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http://www.sportrider.com/motogp-honda-has-problem-needs-fixingmotogp honda has problem needs fixing
Marc Marquez debriefs with his pit crew at the Mugello MotoGP race. He says that the RC213V's "engine character is too aggressive both in corner entry and exit," which forces him to rely on the front tire too much.
In his still short but already record-breaking career in MotoGP, Marc Marquez missed first row in qualifying only in six occasions, all of which still granted him a second-row start. At Mugello this past weekend, the reigning world champion did not even make it to Q2 and was forced to start from 13th position. While some questionable strategic choices—including the decision to use only one tire and skipping the last few minutes in Q1—contributed to the Spaniard's poor grid position that only made things worse in the race, it also appears that Honda has lost its competitive edge, while Yamaha and Ducati both stepped up their game.
Marquez scythed through the pack on the first lap to put himself in fourth spot, and soon worked his way up to second behind eventual runaway race winner Jorge Lorenzo. But the Repsol Honda rider couldn’t hang onto Lorenzo’s scorching pace and fell back into the clutches of Ducati’s factory duo of Andrea Iannone (who finished second) and Andrea Dovisioso, and the ensuing dice ended up with Marquez crashing out after overworking the front tire.
motogp honda has problem needs fixing
Marquez's response to the RC213V's engine issues that cause problems with corner entry and exit is to work the front tire harder in order to make up the time lost. That resulted in his front-end lowside during the Mugello race while battling with Andrea Iannone (29).
“My pace was quite strong so I just needed to get a good start and first couple of laps to catch the front group and stay with it,” Marquez related. “I did the hardest work in the first three laps, taking many risks. I even thought I could stay with Lorenzo but, once the rear tire dropped, I was always on the limit. The problem is that, when we lose grip, I'm forced to load the front excessively under braking as I can only rely on that. The crash was my mistake, I went a little too wide in the previous corner and was a bit off the line, but right now we have to ride on the edge. It seems that our issues with the front are mechanical, but we can't touch the engine. Thus, Honda's working really hard on chassis and electronics. Until we solve our problems, we have to hide our weaknesses.”
“The main issue is represented by the engine,” analyzed Marquez. “Its character is too aggressive, both in corner entry and exit the bike tends to move too much. I'm constantly in touch with the engineers, and I strongly believe in Honda's skills, I know everyone will work hard to fix the situation. Soon, we'll receive upgrades. Meanwhile, I'm also trying to improve my style as a rider.”
The compulsory regulations for factory entries—five engines, all of which are to be sealed at the beginning of the season—certainly do not help to this end. “With sealed engines, you can't touch them, mechanically speaking,” said Marquez. “That said, you can work on chassis and electronics to improve performance. But during a race weekend, there's not much time to run experiments. These are not problems that can be solved from one race to another.”
The clock, however, is ticking. After six races, Marquez has accumulated a 49-point gap from Valentino Rossi, who currently leads the championship rankings. In other words, what was considered a glitch at the beginning of the season has turned into a sizable problem.
“During the first post-season tests in Valencia, both Dani (Pedrosa) and I noted the engine's character was a bit aggressive,” Marquez added. “The upgrade they brought for the Sepang tests had more torque at lower revs, while it preserved most of the power at higher regimes. That track, however, always has good grip at high temperatures. To run most of the pre-season test there created some confusion for us.”
For this purpose, Marquez and several other riders asked MotoGP rightsholders Dorna to tweak the pre-season testing calendar. “Many of us asked to change the schedule,” Marquez observed. “To run two tests in Sepang in February doesn't make much sense. We acknowledge our problems only lapping in cooler conditions. It would be better to also go to Qatar or Phillip Island—but we're all on the same boat anyways.”