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| Kropotkin Thinks | ... that some things are more important than racing - but not many |
Submitted by David Emmett on
The 2019 Red Bull KTM livery, much like the 2018 color scheme
In contrast, a brand new color scheme for a brand new proposition: the Red Bull Tech3 KTM team colors
Submitted by Press Release on
KTM launched their 2019 MotoGP campaign at their factory in Mattighofen, Austria today. They introduced the Red Bull Factory MotoGP team, and the Red Bull Tech3 satellite squad. They issued the following press release after the launch:
2019 MotoGP is Go! Red Bull KTM race teams show new colours in Austrian unveiling
Submitted by David Emmett on
Valentino Rossi's Yamaha M1
David Emmett: The Yamaha M1 barely seems to change from year to year. In recent seasons, even the livery has remained almost identical. Yamaha's philosophy is one of evolution and refinement, and that is not always obvious from the outside. Despite the lack of outward change, there are some major changes to the 2019 Yamaha M1. Yamaha is continuing along the path of moving weight to the rear of the bike, and the bike has new chassis parts (including a new frame) to help with tire life. The biggest changes have been on the electronics side, optimizing the Magneti Marelli spec ECU software.
Submitted by David Emmett on
2019 - more black, less white, same blue
Submitted by Press Release on
The factory Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team issued the following press release after the launch of their 2019 color scheme in Jakarta today:
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP TURN THEIR ’BEAST MODE ON‘ IN INDONESIA
Submitted by David Emmett on
Submitted by David Emmett on
Thomas Morsellino is a French freelance journalist and photographer, with keen eye for the technical details of MotoGP bikes. You may have seen some of his work on Twitter, where he runs the @Off_Bikes account. After every race, MotoMatters.com will be publishing a selection of Tom's photos of MotoGP bikes, together with extensive technical explanations of the details by Peter Bom. MotoMatters.com subscribers will get access to the full resolution photos, which they can download and study in detail, and all of Peter's technical explanations of the photos. Readers who do not support the site will be limited to the 800x600 resolution photos, and an explanation of two photos.
Clutch cable on the Honda RC213V
David Emmett: Honda are one of the only factories to still use cable-operated clutches rather than hydraulic clutches. Cable clutches are lighter, simpler, and given that the clutch is only used once during the race (at the start), any benefits a hydraulic clutch might have are barely a factor.
Ducati GP19 (Alvaro Bautista) with the parallelogram torque arm system
David Emmett: For a full explanation of what Ducati might be trying to achieve with this, read Peter Bom's full analysis.
Submitted by David Emmett on
After the team presentation at the Repsol Campus in Madrid, the Repsol Honda Team issued the following press release. Unfortunately, as a result of Jorge Lorenzo's injury, HRC were unable to do their normal full photoshoot with the team. A full gallery of the bikes will be available next week:
2019 Repsol Honda Team livery revealed in Madrid
Submitted by David Emmett on
The bike in the photos appears to be a GP18 rather than a GP19. But the launch is all about the sponsors, and the new livery, rather than the bike. The new bike will only be unveiled at the Qatar test, with parts still to be tested at Sepang.
The 2019 Mission Winnow Ducati livery
Submitted by David Emmett on
The forces in play with Ducati's torque arm
Ducati has always been known for taking the path less traveled when it comes to their MotoGP bikes. Their willingness to experiment and innovate – and sometimes, pick up old solutions which were dropped in the past – has been put into overdrive since Gigi Dall’Igna took over as head of Ducati Corse, the Bologna factory's racing department.
The appearance of a torque arm on the Ducati GP19s at the Jerez test in November last year is another example of exactly this kind of thinking from Dall'Igna. An idea which was once common practice in racing motorcycles in the 1970s and early 1980s, but disappeared shortly afterward. Why had Ducati reinstated the idea again? What were they trying to achieve?
