MotoGP’s Dorna versus MSMA showdown on shapeshifters

Last year’s runner-up Pecco Bagnaia doesn’t agree, because Ducati’s holeshot/shapeshifter tech is considerably more advanced than most of its rivals.

“I only have to flick one button, so it’s not a problem for me,” he grinned.

However, Quartararo’s predecessor Joan Mir agreed with the Frenchman. “Every time we come onto the straights faster, so we will soon reach 370 kays [230mph], so it’s not the best thing for the safety.

Six-times MotoGP king Marc Márquez agrees with MotoGP’s last two champions.

“It’s something we must remove in the future,” he said. “I already said last year when I came back from my injury that all the riders need to get together, because of course all the manufacturers always want to go for more and more and more [speed].

“Now it can be difficult to engage the holeshot device at the start, plus with the rear device we have more speed, so we arrive faster at the braking points and we can brake later, so we are always trying to increase the runoff areas. So for the future it should be no.”

Safety should always be Dorna’s major concern, but the company must also focus on keeping the racing competitive and entertaining, because ultimately it’s the fans that keep the show on the road. If no one watches the racing there’s no money and if there’s no money there’s no racing.

Because the other problem with shapeshifters is that by making the bikes more perfect it becomes more complicated to find an advantage that will get you past the rider in front.

“For sure with the devices you get more performance but it’s more difficult for the rider to make a difference in acceleration,” added Mir.

This was how it was in the bad old days of the 800s (2007-2011) when most MotoGP races turned into processions, because the bikes had super-high-tech factory electronics and lower-torque engines and Bridgestone tyres that allowed them to use one line and one line only.

“Today’s race was ugly,” said Valentino Rossi after the 2007 San Marino GP at Misano, during which there was no change of leader and just two changes of position in the top five. “This is not the show motorcycle fans deserve. I have the sensation that we are losing the best and most important part of our sport, which is the overtaking.

“The bikes are too good and the tyres are too good. The problem in MotoGP is that the factories make the rules and of course they want their engineers to make their job to develop the bikes.”

Shapeshifters aren’t the only new tech that makes overtaking more difficult today. Downforce aerodynamics also plays a part.

“When I arrived in MotoGP, when there were no wings, so the show was better because it was easier to overtake,” added Márquez last weekend. “Now sometimes you get close to somebody and your bike starts shaking in a strange way.

“Without wings it was more difficult to ride the bike, easier to make mistakes and overtaking was easier. Now the bikes are easier to ride and it’s more difficult to make mistakes. You need to be very precise and smooth but following somebody and overtaking is much more difficult.”

MotoGP clipped the wings of aerodynamics soon after big aero arrived in 2016, because riders were having scary moments at top-speed while drafting other bikes, especially Ducati’s Desmosedici.

Once the shapeshifter controversy has been sorted, MotoGP must do some research into aerodynamics.

MotoGP needs to find the right balance, so the aero delivers enough downforce to keep the front wheel on the ground at high speeds but doesn’t create too much dirty air, so that riders find it too difficult or too dangerous to get close enough to make a pass.