Michelins can suit my riding style."

What is Michelin's answer to these initial concerns? We spoke with Piero Taramasso, the executive in charge of Michelin's two-wheeled motorsport program.

Question: When Michelin left MotoGP at the end of 2008, it was said that you were not interested in a single-tire championship. What has changed?
Piero Taramasso: "Yes, we left the championship because we were not interested in the single tire. Now we are back and we accept this rule because we can develop the new technology and transfer it to the road tires. For this purpose, we switched from 16.5 to 17 inches. This is a technical interest. Secondly, the image of MotoGP is very strong. We want to be in the top class again."

Q: What was the priority when you started the new project?

PT: "The priority is to supply a safe tire that is reliable for the whole race distance. Then we are sure that lap times will come. We are not so far from the results we wanted."

Q: Honda and Ducati tested more than the other manufacturers. Do you see them as favorites?
PT: "We gave the same possibility to everybody because we can really progress in the tire development with the factory riders. Yamaha didn't test with us a lot. They were focusing on the 2015 machine as they had two riders fighting for the title, while Honda tested a lot as they were already looking at 2016."

Q: How much will the riding style change with Michelin tires?
PT: "The impact will be important. You cannot ride with Michelin tire in the same way as with other manufacturers. You need to adapt and change your riding style. The rider who will adapt quicker will be the most competitive for sure. What is sure is that everybody will get the same tire. Regarding the riding, looking at the video images from Aragon, for example, where we also tested, we saw that the braking point was the same, but with our tires the corner speed will be higher. At the moment, it looks like you will have to ride more like with a Moto2 style: The key is don't brake so hard like they used to do and keep more speed through the corner. This has been the comment so far of all the riders."

Q: Will we see more sliding?
PT: "Not at beginning of race. But when the tires start to drop, maybe they can slide more. Then it depends from the weight distribution of the bike, the riding style of each rider. It's not only the tire."

Q: Marc Marquez is famous for braking so hard. Will he need to work harder to adapt?
PT: "In Aragon, we saw that he braked in the same point, so it's hard to anticipate."

Q: Which compound will be on track next year?
PT: "There will be two options for each GP. In 2016, there won't be the open category so the tires will be the same for everyone. Compared to 2015, there will be one more tire available: 10 front and 12 rear slicks for the weekend. The number for the rain tires remains the same and we will introduce three sets of intermediates per weekend."

Q: What kind of tires are you using at Valencia test?
PT: "We've entered into a second phase that focuses on fine-tuning some details. But, of course, we cannot make big changes. Let's say that the rear is fixed at 95 percent, while we are still working on the front. We went to almost all the circuits with the test riders (Argentina, Texas, Germany, Japan) - Colin Edwards for Yamaha, Michele Pirro for Ducati and Hiroshi Aoyama for Honda. We tested also with Randy De Puniet (Suzuki) and Eugene Laverty (Aprilia). After Valencia, we will keep working. We have a test in Sepang."

Q: Is the tire really the key?
PT: Yes, it's very important. If a machine has a powerful engine but you are not able to transfer [that power] to the ground, you cannot be fast. I would say 35 percent is the bike, 35 percent is the rider, and 30 percent is the tire. Honestly, the performance in MotoGP is so high that every single detail has to be at the maximum."

Q: Where has Michelin been in motorcycle racing?
PT: "Since 2009, Michelin has not disappeared. We've been engaged in several Superbike national championships. Because it's an open category, we could continue to develop the product, such as in the Italian Superbike championship, the Spanish one, and in the endurance world championship."

http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/11/10...src=SOC&dom=fb

[Hatari]

After the intense 2015 season, there is no doubt that the 2016 opening race will be the biggest draw ever in Moto GP!
Race promoters and broadcasters will be loving it.

[badri]

Originally Posted by badri

What I consider to be the biggest change (which can impact riders most) is not a change in rule book but the shift from Bridgestone to Michelin tyres.

Better rear tyre: May help riders who are affected by spinning tyres more than others (Lorenzo, Pedrosa)
Weaker front tyre: May rob riders who push the front a lot (Marquez)

Looking at the current form, and the changes coming up, 2016 could be the best year for Pedrosa.

[/url]

Looks like I was wrong! After the first day of testing, it looks to be an unanimous agreement among riders that the Spec software is a big step backward and is a much impacting factor than the tires.

Rossi, Marquez, Lorenzo, Pedrosa all raised concerns about the new software. Most significant problem seems to be tyre management i.e how the software handles a worn tyre. This year, we have seen amazing consistency in lap times through out the race, with lap records being set in the last few laps. All this is supported by years of work by factories in developing software that control the engine parameters to suit the worn tyres.

Now, all that have gone out of window and the riders will be limited by the software i.e they may be needing to use their riding prowess instead of software helping them. Does this mean that it is good for old timers like Rossi? Maybe. At this moment though he doesn't seem to be enjoying it. He says that this can be good for racing spectacle but is not fun.

On a side note, Tito Rabat making his debut did amazingly well and finished just behind his team mate Jack Miller. He also did a massive 84 laps of testing! Scott Redding too, seems to be happy with his shift to Ducati and ended up 11th. Maverick Vinales finished an amazing 4th. He can be the one rider who can join the front runners in 2016 provided Suzuki improves on power.

[badri]

Big News! Casey Stoner likely to be Ducati test rider in 2016!

http://www.doogigim.co.il/?p=2932 ( in hebrew, pls use google translate)

Reasons: Snub from Honda when he offered to replace Pedrosa, not using inputs given by him for 2015 bike and also the malfunction of machine in Suzuka 8 Hrs.

Source: Twitter feed of @motomatters

[Parth46]

Originally Posted by badri

Big News! Casey Stoner likely to be Ducati test rider in 2016!

Whoa Whoa Whoa! Look who's back!

And with a wild card option too!

Seems like his official contract with HRC is till December 31 so they can't confirm anything but looks like a done deal to me.

[abhi7887]

Just wondering: Rabat made it to MotoGP but Zarco didn't. Is it lack of Sponsors, Age factor or am I missing something else?

[ashwin.terminat]

Changes to technical regulations for 2016:

Technical Regulations Effective Season 2016
Moto3 Chassis
The list of performance parts will be increased to include radiators and/or heat exchangers and air boxes.
In the interest of safety, Manufacturers/Teams will only be allowed to remove material (Cutting, Skimming) from the bodywork and the seat. All other performance parts must remain as standard.
All other chassis parts, not listed as performance parts or as sensors, may be upgraded as required, either by the manufacturer or the team, without the need for homologation.
Regulation 2.6.4.i. which defines a list of setting parts is no longer relevant, and will be removed from the regulations.
Moto3 Sensors
In the interests of cost saving Manufacturers will be permitted to include in their price list sensors from multiple suppliers.
Moto3 Transmission
The maximum allowed ratios for the primary drive is increased from two to three.
Moto3 Wild Card Engines
To improve chances of participation at a reasonable cost, Wild Card riders mays use any engine previously homologated for 2014 or 2015.
“Wings” on Fairings – All Classes
In the interests of safety, on wings fitted as an integral part of the fairing all edges must have a minimum radius of 2.5 mm.
Tyre Supply – MotoGP Class
The Official Tyre Supplier will remain at all times the owner of all tyres provided to the Teams. The Teams are required to return all tyres to the Official Supplier at the end of each event or test.

[nitro.1000bhp]

Originally Posted by abhi7887

Just wondering: Rabat made it to MotoGP but Zarco didn't. Is it lack of Sponsors, Age factor or am I missing something else?

Zarco had an option with pramac ducati but chose to stay in moto2 and may be get a better offer into mgp in 2017. Kent was also in contention but chose not to for the same reason. Finally Redding filled the spot.

Its sometimes better to arrive at a better team in mgp than join a backmarker team and disappear without a trace.

[ashwin.terminat]

Good to see the Suzukis doing well during the testing. Maverick Vinales has been really impressive and if given a good bike, it should be delightful to watch the 20-year old.

MM93 was fastest with Vinales only 0.103s behind. Pedrosa closed off the top 3 followed closely by Aleix Espargaro and then Jorge Lorenzo.

Both Suzukis finishing ahead of the Yamahas and so close to the Hondas are good signs for the 2016 season. Hope to see Ducati pick up a little handling prowess to match their mad, mad straight line speed and we'll have a 4-team fight next year!

Imagine, Dovozioso(hopefully), Espargaro(hopefully), Iannone, Lorenzo, Marquez, Pedrosa, Rossi and Vinales all battling it out next year!