MotoGP: Lorenzo brake experiment unlikely to continue
Jorge Lorenzo is unlikely to try the experimental hand-operated rear brake during this weekend's final pre-season MotoGP test in Qatar.
Instead of the usual right-foot brake lever, the former double world champion was seen with a second lever on the left side of the handlebar (pictured) on his Movistar Yamaha.
The Spaniard, who had tried a thumb brake the previous year, explained that he was seeking alternatives due to losing some sensitivity and power when he broke both ankles in 2008. However the final verdict was that the foot lever is still a better option.
During an interview with Crash.net Lorenzo's team manager Wilco Zeelenberg explained: “We tried a thumb brake last year and this year we tried a finger brake. There were two levers on the left side of the handlebar. The bigger one was the clutch lever, as normal, and the smaller one the rear brake lever.
“It's still difficult. The problem with both the thumb and finger brake is that because the riders hang off the bike so much now and because of the lean angles they have, they cannot press the brake with their hand. In the past the riders stayed more on the bike, so it was fine.”
Zeelenberg showed that when the rider's arm is stretched across the fuel tank, it is hard to operate a brake lever by hand. The Dutchman doubts it will be tried again in its present form, even if the potential benefits are clear.
“I don't see it happening. It was a good idea and it is interesting to try something new, but it's quite complicated. These bikes, as you can imagine, have a lot of performance and power in each gear. So they enter fast corners in second gear, but they also enter slow corners in second. So the bike behaviour is completely different.
“Sometimes you need a bit of rear brake to make the bike turn and if you could control it by hand that would be nice. But it is not easy [to do].”
But the other new technical feature for Lorenzo and team-mate Valentino Rossi, a gearbox with seamless downshifts as well as upshifts, was far more successful.
“The biggest advantage that we are searching for is stability under braking,” Zeelenberg said. “You can imagine if the bike is always hovering around during deceleration, you struggle to stop it and also it is difficult to be consistent.
“So when it is always moving the same you can improve the bike. When it is always moving differently it is difficult to find a way. Also we have the knowledge that the competitors are using it [seamless downshifts]. It takes development, but it looks like Yamaha have done a great job. It's helping in the way we wanted.”
In contrast to a year ago Lorenzo was on-form throughout the pair of Malaysian tests, finishing with the second fastest lap time behind Honda's world champion Marc Marquez.
Zeelenberg explained in depth the cause of last winter's problems, which actually began with Lorenzo's stunning fight back from double collarbone surgery during 2013. Exhausted by that effort, training changes magnified his early fitness issues for 2014 while the new Bridgestone tyres “took away the strongest point of Jorge as a rider”.
“We had to face the facts and the truth is that Jorge accepted what happened, but he didn't give up and at the end of last year he was already much fitter,” Zeelenberg said.
Lorenzo had banished his early season misery by scoring more points than any other rider during the second half of last season, including two wins. Post-season Lorenzo and Zeelenberg “talked about it” further, the Dutchman also visiting his rider's home in Barcelona.
“Jorge has now had a very strong winter,” Zeelenberg declared. “Resting, training and enjoying himself. The bike has improved and also we didn't have the same problems as last year with the heat-treated tyre. I see these two tests as very positive for Jorge.”
Indeed, Lorenzo set his fastest ever Sepang lap during the second test, while the rest of the top eight failed to match their best time from the first test. It's a good omen for a rider who has never dominated testing even prior to his title seasons and hasn't won at Sepang in the premier-class.
The priority now is good final test in Qatar this weekend and not to throw away points to the likes of Marquez in the early races.
“We have to be good everywhere, in all circumstances, during a very long and hard championships,” Zeelenberg said. “So it's very difficult to plan it, but for sure you need a good start and don't lose 50 points in the first five races like we did last year. That doesn't help!”
On Lorenzo's team-mate Valentino Rossi, runner-up to Marquez last season and fifth fastest at the final Sepang test, Zeelenberg stated: “Vale is not a rider who wants to take a big risk [in testing]. At the wrong moment. The race in Qatar is what counts and we also know he is always stronger in the race than practice.
“Vale is riding very well, concentrating and still wants to improve. That's important.”
Surf4 Cash
Saturday 14 March 2015
Thursday 12 March 2015
EXCLUSIVE: Sam Lowes - Q&A
An exclusive interview with sole British hope in the 2015 Moto2 series Sam Lowes.
Crash.net
You're back from pre-season testing and gearing up for 2015, how did testing in Jerez go?
Sam Lowes
I was really up for it after training a lot over the winter and looked back on what I needed to improve on last year. Testing went about 100 times better than I thought. The new chassis is different with a new aluminium swing arm compared to the carbon one we had all last year. I'd been pushing to try it a lot last year even if it turned out rubbish because everyone else was on it and doing better. And fuck me it was mega!
For me the bike is now at the same level as everyone else which is good but also with only three Speed Ups on the grid it is different. There are so many Kalex bikes on the grid so hopefully at some tracks we can get an advantage over them.
Last year the bike was too far behind even though the engines are the same and the tyres are the same, so there are not that many variables. Being on a different sort of bike should be an advantage because all those on the same won't have much of an advantage compared to me.
Crash.net
What were the aims at pre-season testing?
Sam Lowes
I believe a lot in myself and at the tests I feel I've got my confidence back on the bike. We have a competitive team and I know I can do a good job.
Coming into GP last year was hard. I'd come across as a World Supersport champion which is seen as a less competitive series, but it is still hard to win. Last year I knew I was riding shit because I didn't have confidence or feeling for the bike. But now the team has changed the chassis and suspension to give me the feeling back in the bike then I'll feel good.
Testing at Jerez with everyone was interesting because it was a track I wasn't very good at last year and struggled when it got hot.
Any new parts we get from Speed Up, because there are only three of us, we have to test them all. In the first test we had the new aluminium swing arm with three different versions with different stiffness. The three of us had to test each one so we are fully comfortable with them.
For the next test we have a new fuel tank to try. When you've got a full fuel tank with this bike we get a lot of transfer of weight under braking as the fuel shifts forward. So the new tank is a little smaller and has slots inside to stop the fuel moving. So the test will be full of small stuff like testing the new fuel tank with only two litres of fuel in it. All little stuff but add up to make a big step. Then on the last day-and-a-half we'll be working on race set-up.
Crash.net
How different is racing in Moto2 compared to World Supersport?
Sam Lowes
Basically it is like going from driving a normal Honda Civic car, do a few little things to it to make it a race car but in effect you can still use it on the roads. Then you get on a Grand Prix bike everything is so stiff and solid and you need to be racing it fast to get the most out of it. Supersport is more user friendly, the bike is soft and at slower speed you get a better feeling and confidence. In a Grand Prix bike if you go slow you'll never get the feeling, you have to ride it fast.
Crash.net
So switching from Supersport to Grand Prix, how much did you have to change yourself?
Sam Lowes
Massively. The tyres were a big thing. In Supersport they use Pirelli tyres but in Moto2 it is Dunlop. So not only was the bike a lot stiffer the tyres were stiffer too. So you've got to be strong on the brakes to get the heat in the tyres but you can also run much higher corner speeds with the Dunlop because it won't lose its shape. So trying to get the bet laps times between Supersport and Moto2 couldn't be more different even though they are both 600cc engines.
In Supersport you've got to go as hard as you can into the corner, stop, then get out. In Moto2 you've got to be aggressive into the corner, let off the brakes and run through the corner to get a good exit. It's totally different.
Crash.net
What are your goals for this season?
Sam Lowes
To win. Just because I've been fast in the tests doesn't mean anything but I want to be in the fight for the top three and fight for the championship. That is one massive step but it is one I think I can do.
If I want to get to MotoGP this year is my big chance. If I can do very well on a bike which is perceived in the paddock to be a slower bike then I can go to MotoGP. That is my goal and so I'm focusing on finishing on the podium as much as I can. I need to prove I can cut it in GP racing.
Crash.net
It is a different lifestyle too MotoGP compared to World Superbike and this season you are the only Brit on the Moto2 grid. What has it been like adjusting to it?
Sam Lowes
It's alright. None of the other riders talk massively to one another and I don't have a problem with anybody. You keep yourself to yourself. The other Brits in Moto3 and MotoGP are also sound so it's no problem. People told me before I went over it isn't as friendly compared to World Supersport, which is true, but it is different. It's a higher level to its going to be different because everyone wants to be beat everyone else.
My only negative is I wish there were more Brits in there, at Moto2 and Moto3, because in effect the only way to get into MotoGP is through these series. We need more there.
Crash.net
Did you receive any offers for a MotoGP ride this winter?
Sam Lowes
Last year I had a two-year contract and at the end of 2014 I was lucky enough to have quite a lot of interest which surprised me after the year I'd had. But the fact that I'm on a Speed Up bike against a lot of Kalex and I'm new to the paddock helped. Last year was a disaster but I showed my potential despite the year I had.
This year I need to make it happen. That is it, I need to do a good job. A good job is finishing on the podium and winning races and if I can do that then next year will be very good. I've got a lot of motivation to win in Moto2 and become the first British World champion since Barry Sheene. I'm convinced if I work hard enough and improve then I can do it. I know I can improve and after these tests I feel good. If you are Moto2 World champion you are going to get a factory bike in MotoGP, that is what we need.
Crash.net
Moving on to your brother Alex, he was impressing a lot of people during testing but it failed to come to fruition at the season opener at Phillip Island. Has he said much about it?
Sam Lowes
He will be fast this year. Phillip Island is always a strange race because it has a big build up as the first race of the year and very early on the calendar. Everything that could have gone wrong for him did out there. The first race he was riding the second bike because the first one broke during warm up.
He's got a good team around him and he's been fast. Last year he was fast over one lap but now he is fast over a race distance so he'll be back.
Crash.net
How much has he spoken about it to you?
Sam Lowes
We're really, really close and I'm his biggest fan as well as his biggest critic. I know how good he is more than he knows himself and I know when it works this year he can do a really good job.
Crash.net
Looking ahead, how much would you love to get on the same track as him and go racing competitively?
Sam Lowes
Oh, 100%. My dream would be preferably in MotoGP, but in whatever class to be team-mates. We get on so well, have a great relationship so if he gives me some criticism it's only to help me. Not to be a knob, just to help, which is good. I've always been one to aim to beat my team-mate and so if it was Alex I'd want to beat him anyway, it would be competitive but in a good way. Sometimes if you are competitive with your team-mate and they beat you then you throw your toys out the pram, but if he beat me I'd have great respect for him. For a team I think it would be great in the future if we could be team-mates. But we both have to pull our fingers out and do a good job first!
Crash.net
You're not the only sibling pairings in the motorcycle racing world, with the Espargaros brothers and the Marquez brothers. What is it about brothers racing?
Sam Lowes
In our sport having two people competing against each other as you grow up really helps. You can learn off each other, when you young if you are riding in the fields you haven't got anyone to compare yourself against but when I rode with Alex we could both pick up twice the amount of experience. It gets you used to that competitive environment too, which helps a lot.
With Alex and I being twins it also helps even more because we've done everything together. Riding together from a young age helps a lot. If you get into motocross or minimoto at a young age but aren't used to racing other people it can overawe you but if you are used to it, it can give you that jump in years.
Crash.net
Looking at the future of Grand Prix racing in Britain, we have an update on the Circuit of Wales, with MotoGP going back to Silverstone for 2015 and 2016. What are you thoughts on this?
Sam Lowes
I've got no problem with going back to Silverstone, love it there. It's a great track. It's a solid GP track, typical and quiet flat. All the corners are good and it's good to race on. It isn't a special track like Phillip Island but it's solid and I love racing there in front of British fans.
Donington Park I'm a little bit biased because I live up that way, it is a fantastic track with lots of character. But for the GP riders and Europeans it's better to be at Silverstone but for British riders, we would have done better at Donington because of the nature of the track. Perhaps some people think it is a bit sketchy, not as much run-off and a bit more old school. A ballsy track. That is what I mean about Silverstone, it's solid and I'm happy it is there but it is a normal GP track, Donington is not. It is different.
Crash.net
What sort of track at the Circuit of Wales would you like to see, more of a Donington Park or Silverstone?
Sam Lowes
I'd like to see one with heart and character which is different from the rest. The most exciting thing for me is Circuit of Wales have got an opportunity to build a brand new GP track. I don't know what I'd want to see but the people involved they can build something special. That is what Britain needs to bring back the love to the fans. If the fans can go there and feel and, as well as us riders, then British racing will take off again.
An exclusive interview with sole British hope in the 2015 Moto2 series Sam Lowes.
Crash.net
You're back from pre-season testing and gearing up for 2015, how did testing in Jerez go?
Sam Lowes
I was really up for it after training a lot over the winter and looked back on what I needed to improve on last year. Testing went about 100 times better than I thought. The new chassis is different with a new aluminium swing arm compared to the carbon one we had all last year. I'd been pushing to try it a lot last year even if it turned out rubbish because everyone else was on it and doing better. And fuck me it was mega!
For me the bike is now at the same level as everyone else which is good but also with only three Speed Ups on the grid it is different. There are so many Kalex bikes on the grid so hopefully at some tracks we can get an advantage over them.
Last year the bike was too far behind even though the engines are the same and the tyres are the same, so there are not that many variables. Being on a different sort of bike should be an advantage because all those on the same won't have much of an advantage compared to me.
Crash.net
What were the aims at pre-season testing?
Sam Lowes
I believe a lot in myself and at the tests I feel I've got my confidence back on the bike. We have a competitive team and I know I can do a good job.
Coming into GP last year was hard. I'd come across as a World Supersport champion which is seen as a less competitive series, but it is still hard to win. Last year I knew I was riding shit because I didn't have confidence or feeling for the bike. But now the team has changed the chassis and suspension to give me the feeling back in the bike then I'll feel good.
Testing at Jerez with everyone was interesting because it was a track I wasn't very good at last year and struggled when it got hot.
Any new parts we get from Speed Up, because there are only three of us, we have to test them all. In the first test we had the new aluminium swing arm with three different versions with different stiffness. The three of us had to test each one so we are fully comfortable with them.
For the next test we have a new fuel tank to try. When you've got a full fuel tank with this bike we get a lot of transfer of weight under braking as the fuel shifts forward. So the new tank is a little smaller and has slots inside to stop the fuel moving. So the test will be full of small stuff like testing the new fuel tank with only two litres of fuel in it. All little stuff but add up to make a big step. Then on the last day-and-a-half we'll be working on race set-up.
Crash.net
How different is racing in Moto2 compared to World Supersport?
Sam Lowes
Basically it is like going from driving a normal Honda Civic car, do a few little things to it to make it a race car but in effect you can still use it on the roads. Then you get on a Grand Prix bike everything is so stiff and solid and you need to be racing it fast to get the most out of it. Supersport is more user friendly, the bike is soft and at slower speed you get a better feeling and confidence. In a Grand Prix bike if you go slow you'll never get the feeling, you have to ride it fast.
Crash.net
So switching from Supersport to Grand Prix, how much did you have to change yourself?
Sam Lowes
Massively. The tyres were a big thing. In Supersport they use Pirelli tyres but in Moto2 it is Dunlop. So not only was the bike a lot stiffer the tyres were stiffer too. So you've got to be strong on the brakes to get the heat in the tyres but you can also run much higher corner speeds with the Dunlop because it won't lose its shape. So trying to get the bet laps times between Supersport and Moto2 couldn't be more different even though they are both 600cc engines.
In Supersport you've got to go as hard as you can into the corner, stop, then get out. In Moto2 you've got to be aggressive into the corner, let off the brakes and run through the corner to get a good exit. It's totally different.
Crash.net
What are your goals for this season?
Sam Lowes
To win. Just because I've been fast in the tests doesn't mean anything but I want to be in the fight for the top three and fight for the championship. That is one massive step but it is one I think I can do.
If I want to get to MotoGP this year is my big chance. If I can do very well on a bike which is perceived in the paddock to be a slower bike then I can go to MotoGP. That is my goal and so I'm focusing on finishing on the podium as much as I can. I need to prove I can cut it in GP racing.
Crash.net
It is a different lifestyle too MotoGP compared to World Superbike and this season you are the only Brit on the Moto2 grid. What has it been like adjusting to it?
Sam Lowes
It's alright. None of the other riders talk massively to one another and I don't have a problem with anybody. You keep yourself to yourself. The other Brits in Moto3 and MotoGP are also sound so it's no problem. People told me before I went over it isn't as friendly compared to World Supersport, which is true, but it is different. It's a higher level to its going to be different because everyone wants to be beat everyone else.
My only negative is I wish there were more Brits in there, at Moto2 and Moto3, because in effect the only way to get into MotoGP is through these series. We need more there.
Crash.net
Did you receive any offers for a MotoGP ride this winter?
Sam Lowes
Last year I had a two-year contract and at the end of 2014 I was lucky enough to have quite a lot of interest which surprised me after the year I'd had. But the fact that I'm on a Speed Up bike against a lot of Kalex and I'm new to the paddock helped. Last year was a disaster but I showed my potential despite the year I had.
This year I need to make it happen. That is it, I need to do a good job. A good job is finishing on the podium and winning races and if I can do that then next year will be very good. I've got a lot of motivation to win in Moto2 and become the first British World champion since Barry Sheene. I'm convinced if I work hard enough and improve then I can do it. I know I can improve and after these tests I feel good. If you are Moto2 World champion you are going to get a factory bike in MotoGP, that is what we need.
Crash.net
Moving on to your brother Alex, he was impressing a lot of people during testing but it failed to come to fruition at the season opener at Phillip Island. Has he said much about it?
Sam Lowes
He will be fast this year. Phillip Island is always a strange race because it has a big build up as the first race of the year and very early on the calendar. Everything that could have gone wrong for him did out there. The first race he was riding the second bike because the first one broke during warm up.
He's got a good team around him and he's been fast. Last year he was fast over one lap but now he is fast over a race distance so he'll be back.
Crash.net
How much has he spoken about it to you?
Sam Lowes
We're really, really close and I'm his biggest fan as well as his biggest critic. I know how good he is more than he knows himself and I know when it works this year he can do a really good job.
Crash.net
Looking ahead, how much would you love to get on the same track as him and go racing competitively?
Sam Lowes
Oh, 100%. My dream would be preferably in MotoGP, but in whatever class to be team-mates. We get on so well, have a great relationship so if he gives me some criticism it's only to help me. Not to be a knob, just to help, which is good. I've always been one to aim to beat my team-mate and so if it was Alex I'd want to beat him anyway, it would be competitive but in a good way. Sometimes if you are competitive with your team-mate and they beat you then you throw your toys out the pram, but if he beat me I'd have great respect for him. For a team I think it would be great in the future if we could be team-mates. But we both have to pull our fingers out and do a good job first!
Crash.net
You're not the only sibling pairings in the motorcycle racing world, with the Espargaros brothers and the Marquez brothers. What is it about brothers racing?
Sam Lowes
In our sport having two people competing against each other as you grow up really helps. You can learn off each other, when you young if you are riding in the fields you haven't got anyone to compare yourself against but when I rode with Alex we could both pick up twice the amount of experience. It gets you used to that competitive environment too, which helps a lot.
With Alex and I being twins it also helps even more because we've done everything together. Riding together from a young age helps a lot. If you get into motocross or minimoto at a young age but aren't used to racing other people it can overawe you but if you are used to it, it can give you that jump in years.
Crash.net
Looking at the future of Grand Prix racing in Britain, we have an update on the Circuit of Wales, with MotoGP going back to Silverstone for 2015 and 2016. What are you thoughts on this?
Sam Lowes
I've got no problem with going back to Silverstone, love it there. It's a great track. It's a solid GP track, typical and quiet flat. All the corners are good and it's good to race on. It isn't a special track like Phillip Island but it's solid and I love racing there in front of British fans.
Donington Park I'm a little bit biased because I live up that way, it is a fantastic track with lots of character. But for the GP riders and Europeans it's better to be at Silverstone but for British riders, we would have done better at Donington because of the nature of the track. Perhaps some people think it is a bit sketchy, not as much run-off and a bit more old school. A ballsy track. That is what I mean about Silverstone, it's solid and I'm happy it is there but it is a normal GP track, Donington is not. It is different.
Crash.net
What sort of track at the Circuit of Wales would you like to see, more of a Donington Park or Silverstone?
Sam Lowes
I'd like to see one with heart and character which is different from the rest. The most exciting thing for me is Circuit of Wales have got an opportunity to build a brand new GP track. I don't know what I'd want to see but the people involved they can build something special. That is what Britain needs to bring back the love to the fans. If the fans can go there and feel and, as well as us riders, then British racing will take off again.
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