Yamaha engineers are working on a new V-four engine configuration, different from the inline-four that the Iwata manufacturer has used throughout its MotoGP history, as reported by Motorsport.com.
The V4 project is at an advanced stage, but for now the engine has not yet reached the track: it is an idea that is being worked on but there is no date when it will be mounted on the bikes.
For now, in last Monday’s test, Alex Rins was able to try out a new configuration, presumably for next season.
“We tried many things, including an engine that is the basis of what we will use next year,” Rins explained on Monday.
“The truth is that it’s not very different from the engine we have now, but they want to go step by step and it’s just a start. It’s been quite positive, the bike seems to rev a bit more, which is actually what we were looking for. At the moment we’re not looking for a higher top speed, but we want it to rev more,” Rins explained.
“We also tried some chassis improvements to try to get more grip and better traction and surprisingly I felt very comfortable. I improved my pace by 0.5-0.7, so I’m happy,” he added.
Engine Rotation Management
“Not much else, we used the engine we had used up until Motorland, which we had to remove here in Misano to manage a bit, since we had two broken engines. But the truth is that I’m quite satisfied with how the test went.”
As Yamaha is a fully concession brand, each rider has nine engines to complete the 20 Grands Prix of the season. Quartararo has tuned seven of them and still has two brand new engines to tackle the remaining seven Grands Prix, in addition to having the seven used so far at full capacity.
Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing, talks to his track engineer Patrick Primmer, who will replace David Muñoz in the next round
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Rins, on the other hand, has used eight engines. The first one broke in Qatar and was taken out of circulation in Portugal, in the second race; the sixth engine broke in Austria and was taken out of rotation in Aragón. Now he has only one engine left to mount and six in operation, of which only one works the way he likes it (the one he explains they used up to Motorland). The other one he liked is the one that broke in Spielberg.
“We can develop the engine, but we have a limit of units (9). I broke one with only 100 kilometers in Qatar, in the first race. The other one I broke quite fresh in Austria”, explained Alex, who is not complaining at all about the material he has available: “It’s not that we lack other units, because we will have tried about seven different engine configurations”, he revealed.
100% in favor of the arrival of radios
Among the general innovations presented in the Misano tests, a new Michelin front tyre and a radio communication system with the riders were tested. The Catalan was able to ride with the new compound.
“It brings more agility, a lot more. The problem is that going inside the corner feels like there’s more rubber touching the ground and I don’t like that very much. It doesn’t feel like the bike is turning as it should. At the moment I have no idea when it will be implemented, I’m not the one who decides.”
Finally, Rins gave his opinion on the radio system that his teammate Quartararo tested on Monday.
“I think it could be very positive, I haven’t tried it but it could be very good. I’m one hundred percent in favor of it,” said the Spaniard.
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