KUCIAR666
Registered User
Track data
Pole position left
Length 4801m, 2.983 miles
Width 12-15m
Right corners 8
Left corners 6
Longest straight 762m, 0.473miles
Lap records
MotoGP M.Tamada Camel Honda 1?48.524 (2004)
125 D.Pedrosa Honda 1?58.354 (2002)
250 S.Nakano Yamaha 1?52.253 (2000)
Flashback 2004 MotoGP
Pole M.Tamada Camel Honda 1?46.673
1 M.Tamada Camel Honda
DNF M.Biaggi Camel Honda
The famous Twin-Ring Motegi was built in 1997 by the Japanese company Honda. Looking back over the last four years results we see that the first rider across the finish line was always an Honda rider. In 2002 out of the first seven places on the grid, five were Honda bikes and the first four bikes to finish were also Honda. One can certainly say that this is a Honda circuit.
The two main characteristics of the Motegi track are rapid accelerations and sharp braking. In Twin-Ring Motegi there are six areas of acceleration where the bike goes from under 100 Km/h to over 230Km/h and in three of these straights speeds of more than 260 Km/h are registered. Elsewhere there are four areas of braking where the bike decreases from over 250 km/h to less than 90 Km/h.
These characteristics influence the setting up of the bikes for the Japanese GP. With these braking areas, and taking into account that for 40 % of the lap the bike is decelerating, it is essential to find stability under braking and an engine brake correctly adjusted, in particular to avoid the rear wheel locking up, to gain fast times. To achieve this more weight is added to the rear of the bike than is usual which also increases grip under acceleration.
As is normally the case, this weight adjustment does cause other problems, in particular ?wheelies? where the front wheel loses contact with the track surface. Since the accelerations begin from low speeds, the first and second gear ratios are relatively short which also increases the tendency to do wheelies and make the bike uncontrolable. Often when this happens the riders must close the throttle to regain control of the bike. Also, since the braking is sharp, the front springs fitted are normally hard, and this too means that the bike front sits higher than normal.
With more weight in the rear of the Nik? under acceleration, the front of teh bike becomes lighter and this can lead to the appearance of catering in the front Wheel, especially in the esses.
The gearbox settings are another critical factor at Motegi. All gears are used at one point or another of the circuit and since the first is short and the sixth is relatively long, the it is vital to set the correct ratios to avoid falling out of the power delivery zone.
First gear is used in the corners, ?5?, ?V-Corner? and ?Hairpin?. Second gear is used to negotiate the corners ?2?, ?3?, ?4?, ?90? corner? and ?Victory Corner?. The ?S-Curves? are taken in third and the ?130R? in fourth.
When finding the right engine settings we must take into account that 25% of the lap is taken with the throttle fully open which clearly affects fuel consumption. On this note the race distance has been reduced from 25 laps three seasons ago to 24 with the introduction of the MotoGP four-stroke bikes, since it was impossible for these bikes to complete the twenty seven laps (2+25) using the 24 litres of fuel that the regulations permitted.
The accelerations and braking at this circuit influence the composition of the tyres used. In many circuits, the rear wheel becomes worn on one side, depending on the amount of left or right-handed corners. However at Motegi the centre section of the rear tyre becomes worn most easily. The constant acceleration and the long straights at the circuit mean that centre section of the tyre is manufactured with a harder compound than the lateral sections. The front tyre choice is also crucial since the constant braking also make the tyre suffer heavy wear in the centre section.
Another special setting to be decided at this circuit is the size of the front brake discs so that the brakes perform correctly throughout the 24 laps of the race. With the numerous braking points at this circuit, many riders choose to fit larger discs than normal.
Pole position left
Length 4801m, 2.983 miles
Width 12-15m
Right corners 8
Left corners 6
Longest straight 762m, 0.473miles
Lap records
MotoGP M.Tamada Camel Honda 1?48.524 (2004)
125 D.Pedrosa Honda 1?58.354 (2002)
250 S.Nakano Yamaha 1?52.253 (2000)
Flashback 2004 MotoGP
Pole M.Tamada Camel Honda 1?46.673
1 M.Tamada Camel Honda
DNF M.Biaggi Camel Honda
The famous Twin-Ring Motegi was built in 1997 by the Japanese company Honda. Looking back over the last four years results we see that the first rider across the finish line was always an Honda rider. In 2002 out of the first seven places on the grid, five were Honda bikes and the first four bikes to finish were also Honda. One can certainly say that this is a Honda circuit.
The two main characteristics of the Motegi track are rapid accelerations and sharp braking. In Twin-Ring Motegi there are six areas of acceleration where the bike goes from under 100 Km/h to over 230Km/h and in three of these straights speeds of more than 260 Km/h are registered. Elsewhere there are four areas of braking where the bike decreases from over 250 km/h to less than 90 Km/h.
These characteristics influence the setting up of the bikes for the Japanese GP. With these braking areas, and taking into account that for 40 % of the lap the bike is decelerating, it is essential to find stability under braking and an engine brake correctly adjusted, in particular to avoid the rear wheel locking up, to gain fast times. To achieve this more weight is added to the rear of the bike than is usual which also increases grip under acceleration.
As is normally the case, this weight adjustment does cause other problems, in particular ?wheelies? where the front wheel loses contact with the track surface. Since the accelerations begin from low speeds, the first and second gear ratios are relatively short which also increases the tendency to do wheelies and make the bike uncontrolable. Often when this happens the riders must close the throttle to regain control of the bike. Also, since the braking is sharp, the front springs fitted are normally hard, and this too means that the bike front sits higher than normal.
With more weight in the rear of the Nik? under acceleration, the front of teh bike becomes lighter and this can lead to the appearance of catering in the front Wheel, especially in the esses.
The gearbox settings are another critical factor at Motegi. All gears are used at one point or another of the circuit and since the first is short and the sixth is relatively long, the it is vital to set the correct ratios to avoid falling out of the power delivery zone.
First gear is used in the corners, ?5?, ?V-Corner? and ?Hairpin?. Second gear is used to negotiate the corners ?2?, ?3?, ?4?, ?90? corner? and ?Victory Corner?. The ?S-Curves? are taken in third and the ?130R? in fourth.
When finding the right engine settings we must take into account that 25% of the lap is taken with the throttle fully open which clearly affects fuel consumption. On this note the race distance has been reduced from 25 laps three seasons ago to 24 with the introduction of the MotoGP four-stroke bikes, since it was impossible for these bikes to complete the twenty seven laps (2+25) using the 24 litres of fuel that the regulations permitted.
The accelerations and braking at this circuit influence the composition of the tyres used. In many circuits, the rear wheel becomes worn on one side, depending on the amount of left or right-handed corners. However at Motegi the centre section of the rear tyre becomes worn most easily. The constant acceleration and the long straights at the circuit mean that centre section of the tyre is manufactured with a harder compound than the lateral sections. The front tyre choice is also crucial since the constant braking also make the tyre suffer heavy wear in the centre section.
Another special setting to be decided at this circuit is the size of the front brake discs so that the brakes perform correctly throughout the 24 laps of the race. With the numerous braking points at this circuit, many riders choose to fit larger discs than normal.
