Rossi slams “boring” electronics
Added on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Rossi believes that electronics are taking the edge away from racing.
Valentino Rossi has claimed that the growing reliance on electronics is to blame for the increasing number of processional races occurring in MotoGP racing.
After Casey Stoner ease to victory in the season finale at Valencia on Sunday, Rossi claimed that the development of electronic aids in the sport is taking away the competitive edge and moving the focus away from rider ability.
And having secured his eighth MotoGP title earlier this season, the Italian warned that the current bikes are “boring” compared to those used in the pre-800cc era, with the gap between the factory bikes and the rest expanding rather than reducing.
“For sure the 800cc is a more boring bike compared to the 990cc: there’s too much electronics,” he told Italian magazine Motosprint. “Now, if the electronics work well the bikes become almost perfect and the gaps increase, instead of reduce.”
“The [Valencia] track is to blame too, because at no point you can take alternative lines, so you end up lining up one behind the other.”
When asked to comment on the fact that it has been two years since there had been a last-lap lead change in a sport that prides itself on close racing, Rossi said: “That’s a very bad thing. It’s worrying.
“I don’t think the single-tyre [rule] is the solution for this problem,” he added. “I repeat: the electronics are very sophisticated, the technical evolution is incredible, and next year will be even worse.
“However, there have been some good races this year, so the track counts for a lot. But tracks like Valencia are not good for the show.”
The 29-year-old also claimed that whilst taking steps similar to those taken in F1 to eliminate electronic aids such as traction control would improve racing, organisers were unlikely to make such a move.
“These engines are designed considering the electronics, so the power output can afford to be aggressive because there are these systems helping out anyway,” he said. “We’d need a smoother power output, to the detriment of power, but the engineers don’t even want to hear that!
“So these days you can be aggressive, without being precise with the gas, because electronics helps you out anyway.”
