MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Testing may have finished for the MotoGP class, but the news rolls on. A few interesting items have popped up over the past few days, which are worth examining.

Honda turns to Kalex again

The biggest news of the week (and possibly the month) is that HRC have asked Kalex to build a complete chassis for the Honda RC213V. The well-informed German language website Speedweek is reporting that after the positive experiences with the aluminum swingarm Kalex built for Honda, and which made its appearance at the Aragon round of MotoGP last September, HRC asked Kalex to produce a complete frame.

According to Speedweek, the chassis is likely to see its first public outing at the Jerez test on May 1st. Though with HRC test rider Stefan Bradl scheduled to do a wildcard at the Jerez round of MotoGP, there is good reason to expect the German to try the new frame at the Spanish Grand Prix which precedes the test.

The Honda riders may have preferred to have the chassis earlier, at either the Sepang or Portimão tests, but chassis take a long time to design and build. Though Kalex boss Alex Baumgärtel would not answer Speedweek's questions directly, Baumgärtel explained that the first Kalex chassis they built for Moto2 in 2009 took him nine months to design and build. Given Kalex has no experience of building MotoGP frames and no data from MotoGP, it would take a lot of work to prepare. Viewed in that light, six months is relatively quick.

This is not the first time MotoGP manufacturers have turned to external suppliers for help building chassis. In the Valentino Rossi era, Ducati asked FTR to build frames for them, and they have also worked with Suter in the past.

It is a sign of the deep hole which Honda finds itself in that they have turned to Kalex for a complete frame. HRC brought two new frames to the Sepang test, on based on the Valencia frame and a new one, and then brought a second new chassis to the Portimão test. The fact that Marc Marquez quickly discounted the new Portimão frame to focus on the Sepang frame is a sign of just how much work there is to do in the factory.

The bigger issue for Honda is that the frame is only a small part of HRC's problems. Honda has been reluctant to invest heavily in aerodynamics, despite the fact that the tests this year have made it clear that aero is a fundamental part of MotoGP motorcycle design (whether fans like it or not).

Honda have also struggled with electronics, Joan Mir pointing to the power delivery of the RC213V as one area which he was having problems with. Honda riders are all too familiar with highsides, the RC213V having a tendency to flick its riders into the air.

This is one area where Honda may also need to invest. Every other MotoGP factory has ex-Magneti Marelli engineers working for them, giving them a deeper understanding of exactly how to extract the most out of the spec electronics. Ducati has the deepest collaboration and longest history with Magneti Marelli, the ECU supplier being based just a couple of kilometers away from the Ducati factory. Take a bus from Borgo Panigale to the center of Bologna, and you pass the Magneti Marelli factory along the way.

So while this may help Honda to regain some of their competitiveness, it is just one piece of the puzzle. But the fact that they are willing to break with tradition and bring in outside expertise is a sign of how committed they are to succeeding.

MotoGP in India – a year too early?

MotoGP is destined to visit two new countries in 2023, with India and Kazakhstan added to the calendar to bring it up to 21 races. News that India would join the calendar in 2023 came as something as a surprise, as they were a very late addition to the schedule. An Indian GP in 2024 would have made more sense.

Now it seems that 2023 may yet be a year to early. Reports by the Times of India, and follow-up reporting by Simon Patterson of The Race suggest that the Buddh International Circuit in Noida, where the race is set to be held on September 24th, may struggle to be ready in time.

The problem arises because the FIM and Dorna's safety team have requested changes to the circuit to make it safe for MotoGP. There are a number of corners which have been designed with car racing in mind, and which do not meet current FIM safety standards.

The particular issue at the Buddh International Circuit is that it is unclear who has the financial authority to approve the updates. The circuit was built by Jaypee Infratech Limited, but which ran into financial difficulties. Ownership of the circuit has passed to YEIDA, but legal proceedings are still ongoing over control of the track. As such, it is unclear who should pay for the upgrades, valued at Rs 30-40 crore, or $4-5 million, to the circuit, the developer (Jaypee), the owner (YEIDA), or the promoters of the Indian Grand Prix, Fairstreet Sports and Dorna.

The Race reports that the promoter is hoping to have the situation resolved soon, and be able to start work on the circuit in time for the race in September. But there is a very real chance it could be pushed back to 2024.

This change would be welcomed by the teams, who are facing a punishing schedule at the end of the 2023 season. The race in India kicks off a stretch of 8 MotoGP rounds on 10 weekends.

The doubts over India are also raising questions about Kazakhstan. It has gone very quiet surrounding the race at the Sokol International Raceway, near Almaty. That is not necessarily cause for concern, but there has been little sign of promotion for the race. Once the season gets underway, we should learn more.

Aleix Espargaro has arm surgery

At the Portimão test, Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro complained of arm pump, and had to cut short the amount of testing he did because of the problems he was suffering in his right forearm. Initial fears of the problem being down to compartment syndrome proved to be wrong, however, as scans and examinations revealed that the problem was being caused by fibrosis, or additional tissue, accumulating on a previous fasciotomy which had been performed for arm pump.

On Monday, Espargaro underwent surgery at the Dexeus University Clinic in Barcelona, where he had the fibrosis removed and another fasciotomy. An Aprilia press release stated that Espargaro was expected to be fit for the first race weekend of the season at Portimão from 24th-26th March.