Yamaha’s MotoGP riders have finally had the chance to trial the firm’s new and updated launch control system in practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello – and it’s been met with rave reviews so far from their riders.
A key demand from Fabio Quartararo in particular to bring the team in line with rival manufacturers, the new device works to improve the starts by locking the front suspension off the line, preventing power from being wasted in compressing the bike’s suspension. With a similar system having already been in place on the rear, the new dual device finally brings Yamaha in line with rivals like Ducati – much to championship leader Quartararo’s delight.
“I’m so happy, really happy, because since Qatar, every time I’ve made a great result I’ve pushed the Japanese engineers,” explained Quartararo.
“It’s the most important thing, and now we have no more excuses. Of course we need to develop it a little more, because this is just the first test with it, but we’re already seeing a big improvement and I think we can do even better things.
“It arrived yesterday and today was the first time to test it – I only saw it for the first time yesterday. It feels different and I need to get used to it, and we need to change a little bit the way of doing the start. You feel lower, and it feels strange – it makes you look like you’re on a small bike. But I feel like we can make a bigger step tomorrow with it.”
Starts are an area that the team has already been concentrating on prior to the arrival of the new device, with Quartararo confirming ahead of the start of action yesterday that he believes Yamaha has already made progress there in the last race.
“We’re struggling a little bit on the starts compared to other bikes,” he conceded, “but in the end we need to manage it and do our best. We improved a little bit in Le Mans with the electronics, and we’ll see if we can find something more here for the future.
The other side of the Monster Energy Yamaha garage wasn’t quite as quick to pass judgement on the success of the device just yet, with Maverick Vinales happy with what he’s experimented with so far but also keen to see how it stands up to a true race start come Sunday.
“Basically we will see on Sunday,” said Vinales, albeit sporting an obvious grin. “But you can see that it’s much better, it makes a big step. We need to see it on Sunday with all the bikes [around] but straight away it’s faster, especially the second part of the acceleration.
“It makes so big a difference. So, we’ll see. Honestly, I don’t have much to say, we need to believe in that and see if Sunday I can arrive first, this is the plan. This is the basic plan.”
Fellow factory bike rider Valentino Rossi was even more reserved than his former team-mate, with the Petronas Yamaha rider saying more time is needed before he can pass judgment on its effectiveness.
“Yes, I tried the start device, the front start device,” he admitted. “It’s better, it’s a good step. We need to work, it’s a bit critical, we still have some problems, but we hope we can use it as soon as possible.”
The race start has become increasingly key in recent years thanks not only to the increasing use of the launch devices but due to closer-than-ever margins, as Rossi explained in yesterday’s pre-event press conference when asked by The Race.
“The start of a MotoGP race is crucial – a lot more important than five or six years ago, because now it’s so hard to recover,” said the nine-time world champion.
“It’s normal that all the factories work to concentrate more on this, because before it was all in the hands of the rider. Ducati were the most clever to start working on the start devices, and it’s like they’re one or two steps forward.
“But Yamaha has reacted from this point of view, too. You open a world when you start to use these devices, and we need to work, but even without it you can make a good start with our bike.”
In fact, there’s more good news than just the new component for Quartararo, though. Singing the praises of his Japanese manufacturer after the day’s action concluded, he hinted that the quick delivery of his demands might signal a shift in mentality for a team traditionally seen as one of grand prix racing’s more conservative marques.
“I need to thank Yamaha,” he added, “because they’ve worked hard and I think they’ve changed a little bit too. It’s a new style, a little bit less old-school, and I really like it.
“They’re doing an amazing job. They’re completely in a new generation, and working in a really good way.”
