2023 Misano MotoGP Test Notes - What The Five Factories Were Working On At Misano

By David Emmett | Mon, 11/09/2023 - 21:37

With just two days of testing during the MotoGP season, track time outside of race weekends is like gold dust. Just over halfway through the season, teams and riders find themselves with a lot of questions needing urgent answers. Factory engineers have their own agendas, with prototypes and new ideas to collect data on in preparation for the first post-season test at Valencia, to give themselves enough time to get bikes and engines ready for 2024.

Michelin, too, have things they want testing. New compounds for 2024, and very early work on the 2025 front tire which is meant to solve the current woes with tire pressure caused by ride-height devices and aero. That tire is reserved for test riders, however. The MotoGP regulars won't get their hands on it until Valencia or Sepang at the earliest.

So there was an awful lot to test on Monday at Misano. A new engine, chassis and aero for Yamaha, a new bike (sans engine) for Honda, carbon-fiber frames for KTM and Aprilia, and experiments with suspension and setup and bike geometry to work through.

Ideally, you want to test in race conditions, but the Monday after a test is anything but that. With MotoGP being the last race of the day, there is already a solid layer of Michelin rubber laid on the track. Then having 20 riders spend the whole day riding leaves more and more rubber, creating more and more grip. And at Misano, a track which is already very high grip, grip levels go through the roof.

All that makes it incredibly difficult to interpret the data from the Misano test on Monday. "It's so hard to honestly understand at these tests, because by the end of the day, the track is like you're on rails, literally," Brad Binder told us on Monday evening. "There's so much grip and you can't put a foot wrong. As the day gets on it's almost like, whatever you test, you've got to think about twice."

If you try a new swingarm or suspension link and it feels like you have more rear grip, you have to figure out whether the grip is coming from the new parts or just from the thick layer of Michelin rubber on the track. It is easy to be led astray by the data.

"I think last year we also got it wrong in this," Fabio Quartararo admitted. "Every time you go out, many bikes are laying down Michelin rubber, Michelin rubber, and it's a track where you spin a lot. So you leave a lot of the tire. If you go to turn 3 right now it's black. So then you open the throttle and on the race weekend you have to control it because it's sliding. Now you can stay wide open and it's fake."

In the early days of KTM's MotoGP project, they found they had this problem at the Jerez test. To solve it, they simply waited two days, and tested after an official Moto2 and Moto3 test. The Moto2 bikes would hoover up all the Michelin rubber, and remove all the grip from the track. KTM then had conditions that were much closer to those they would find on a race weekend.

That leaves the factories with a lot of work to do interpreting the data from the test. Here's a rundown of what they've been testing, and what the riders found.

Honda – baby steps where giant leaps are needed

2023
MotoGP
Misano, Italy
Aprilia
Ducati
Honda
KTM
Yamaha
Aleix Espargaro
Brad Binder
Fabio Quartararo
Franco Morbidelli
Jack Miller
Joan Mir
Luca Marini
Marc Marquez
Marco Bezzecchi
Maverick Viñales
Miguel Oliveira
Pol Espargaro
Raul Fernandez
Takaaki Nakagami
CormacGP
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Comments

Perhaps there isn't much Blue to share with Ducati unfortunately?

Honda and Yamaha are currently working primarily on grip of the seat holding their one top rider in it. How do you think it is going?

Methinks poorly. Neither rider needs the money. That Lavender Duc bike and team would feel SO good next year! We are entering new territory, "A Factory Seat above all" was previous eras.

Right now, I am in Mumbai. Can't make it to the India GP 😭, so crying about that. The even sadder part is that the week after Indian GP, I'm moving to Delhi where the Buddh International Circuit is located. Timing is a bitch.

A lot of the Indian motorcyclists in-the-know are still a bit skeptical about whether the riders would OK the steps taken for the homologation of the circuit. I hope they do take it forward because from what I have heard, it's a glorious track, well deserving of MotoGP bikes.

I used to hate Marquez but now, all I want is to see him win another championship. Such is the injustice done to him by HRC. Have been a Rossi fan, and a Quartararo fan otherwise.

Crystall balls- hmmm let's see.. my predictions at the beginning of the year went out the window (I'd chosen Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez in my team) but still, here goes. 

1. Gresini seems too below the status of Marc as an 8 time world champion and factory rider, but could be the loophole to break his contract UNLESS KTM somehow convinces Ezpeleta to have another "satellite" team which has full factory support. Riders also need their egos caressed.

I wish Marc moves to Gresini Ducati, if the KTM team doesn't happen. I want to see the red team beat. I love Pecco, I love Gigi Dalligna too, but I do NOT like the red team somehow. They're dominating too much. Ducatis, ducatis everywhere.

I used to think Acosta is a given move to Honda- he's the kind of talent they used to run after but KTM has done a pretty watertight job of securing young talent. Plus Honda being what it is, Acosta wouldn't take an offer up.

2. Pecco will win 2023. 

3. 2024 is Marc's. Acosta, like Dani, would have a weight advantage, so he will have a pretty great season. 

^ Mumbai, how far is that from Bombay?

;)

(Kidding). Great response, thanks! I don't have any friends in India, but enjoy some expats here. I LOVE your food, and am learning to cook it (I'm Scottish in USA). Happy to hear India is making Triumphs now.

Sorry your timing is cruel, looking fwd to you filling us in on things from there next yr? I wasn't even sure it would be done! I posted updates and local photos over a year ago. HUGE undertaking.

The track itself? I need to learn more about. Of course we will have a "green" track with some odd dirty bits off line. Usual new track stuff. And our ruders that adapt well and quickly to new tracks.

Hey, did you like Ben Spies? Hands down, I see him as THE single best "new track adapter" I have seen. Got to chat w him and Kevin Schwantz together when The Ben was still in American Nationals. It was a good conversation. I had just ridden Laguna Seca 2005 before that (69 Nicky!) GP return. They were talking race strategy for Ben and also exploring with me how the MotoGP bikes would go around there. They were talking about the new re-pave, bumps taken out, passing areas for the bold. Really nice people. Good memory.

I too find Ducati distasteful, while also admiring them. Zero bad things to say of Gigi of course.

Pecco wins 2023, he just passed his Karma test in the big wreck in San Marino. I'd say 2024 is Marc's if in Lavender. 10% less likely if Orange. At Honda though? Methinks 100% no.

Acosta is the real deal. I think I may like the kid too. Re Marc to Gresini, don't underestimate the depth and strength of connection w his brother. He is HAPPY and THRIVING. It may appear idyllic! It actually may be indeed. Similarly, Red Bull backing to KTM is equally relevant. Allegiance to Honda isn't. The kid wants to WIN. He is smart and sensible.

He says A B C D

A) Stay one more yr Repsol, his obvious A but my C. B) KTM Factory Team. C) Gresini. D) "Retire," perhaps ending up w a return in less than a yr.

Yeah?

So....after all the work, a zillion engineers, new everything, but the engine, Marc says the bike is about the same. That is NOT good! David, do you, or anybody, get a feeling that Marc is truly fed up with the pile of junk he's riding? With with the CEO of Ducati saying Marc might be good for the team.....

He only stated facts. That Independent teams (in this case Gresini and VR46, Pramac is a different case) can chose their riders.

I think Domenicali has been doing an excellent job at Ducati for many years now. Mostly behind the scenes. Listen to the interview with DE earlier this year, intelligent man with a great passion for racing with respect for the values of Ducati.

 

 

I for one find him vey stylish. 100% Italian design. How dare he! An italian? In an Italian team? In Italy? Get that man some yoga pants and a tanktop. That at least should shut some pieholes…

 

A key complaint is spinning rear wheel, making engine & electronics at least a suspect. To test with the existing engine, suggests either that they don't have any advances available, or are unwilling to reveal this far out from '24 - I'd suspect the latter to be more likely.

Perhaps Honda think they can sort out the engine side of things before being able to introduce it next year, and that their more immediate problem is with the frame and aero etc. I would imagine that by maintaining the engine as a constant it will make back to back comparisons more reliable and useful . . . . or maybe not.

Agreed re keeping the engine constant, the GDR (Golden Development Rule) being to always make one change at a time, else how do you know what is/isn't working? 

Realistically Marc's best lap time during the race (on lap 17) was only 0.375s behind the fastest lap time.  It was identical to Maverick Vinales fastest lap and faster than the likes of Oliveira (Aprilia), all bar 1 of the regular KTM's, and several Ducati's including his brother. 

People talk of the "POS Honda" but it is not that far off, it's just that the field is extremely compressed. Mir and Marquez both described small steps, feeling a little better here and there.....but that's all they need. A 0.1s improvement from improved front end feel, 0.1s from improved traction, 0.2 sec from a more controllable engine and the gap is bridged.

Honda are closer than a lot of people think.

Honda with MM on it are closer than you think. No so much the case without him I’m affraid.

There’s also the contributing factor of the high grip Misano offers from the get go.

That helps everyone to a degree, but it’s a true blessing for a bike notorious at already spinning up when being looked at. Hence the C in RCV stands for Cat…

Certainly keeping variables to a minimum is the standard engineering approach to A-B testing, but that doesn't quite explain why choose to test a new chassis rather than a new engine, when trying to convince MM that the traction issue is resolvable.

Of course, a new chassis can be put to immediate effect if shown to be beneficial, whereas an engine can't. But they made their choice for a reason, that only they know the answer to.

As for Honda being close - they are getting closer to where the competition is NOW - the question is, where will the competition be next season?

The "changing only one thing at a time" rule is more often than not BS. because if you make a change you have to adjust a lot of things to get it working. a longer swingarm also changes weight distribution and the rear height (if you just make the swingarm longer without any other change to it)  and therefore also the headstock-angle. just making the swingarm longer without any other change may be worse and you'd think "that's not the good direction", but than if you adjust the bike to it , it may very well be the right direction.

And they simply do not have enough testing time  to go for the "change 1 thing rule".

Interesting that Mir's comments include grip 'slightly better', braking 'little bit better', and turning 'slightly better' - All this after we read that the track conditions are excellent due to the rubber and that it's easy to be fooled that any improvement is from the track rather than the bike.

Do we know the design brief for the new tyres for 2024? Is it a priority that they better dissipate heat and help teams manage pressures within the rules? Not as a solution to the current problems - we know that’s further away than 2024, sadly - but as a step or several steps on the road to a longer term solution? Or are they narrowly focussed on meeting specific track needs? I hope it’s the former. 

Michelin have a lot of work to do to bring a tyre capable of withstanding the new loads.  Of course, if the teams really believe, and I mean really believe that tyre pressure management is hindering their performance then they would homologate fairings with less downforce.  It’s understandable that they want the aero and tyre together but engineering is always about compromise.

Or they would do as you suggest. I don’t blame them either. Seems me manufacturers are working to win within the rules and practical constraints. It’s hand wringing journalists who do most of the moaning. And partisan fans. And manufacturers who have riders who are faster than their bikes. 

If you were MM what would your A, B, and C options be? I'll start with my own crazy thoughts:

A. Buy out Gresini and ride with brother Alex (someone else already offered this idea, too)
B. Convince Dorna, et al, to add a KTM team to the grid, owned by me (MM); possibly branded as Husqvarna (a minor appeasement to Dorna)
C. Buy out LCR, build an all new management and technical team*; keep Rins, send Nakagami to Repsol.

*From a MM interview after Monday's test: "... then I talk in the garage with a technician who has a different face, they didn't introduce him to me, I think he's the new project leader, it's not very clear." Is this any way for Respol/HRC to run his current team? How can this even be a thing?

I don't know what my option C would be, but based on that interview, it seems likely to me that his option C is to quit. 

It came to him as an afterthought, so assume it's not his preferred option, but his options seem to be A), be confident that HRC can improve a lot in short order, B) get a ride on a good bike/team. He doesn't want to ride around in 15th, he's a multiple world champion who doesn't need the money.

 

HRC aren't making the case for 2024 by just bringing in top staff members and not even telling him what their role is.

 

 

 

 

Watching the action this weekend, I couldn’t help but notice the difference in riding style between Dani and the other two factory KTM riders.

Especially under braking where Jack and Brad would use the rear a lot to stop and position the bike, Dani kept both wheels much more in line. Yet he produced the same laptimes.

Makes me wonder what’s the best way to ride that KTM. You could argue both ways seem to work and riders find their own way to extract the maximum from the package given to them.

Will they look at what Dani does and see if it works maybe better?
Can it create dangers of moving in a wrong direction setup wise or even worse, development wise?

And what about tire conservation? Jack isn’t the best of friends with the Michelin rubber these days. Hardly ever was with any tire I’m afraid…

The idea that there is a "best" way to ride a bike is relative. For bikes capable of winning, the "best" way to ride a bike is the way the winner rode it. Not that there is not a better way, but if you beat everyone else you rode it good enough.

Binder's got a way he likes to ride, works pretty good on the KTM and damn entertaining for the fans. Jack see that and can dabble a bit in such action - works sometimes but not always. Old man DP comes along and rides the bike in anger and everyone else seems like a chump. Maybe it's true about the current generation...

Put MM on the bike and guess what... top step and DP's in 5th. Would MM ride the bike Dani's way? Nope. He'll ride that bastard however it takes to beat everyone else... he might even throw it away in the process. While the Honda is too far gone to be on the top step week in and week out without putting riders in the morgue, the KTM is not, nor the Aprilia. Can Binder make the final step? Will Acosta? Does Aprilia have any real line on the rider they need?

If a champion is secured we will then see the "best" way to ride one of those bikes. Till then its all just fantasy.

There are a couple of things worth mentioning with Dani's great performance:

1. He's worn a groove around that track in testing, so his setup is as close as practically possible to "perfect".

2. He is at least 10kg lighter than Jack or Brad.

Funny how times change, back in the day towards the end of his career a lot of the talk was around his light weight not being able to switch the tyres on. Fast forward 4+ years and the tyre situation has been turned on it's head, his light weight is now a big advantage. 

 

Very good points which I didn’t take into consideration before. Thanks!

Curious to see how Bautista will fare when he swings his 60 kg over on the bike. Come to think of it a whopping 10 kg more than Dani. 9 cm being the difference in height. Pecco weighs the same with 5 cm more thzn AB. Must be the braids :-)

That’s why I brought up the difference in riding (braking) style compared to Jack and Brad earlier. Although Brad doesn’t seem to suffer from tire life the way Miller does (and has done pretty much all the way through his MotoGP career).

Riders look at each others data. But do data engineers and crew chiefs sit together to try and see what’s globally more beneficial to lap/race times in terms of setup, riding style, etcetc. So they can relay this back to their individual riders.

There is the point that Dani tested at Misano a short while ago. Tested the bike and tyres he used I guess. Turning up at a track without testing mid season might take a good average approach. Brad seems to take a good average approach to the orientation and trajectory of the bike. It sort of points in the right direction. If Brad was a clone of Dani then maybe he could take a carbon copy advantage from Dani's test, but he's not. Also, to be honest, if Brad had a better grid slot and avoided the bad sprint start, he would have finished ahead of Dani in both races I feel.

Definitely don't know if they do now. Some team will use your idea, for sure.

The best way to ride a racebike is determined by the stopwatch.

Most use spotters trackside. They pass on what they see to their riders.  Data analysis would probably pick up subtleties that the naked eye may miss. 

I can imagine KTM comparing sector times between all four of their riders. They will be looking for differences. To see where Brad is faster, where, Jack was quicker. Then find how the riders went quicker. Each of them could improve their weaker parts of the track.

Imagine Ducati with eight racebikes collecting data for them. Best to be Zarco in turn 1, Enea Bastianini in the flip flop, Alex Marquez is better than everyone through this bit.

What are we looking at inside the front fairing of Zarco's bike?

On the left side it looks like hydraulic damper adjusters (shock clickers) and on the right it looks like some kind of pressure regulator maybe? So are they tuning the rate and and pressure that the ride height adjustment actuates at? Or does this all lead back to the salad box at the back? Or are these just dummy-adjusters that they let Zarco play with when he thinks he knows better than the engineers?

"You added two more clicks on the adjusters under the front fairing? Good idea Johan, you're such a clever boy!"