Moto2 missiles
Michael Laverty gets under the skin of the Marc VDS Moto2 bikes and explains why they are so fast
Moto2 is closer to MotoGP than ever. The introduction of the Triumph 765 engine brought more power and torque, a Magneti Marelli ECU with more adjustability, and a riding style mirroring that of the premier class. Moto2 is arguably the toughest class in the world. With such a level playing field in terms of equipment, if you are missing a little in terms of set up you can be a long way off the pace - a few tenths is an eternity in Moto2 and the difference between the podium and oblivion.
1 Frame game
We have four chassis manufacturers in Moto2: Kalex, Speed Up (renamed the Boscoscuro B-21), MV Agusta and NTS. Only MV deviate from the twin-spar aluminium frame, using a combination of steel tubes and aluminium castings similar to their F3/F4 road bikes. Speed Up have experimented with carbon fibre swingarms whereas the others all run aluminium. Positioning the smaller, lighter (under 50kg) engine in just the right position inside the chassis was key during the transition to the Triumph powerplant, something that KTM struggled with in a tough first season running the new engine, a season that caused them to step away from the class with their own chassis.
2 Traction
Dunlop provide two tyre compound options for each circuit, selected from a range of four fronts and six rears on a sliding scale of soft to hard. The tyres are very durable, in fact Moto2 is possibly the class where tyre wear has the least effect on race strategy. In some circuits the riders need to manage consumption of the rear tyre but in general they can afford to ride at 100% for the majority of the race. This increases the physicality of a race as tyre management can sometimes allow a moment’s breather, not a lot but when you need to be careful with the tyre you become gentler with your inputs providing some respite and your heart rate may drop a few BPM.
3 Powered by Triumph
The Triumph 765cc triple puts out around 140bhp and variance between the engines, prepared by ExternPro, is 1.2%. Performance may vary on track due to the team’s choice of exhaust, engine mapping, aerodynamics and airbox/air intake. The extra torque from the 765cc engine was a welcome addition and the riders now take very similar lines to MotoGP, in fact their mid corner apex speed is comparable on a number of corners around the Qatar circuit. The riders brake late and drift the rear into the corner to both assist stopping performance and set the bikes’ trajectory for the corner exit, utilising their 65lb.ft of torque to accelerate out of the corner.
4 Electronic interference
The Magneti Marelli ECU provides 20 map options with different engine braking and torque characteristics for each map. Changes to the mapping can be made per gear rather than the more advanced per corner strategies in MotoGP. The ECU has a single processor in comparison to its big brother’s dual processor in MotoGP. However, it has similar functionality, albeit with many functions – like traction control and anti-wheelie – deactivated. The ethos is to keep the control more in the rider’s hand. They don’t have the power levels of MotoGP to deal with so we don’t see too many high sides, but these bikes do bite and need to be treated with respect. The riders use a lot of rear brake to help the bike turn and control slides.
5 Genius tweaks
Chassis set up for these machines is as complex as for the MotoGP bike, with a full range of options on head angle, head pipe position and fork offset on the front-end of the machine. On the rear-end of the bike you can adjust the swingarm pivot position and play with rear linkage options, that’s before you even touch anything in terms of suspension or machine geometry. With so many options available it is easy to get lost so the team plays such an important role, Sam Lowes made a huge step last year moving into the Marc VDS squad and benefitting from the highly experienced Gilles Bigot as his crew chief.