Sam Lowes on fire at Moto2 test
The collective noun for trumpets is ‘flourish’ but from this coming weekend there’ll be another one: ‘gridful’. Triumphs are taking over the Moto2 party with all the thrill of a big brass band.
Having alternately despised and despaired of Moto2 (and inventing the tag ‘a graveyard of talent’) I now have the highest hopes. Before it was the riders I felt sorry for. What had they done, as they moved up the ladder of GP ambition, to deserve this? The racing may have been close but it was still sadly lacking because so were the bikes. Overweight, over-tyred and underpowered, the Moto2 Hondas had only one thing in their favour. They were desperately reliable.
And why not? In a lower tune due to the rules than their World Supersport equivalents and based on an antiquated design with many, millions of well-thrashed road miles behind it, they were bullet-proof even for the most ham-fisted riders. There were other shortcomings, too, like the gearing: first was too low, the rest too far apart. With no choice of variation every rider tackled every corner at the same revs in the same gear making the same shriek.
Then there’s the electronics... or lack of them. Sure, wheelspin was never a problem but the lack of control over engine braking made every turn entry a sideways slither. Spectacular, yes, but so, so samey. Then there was the lack of power. Accompanied by a loud yet somehow feeble piping, riders followed each other down the straights, unable to draft or overtake.
Regular winners required extraordinary skills to overcome these drawbacks but it remained disheartening. Rins, Viñales and now Mir got out as soon as they could. So the new Triumph Triple era begins next weekend, and a change in the soundtrack is just the start. Gear ratios remain fixed, but a close-ratio ’box with a high first offers chances for overall variety. Engine braking electronics are part of the package, so corner entries can be sideways or not. And a 765cc triple means a big hike in torque with it much better throttle response.
It all adds up to potentially different corner entry, line and exit. Tests have the same guys still fastest. But with more rider options, the racing should be better too. Will the Trumpets be as reliable? We’ll see. But even that introduces another variable.
‘A change in the soundtrack is just the start’