MotoGP: Time for the wrist to be back in command
For the core motorsport enthusiast, there is nothing more exciting and purer than MotoGP racing, as the machines' difficulty accentuates the need for true skill and rider feel. This difficulty is something that has been lost in most top-level motorsport categories as both drivers and machinery have reached levels of technicity that most performance advantages can be attributed to the machinery or the setup, rather than pure driver skill.
Up to 2016, ECU electronics and software were…what we could call the dark side of MotoGP. It was an open sandbox where each team was allowed to develop and invest in their electronics and software as much as they desired (this is an essential point we will have to get back to). The most notable rider aid system implemented was Traction Control (TC). TCs goal is to manage wheel slip; this is done by comparing the signals of the front and rear wheels to the bike's lean-angle provided by the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). This comparison allows the system to determine if loss of traction is occurring in the rear wheel and if excessive oversteer is present; in this case, the ECU will proceed to cut power by cutting ignition to one of the cylinders, controlling throttle application, or reducing ignition timing.
This was done not only as a performance advantage but also as a safety measure as modern MotoGP bikes have more than 270bhp. Managing high siding is essential to maintain the sport's safety; high siding occurs by the sudden regaining of grip on an oversteer condition. This type of accident can lead to serious driver injury. TC is just one of the many driver aid features available to teams; others also employed were anti-wheelie, engine-braking control, and launch control.
What was the result of this stunning modern-day development? Racing became much more predictable as drivers relied on these systems to maintain a consistent pace as the electronics' magic was doing most of the work under the covers. Most drivers declared themselves against electronics, as it limited the input their skill was bringing to the bikes' complete pace. Understanding this, Dorna, the current holder of the commercial rights of MotoGP, agreed with teams and stakeholders that starting in 2016 MotoGP bikes would use a single standard electronics unit provided by Magnetti Marelli. This system would not only reduce the cost of developing these advanced systems, but the system would be aimed strictly at maintaining the safety of the rider, rather than time and performance improvements like the systems being used until that time.
Some nicknamed this system TC Lite, as it maintained some safety but increased the need for throttle control, thus leveling the field for the riders. The current TC Lite system is still not a one-size-fits-all as riders can adjust the system for different conditions that suit their needs: driver preference, rain or low grip conditions, the effect of tire wear, and so on.
The result? Precisely what everyone expected and wanted, a cheaper system that resulted in more unpredictable racing where driver skill was more of the focus. So what went wrong; as expected, engineers whose job is to make bikes as fast and as easy to ride as possible could not let this stand, and they had one magic card left under their sleeve.
To understand this final magic trick, we need to go back to 2009, when regulations "appeared to close" a possible engineering loophole by disallowing the use of GPS tracking in the bikes' electronic systems. Why is this important? It is now known that teams were using, and are currently using, again bike location to adjust engine performance through torque-on-demand engine mapping dependent on the bike's location in the circuit. In the pre-2009 time, this was done through GPS location, so the motorcycle understood where it was to the few meters and would adapt to the sector in the track to obtain maximum performance. Now they achieve the same result from onboard sensors, such as IMU, wheel speed, and others, to determine how much engine torque should be available to the driver. Thus, again further detaching these racing machines from the road bikes we see daily, where the rider must feel the grip level and the limits.
One of the most prominent advocates for removing these systems is MotoGP champion Casey Stoner, who indicated that he would like to see more mistakes and drivers having to work for the grip. The engineer side of me understands and wonders at the systems currently being used to maximize rider and bike performance. Still, the purist and fan in me wants to see some raw racing where riders must demonstrate and use all of their skill to get the most out of the bike… a dream? Maybe, but a nice one to have.
