| Author | Message | ||
     J2blue |
Commentary includes that crazy Brit that sounds like he is having multiple Os through the race, which I get a kick out of. The motion causes a very grainy stream, but when the image is mostly static it is very good. Not sure if they will separately encode for the archive to maybe make the quality better. Since it was live from the other side of the globe I imagine it can get better. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I just hovered nervously over the (free) live timing on the web site... | ||
| Reepicheep |
Oh, and we did just change from Fioptics back to Time Warner, and it looks like I could have bought the race there for $9 or something. Nice to have the option, I imagine that is better quality than the stream. | ||
| Crusty |
I was just looking at the schedule and round 13 is at Phakisa Freeway. Where is that? | ||
| Classax |
Round 13 is South Africa I think. So how does it work, the EBR motors clearly are not functioning optimally? Are they allowed to make design changes to the motors, new heads for sure, cams possibly? Or are they pretty much stuck with what they have for the season on all 8 motors. I know if you blow a motor, it can't be repaired. If your street motor is making 185hp, we should be much closer to at least the EVO bikes. All in all amazing effort. Looking forward to us getting rid of the freshman kinks. Go EBR! | ||
| Stirz007 |
"Are they allowed to make design changes to the motors, new heads for sure, cams possibly?" Short answer: Nope. Can't even crack open the valve covers as I understand it. I think the 8 engine rule will make things very interesting from about halfway through the season through the end, with some significant de-tuning going on. I saw at least a couple of teams are already on their second engine in as many races... | ||
| Johnbranx1 |
Per the FIM engine regulations I just checked on there website. They can make changes to engines as long as they have not been sealed, the engines are presented to be sealed at a race weekend. A team does not have to present the full year allocations of engines at the first race. There are restrictions on what can be modified however, it appears EBR can make changes on future engines used. The ones used at Phillip Island are now part of the engine allocation for the year so will be used again. Here is the website. Www.fim-live.com | ||
| Stevel |
I am very disappointed in the EBR result. It is safe to say nothing was right. Not only was Aaron lapped mid-race on race 1, he made no attempt to race anybody in race 2 and was even slower than in race 1. There is a whole lot more wrong than cylinder heads and cams. A standard, out of the crate 2008 1125r would have performed better. This was unfortunately an example poor preparation and team experience. However, these results can be somewhat mitigated by the venue with PI being so far away from home turf and also the team's first race. Just being there is a wonderful achievement for EBR, especially considering where Eric was in Jan. 2010. Aragon being the next venue is a solid 6 weeks away. This is enough time to prevent another embarrassment. These 6 weeks is all there will be for this season before the heavy race schedule starts. If the EBR team's act isn't together by then, the whole season will look like todays example. Eric is playing with the big boys now and they don't take prisoners. On the other hand, I was thrilled to see just how well MV did with the decent showing in SB and especially the win in Super Sport with their 675. It is the firm's first win since Argostini in '76. Just another example of HD's poor executive decision making and understanding of the modern motorcycle marketplace. | ||
| X1inaus |
Hi there, I went to Phillip Island races today (1st time to the circuit, lotsa fun), those bikes sure do move, compared to watching on television.. It was good to see (and especially hear) the EBR bikes there,but a bit disheartening to see only 1 bike on the track, then to see it get lapped, was even worse  .. (I will attempt to link / upload some pics up for you guys as well) Steve | ||
| Vagelis46 |
The commentators during the WSS race revealed a secret...... The EBR 1190RX will be launched to the press at Philip Island on Monday !!!!!!! | ||
| Vagelis46 |
X1inaus, looking forward to the pictures mate .... | ||
| Crusty |
Scott Parker, the winningest Dirt Track racer in history went to his first professional dirt track in the '70s at the Houston Astrodome. He didn't even make the cut. A decade later, he won every Mile during the season; usually by a half lap or more over second place. It's pretty clear that there was some problem with the Buells at Phillips Island. They weren't even reaching the speeds that they regularly hit in AMA Superbike. On the bright side, Yates finished both races. now, two things need to happen. The bikes need to get faster, (and I think they will) and Geoff May needs to heal up. I wish they had finished higher, but they finished. Period. That, in itself is pretty impressive. Eventually, those finishes will be better. | ||
| Fast1075 |
The racing was spectacular. Multiple brands dicing it up. Not the procession we have seen in AMA and Moto GP. I absolutely enjoyed the racing after a long winter drought. Holy smokes did the Aprilias go fast! But Laverty proved that the "slower" Suzuki could win. Shame the engine was a few laps short of a win in race 2. Maybe Yates was sent out on the second race simply for data acquisition, with no intent to "race". SOMETHING is certainly up. And there needs to be press releases with the correct "spin" on why the performance, especially the speed was so poor. Handled wrong, it could have major impact on brand interest and sales. The last thing Erik and the Elves need is negative publicity, And I am sure the people at Stupidbike Planet are banging away on the keyboards at this moment. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Here's a thought: if this 8 engine rule stipulates you can't even pull the valve covers, what if EBR deliberately electronically restricted the max RPM and power on these 2 engines with the intent of "saving" their maximum output for later in the season? Given this new rule, it might turn out to be a very smart strategy later in the season. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
I find it strange that there are people still insisting that EBR deliberately reduced the performance of their bikes in Philip Island, either for reliability or to concentrate on chassis setup .... The EBRs being so slow in Philip Island , is not a good way to advertise your motorcycles..... The EBR bikes were not seen on the TV coverage, not even for 1second...... (Message edited by vagelis46 on February 23, 2014) | ||
| Classax |
I don't think it was intentionally limited. I think a brand new team with new equipment will have struggles with set up. If the set up is not right you can't won't be as fast. The fact that they've been much faster in the past suggests they have an issue(s) to work on. The new heads, swingarm and gearbox they are awaiting may fix it, maybe not. The street bike apparently rocks though. Works for me. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I find it strange that there are people still insisting that EBR deliberately reduced the performance of their bikes in Philip Island, either for reliability or to concentrate on chassis setup .... I'm not "insisting", I'm suggesting it as one possible explanation. As someone mentioned above, the bikes' top speeds were less than those of a stock 1125R- I can't see any way to make sense of that unless the 1190RX's were artificially limited. I can understand lap speeds being slower due to setup/learning issues, but I can't understand top speeds being that slow. Remember that they have no data from previous seasons unlike the other teams. Add to that an 8 engine limit with an untried (in WSBK competition) engine and they have many reasons to be conservative, at least for the first few races. I'd imagine Yates' engine will be thoroughly tested for wear and performance degradation after today's 2 races. That will give them a much better picture of how hard they can push their engines as the season goes on without running out of engines before the season is over. | ||
| Fuzzz |
All I know is, I'd love to be a fly on the wall for the next 6 weeks in the Race team's shop, garages, meeting rooms etc..... | ||
| J2blue |
Just finished watching race 2. Still learning about this racing series, quiet unique to me, especially the 8 engine rule and the transition to the evo series. First, I hope this was a research weekend for EBR. Since I've never really followed WSBK before I can say the quality of racing up front and in the middle of the pack is awesome. I love the fact that both V2 and V4 engine designs are capable of winning if not dominating. The riders on all of the makes are gonzo. I think the 8 engine rule will really come into EBR's favor as the season goes on. The race 2 grenade for Suzuki on the opening race weekend is already handicapping them, I guess it makes it a lot like club racing where simple economics prevents an otherwise winning combination of rider and power from dominating. Also, it should start pushing all the EVO bikes toward the front sooner rather than later. As a proving ground I think Erik found the best. (Message edited by j2blue on February 23, 2014) | ||
| M2typhoon |
Aaron Yates just got some extra brownie points in my book. He went out there alone to do what had to be done. I certainly will tip my glass to you Mr. Yates. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
About the 8 engine rule ...... If a team has to use more than the allowed 8 engines , then the rider has to start from pit lane 10sec after the green light for the next race .....I do not think that this is such a big price to pay, for a new team that is not after the championship .... Personaly I would like to have seen EBR to "blow" engine like the GSXR in a quest to find the extra speed, intead of reaching speeds lower than some of the 600cc in WSS ...... | ||
| X1inaus |
Hi there again, RE: pics at Phillip Island, will post up a link to Nikon Image site, so hopefully it works ok, let us know if not.. Can put up more pics if wanted.. My first time shooting something this fast, would of been nice to have a lens like the pro's (and been on the other side of the fence) Steve http://img.gg/PQNwfjV | ||
| M1combat |
" either for reliability or to concentrate on chassis setup " You're still missing my point. Stop. | ||
| Stirz007 |
Johnbranx, Vagelis - you guys seem to have a handle on this, so help me out a bit. Under the 8 engine rule, let's say two engines are sealed for the first round, leaving up to six that can be "adjusted" prior to going into the next round. Two questions: The first two sealed engines: Can these be worked on at all, meaning, can they break any seals to check wear, adjust valve clearance or do any internal work at all? Or do these two have to be untouched for the remainder of the series? If they have to remain untouched, once they fail or become tired, those engines would be essentially "done". I would think that as the season goes on and a team gets down to their last couple of "virgin" (unsealed) motors, there would be thought to detuning just to keep "good" motors so as to be able to complete the series on the grid, rather than take the 10 second penalty start. A quick bike/rider could make up a 10 second deficit, but there's no substitute for a hole shot start, rather than having to work through the entire grid. Then again, having a strong "virgin" motor could outweigh competitors having tired motors, thus making a 10 second penalty not so bad. | ||
| Stevel |
As I understand the rule, not all 8 engines have to be presented for sealing at once. The engines that have been presented and sealed cannot be touched internally. The engines not yet presented can be modified according to the rules. This allows improvements and design changes, but only to those engines not yet sealed. | ||
| Riohondohank |
X1inaus, I tried to PM you, but am not sure it went though since I did not get a copy in my email. Since you live in Melbourne I wondered if you know John Orchard. He is a good friend of Cory West and I. He came to the States about 14 years ago and was involved in Cory's career early on. If you see him tell him his mates over here said howdy. | ||
| Trojan |
I'm not understanding where the 'new' rule says a mass producer can build a homologation special and sell the same number of production versions as a company the size of Bimota is allowed to, to compete. Surely the rule applies where it's needed only for smaller producers? Hi Rocket, The new rules apply to ALL manufacturers equally, not just the 'micro factories' like Bimota. That means that Honda/yamaha/Ducati can now build a small number of incredibly exotic motorcycles to pass homologation just like the bad old days of yore. I know superbikes aren't selling but does anyone really think that will stop Honda from doing it? They did it before with the RC30 and RC45 even though they knew they were never going to sell many (in fact there are still new RC45's laying around if you have enough money to but one). The EVO rules will be trampled to dust in 2 years time and all the cost cutting rules won't mean a thing. mark my words As for the races this weekend........pass. Not the best showcase really with red flags in 2 of 3 races, but at least we got to see Suzuki win and an MV in Supersport  Was it a success for EBR? probably not really. One rider down and the other seriously slow all weekend. 26.6mph down in race one, last place and lapped can't really be judged a succesful weekend even if he did finish the race. Hopefully they will find some more speed before the next round in April. | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
The new rules apply to ALL manufacturers equally, not just the 'micro factories' like Bimota. That means that Honda/yamaha/Ducati can now build a small number of incredibly exotic motorcycles to pass homologation just like the bad old days of yore. The EVO rules will be trampled to dust in 2 years time and all the cost cutting rules won't mean a thing. mark my words In that case Matt, here we go again! As for the races this weekend....  Rocket in England | ||
| Classax |
The new homologation ruling will be bad for the sport and the market. Under this rule the Superlagra and RC's will dominate and the sport bike market will essentially be the same as that of the thoroughbred horses, sure anyone could technically buy one but the reality is only the insanely rich will. | ||
| Jaimec |
Not during the races no... but in the pre-race build up for Race 1 they showed Yates' 1190RX being worked on by his crew, sans bodywork and the announcers talked about the bike and the entry for a few minutes. |
