22 replies to this topic

[ehagar]

This probably needs to be in a separate thread, as the MotoGP 2007 testing thread is for testing times/talk only and we shouldn'y be having a generic catch all thread.

Last year I thought this was impossible, but it sounds like the talk is pretty serious now. It is plainly obvious that they *must* modify the circuit to work for motorcycles, and I thought this would have been a major stumbling block to FIM certification. Apparently though, IMS is serious about spending the money necessary to make it happen:

http://www.cyclenews...eadlineID=10286

[Alaweni]

I live in Indy and would love them to come to town! I'm glad that this would be in addition to Laguna. Maybe we can have the 125's and 250's here since they can't do it with the current race. The talk around here has them placing a chicane right before turn 13 to slow them down...the paper said they were going 180mph around the final corner during the AMA test and that was pretty crazy.

[giddyup409]

i still don't get it
if the 1st corner running clockwise is dangerous because riders face a wall on their left as they speed toward the finish line, how will running anticlockwise be less dangerous, even though they'll cut the corner immediately after the pits, when in that case the wall on the right would be closer than the wall on the left the other way around?

i can understand the marketing potential and influence of ims, but i still can't vision the track layout, regardless of the direction, hosting a safe and inspiring gp.

sceptic over here

[Dudley]

Originally posted by giddyup409
i still don't get it
if the 1st corner running clockwise is dangerous because riders face a wall on their left as they speed toward the finish line, how will running anticlockwise be less dangerous, even though they'll cut the corner immediately after the pits, when in that case the wall on the right would be closer than the wall on the left the other way around?

i can understand the marketing potential and influence of ims, but i still can't vision the track layout, regardless of the direction, hosting a safe and inspiring gp.

sceptic over here

They're not running the banked corner at all.

[HBoss]

I'd like to have a look at the drawings and sketches.

And the idea of a 2nd race in the US sounds good to me.

[ehagar]

Originally posted by Dudley


They're not running the banked corner at all.

Exactly. It sounds like they would modify the pit lane somehow and make a corner going into there. Sorta like the corner at Rio de Janeiro (RIP?) before turn 1 of the oval circuit.

Too bad they cant use parts of turn 3 & 4 to make a few more corners... (get rid of the golf course )

[giddyup409]

Originally posted by Dudley


They're not running the banked corner at all.

who said they are running the banked corner? current clockwise turn 1 is not on the banked corner and will be further away from the wall than any version of the proposed counterclockwise turn 1.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Oh...is that where Sete's leathers logo comes from?

[HBoss]

Originally posted by ehagar


Exactly. It sounds like they would modify the pit lane somehow and make a corner going into there. Sorta like the corner at Rio de Janeiro (RIP?) before turn 1 of the oval circuit.

Too bad they cant use parts of turn 3 & 4 to make a few more corners... (get rid of the golf course )

Who needs golf, besides those old insanely rich farts?

[ehagar]

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
Oh...is that where Sete's leathers logo comes from?

The Bultaco thumbs up? He is the grandson of Francisco Bultó, the founder of Bultaco motorcycles.

[Dudley]

Originally posted by giddyup409


who said they are running the banked corner? current clockwise turn 1 is not on the banked corner and will be further away from the wall than any version of the proposed counterclockwise turn 1.

People were talking about the walls being close in the current last turn and were asking how running it the other way would help.

[Locai]

Cool!

I read the article and I think I understand what they're attempting to do about the wall. They're going to run the bike race in the opposite direction of the F1 race and put a chicane to the inside of oval turn 1 (F1 turn 13) to keep them away from the wall in the corner.

It will be interesting to see how well it works, if at all.

[Stephan]

I would like to know why only Moto GP bikes run on Laguna Seca, and not the 125 and 250's.

[Youichi]

Originally posted by Stephan
I would like to know why only Moto GP bikes run on Laguna Seca, and not the 125 and 250's.

The Lagua circuit is only allowed to run for a limited number of days each year, and doesn't want to give up their lucrative AMA round, so the MotoGP race was shoehorned into the AMA meeting schedule. If the 125/250s ran there would be no room on the schedule for the AMA, meaning a drop in spectators/coverage for the event. I'd agree its a shame, I'd love to see 40+ 125s charging into the corkscrew on the firstlap. I hope if the IMS do run a MotoGP round the 125/250s get invited too.

There is possibly also something to do with laws about two-stroke motorbikes in California, but you'd have to ask a local about them.

[Red ITC]

I always thought emissions was the problem at Laguna but I also remember reading about money being an issue.

IMS: is there any big bore bike racing there? Is that diamond cut surface OK for bike tyres?

[Dudley]

Originally posted by Youichi


There is possibly also something to do with laws about two-stroke motorbikes in California, but you'd have to ask a local about them.

They've ran 500cc GP bikes there so that's probably not it.

[George Dubbya]

Originally posted by Red ITC
I always thought emissions was the problem at Laguna but I also remember reading about money being an issue.

Now why in the hell would anybody have a problem with exhaust emissions?

I have it on good authority, from God himself (yup, the same fella that told me invade Eye Rark - wherever the hell that is), that exhaust emissions don't diddly-o cause any problemification whatsoever with the enviromentalized situation on Earth, and if that's good enough for the gray matter between my ears, then it's good for everybody else on the planet too!

If things don't chage soon with the ridiculous, tyranical rules in Californiraq, we're gonna invade, have regime change, hang the dude in charge, and then find him guilty.

God bless the United States of Amnesia.

George Dubbya.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Originally posted by Dudley


They've ran 500cc GP bikes there so that's probably not it.

A lot has changed since then.

[Dudley]

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld


A lot has changed since then.

In 12 months?

Wasn't the WCM bike running a Yamaha 500cc right up till the end?

[Alaweni]

I remember reading somewhere that Laguna Seca has had a long standing agreement with their neighbors to only have a certain number of race weekends due to congestion. I don't think it has anything to do with pollution. They are already at their limit so the choice to add 250's/125's would eliminate the AMA. I tried to Google the article but didn't have any luck.

[Locai]

Originally posted by Red ITC
IMS: is there any big bore bike racing there? Is that diamond cut surface OK for bike tyres?

As far as I know, they've never had bike racing at IMS. The road course was built specifically for F1. The AMA Superbikes did a test there once on the road course. They determined very quickly that the wall was too close to be safe going through the corner. I think that they went so far as to cut the test short.

Jake Zemke talked about it once on "2 Wheel Tuesday" on SpeedChannel.

[ehagar]

Originally posted by Locai


As far as I know, they've never had bike racing at IMS. The road course was built specifically for F1. The AMA Superbikes did a test there once on the road course. They determined very quickly that the wall was too close to be safe going through the corner. I think that they went so far as to cut the test short.

Jake Zemke talked about it once on "2 Wheel Tuesday" on SpeedChannel.

This test:

http://www.cyclenews...HeadlineID=5441

I don't think the two strokes are a problem at Laguna. It is more of a case of being able to hold a small number of major events (4?) per year. I assume Laguna Seca didn't want to lose the AMA series at the track. I imagine A1GP or any other form of Open Wheel racing will not be back (except for the historics), so AMA might get its own event (as it is rumoured).

Two strokes are illegal in California... in fact they are illegal with a grandfather clause in all of North America (1989 in Canada I think). But, this does not limit competition based two strokes. For example, motocross and supercross. The problem is you cannot *register* a two stroke for public road use. They are specifically for Offroad and competition use only.

[ehagar]

Originally posted by Locai


As far as I know, they've never had bike racing at IMS.

The first ever race period was a bike race on the oval Part of the push to get a race at IMS is we are approaching the 100th anniversary of that race (1908 or 1909?)