Now, as test pilots for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Dani Pedrosa commented on the growing importance of the technological component in the MotoGP universe in recent years.
‘It’s an important debate. Right now, the rider focuses on other things like getting the most out of the tires. It’s true that, thanks to some technological aspects, some riders can make similar starts. This allows releasing the clutch, giving gas because the bike, by itself, already controls the revs and doesn’t lift. You don’t have to lower the gas or use the rear brake to control the bike on the starts,’ declared the Spaniard in statements to Motorbike Magazine quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
‘Everyone can do that relatively easily because the bike does it for you to a large extent. Everyone starts similarly, reaches the same speed in the first corner, and no gaps are created. In the past, you had to control the wheel that lifted, the laps in which it fell, if you didn’t make a good start… there were differences between one rider and another and gaps were created that other riders could take advantage of,’ added the Catalan.
Pedrosa believes that it is now more difficult for a rider to distance themselves from the others.
‘Now it’s like putting the start in the first corner or almost worse. You arrive at braking, adjust everything with the brakes, and the gaps shorten. It’s harder to make a difference. Aerodynamics and devices take responsibility away from the rider to manage the deficiencies that the bike may have when accelerating or in stability. Right now, the rider focuses on maximizing the potential with the bike they have, but not so much on controlling what the bike could do without these aids,’ emphasized.
Afterwards, the Spanish rider concluded: ‘Until recently, I continued to use the more manual system, but I had to switch to automatic. When you’re with the other riders, everyone uses this system that gives you maximum throttle and the management is done electronically. Everyone gives full throttle before releasing the clutch, so you can’t even hear the engine because there is a huge noise with all the bikes on the track at the same time’.
