New motor cycle world racing series

[yamaha_george]

"Here is a summary of the content of the meeting as broadcasted today


     --------------- GP bikes aren't dead --------------------------------

     The championship has already been approved by UEM (European  
Motorcycle Union) and will start in 2012.  The intent of the workshop  
was to introduce the championship, its reasons, its spirit and to  
discuss the rules.

     The general philosophy of the whole event was well sumarized by  
the cell phone interview with Jan Thiel. He said that: once, the world  
championship was the research, the cutting edge technology, and road  
going vehicles would eventually benefit from the discovers made for  
the competition engines. Nowadays, the reverse happens, the motoGP is  
sort of a make championship made of vehicles that are derived from the  
production vehicles, choked by a myriad of rules that prevent anything  
to be done. No technology innovation, ridiculous specific power, etc.  
etc. [we all know what he's talking about so no need to detail this].

     So the spirit of this new championship is to take over things  
where they were killed 20 years ago, and restart/continue innovation.
     Hence, the basic rule is: no rules.

     More in detail, the rules:

     - displacement: 50/125/250 cc
      (as opposed to 4strokes oversize "bigger is better" low power
      philosophy, let's restart with small displacement but high power)
      (a 500 cc class may be added in following years)

     - free number of cylinders

     - free type of engine (it's not a championship reserved to two-strokes,
      you are free to participate with a Diesel, a 4T, a Wankel, whatever,
      if you are able to get enough power out of it)

     - free choice of fuel with a bonus for those who use politically correct
      bio-fuels (bonus in the form of "points" affecting the ranking)

     - free choice of tire size

     - free number of speeds in the gearbox, and free transmissions
      (a gear shifter box isn't actually required, you can use CVT
      or whatever else solution you can invent)

     - supercharging allowed, free pressure

     - free electronics with only two limitations:
      -- _NO_ drive-by-wire
      -- _NO_ GPS assisted traction control etc.

     - free choice of construction materials, except those harming health
      like Asbetos, Berillium, etc.

     - noise level must be <= 97 db
      (measured at 10 m distance, vehicle passing by full speed)

     - free lube and lube system

     - cooling: only water allowed

     - free aerodynamics, within general FIM guidelines

     - dimensions, same as per FIM rules

     - the rules are made so that you are also free to take part into
      competitions with old race bikes (hopefully restored and tuned)

     Then, rules for limiting costs:

     - each team may have a maximum of 2 bikes for each driver

     - each team may be made of maximum 5 persons

     And finally:

     - no age limitations for drivers, no forcing of a class change.
      If you love a class, you can race in that class all your life long.

     This last statement has to do with another aspect of the  
championship philosophy, that was equally remarked by both Jan Thiel  
and the other organizers, that is to make bike racing a sport again,  
to revalue the human aspects and to reduce the "show-business" side at  
a minimum.
     To give young drivers time and chance to grow a drivers career,  
and not to trash them if they don't become a superstar in the first  
season.
     To have the different teams friends with each other, and normal  
people able to access the paddocks and have a talk with drivers and  
mechanics.
     To NOT have the best part of the paddocks reserved to the bigger  
displacement and television, and the minor classes confined to the  
back, but to have everything mixed together like it was in the old  
good times when motorbike competitions were a sport in the real sense  
of the word."

[ragedigital]

Interesting...

[yamaha_george]

Interesting...

while it is a lovely idea the lawyers and insurance brokers will make aLOT of fuss about it can you imagine Jo Public being allowed in pit lane, christmas some silly woman just got a fortune for spilling hot coffee on her "brains" and sued the coffee merchant for not putting a notice on the cup that it contained HOT coffee.

If that silly woman was allowed in pit lane .......................................................

[DonTZ125]

YG - there's a difference between the paddocks and pit lane.

[yamaha_george]

YG - there's a difference between the paddocks and pit lane.

Don,
in the UK & Europe the paddock is the garage area and the pit lane is right in front of it I cannot think of any circuit that I raced that is different but hey that was 30+ years ago and I have no doubt the elf & safety gnomes and the types that are away with the fairies have been busy

[_Will_]

I am 100% for this, it's a fantastic breeding ground for innovation and will be a great spectacle to boot.