MotoGP: Divide And Rule

Pressure Cooker
The news about Pol Espargaro being very close to signing for Repsol Honda next year has surprised quite a few people inside and outside the MotoGP paddock. But when you think about it, the potential move actually makes quite a lot of sense for both parties involved. A factory team in MotoGP faces a lot of pressure - pressure from the boardroom to win a manufacturer’s title and pressure from sponsors to have two bikes up at the sharp end every weekend. This certainly doesn’t create the ideal environment for a rookie to find his feet in MotoGP. Elder brother Marc might’ve darted out of the gates like a bat out of hell in his rookie season, but history shows that younger brother Alex has a slightly shallower learning curve.

Placing Alex Marquez in the LCR Honda IDEMITSU independent team aboard a factory-spec bike would give him the chance to cut his teeth on a MotoGP machine without the pressure of being in the spotlight at a factory team alongside his brother. And having Pol Espargaro in the Repsol garage could just mean we see two orange Hondas fighting for the championship for the first time in quite a few years.

But the next natural question is, why him? Why the 11th place finisher in last year's championship, and not someone like Cal Crutchlow or Takaaki Nakagami, riders who’ve been on the Honda for many years now, the former of whom has even won races on the RCV? This question brings us to the two camps in MotoGP, and the divide between them.

Big Long Shafts

In one corner you have the inline-four bikes: the Yamaha M1 and the Suzuki GSX-RR, and in the other you have the V4s: Honda, Ducati, KTM and Aprilia. The former, with the greater gyroscopic effect from their longer, usually heavier crankshafts, tend to have neutral handling characteristics and are capable of very high mid-corner speeds, often at the cost of outright top-end power. The V4s, with their shorter, lighter crankshafts and quick-spinning motors seem to have a distinct grunt advantage, but they also appear to be quite a handful in the corners. To know more about how crankshafts affect a bike's handling properties, head here.

These two engine configurations and their accompanying handling characteristics also require a different approach on the part of the rider in order to achieve the best lap time. Just ask Johann Zarco. His silky smooth style gelled well with the Yamaha’s friendly nature and corner speed strength, making him a regular podium contender. Since then, we’ve seen him on two V4 MotoGP bikes: the KTM RC16 and the Ducati Desmosedici GP, the former of which forced him to throw in the towel halfway through his first year on-board. Sure, one could lay some of the blame on KTM’s trademark trellis frame which by the riders’ admission feels quite different to the twin-spar aluminium units seen on all the other bikes. But even on the aluminium-framed Ducati, Zarco has been quite anonymous in testing for the 2020 season so far, despite being aboard the GP19 that finished 2nd and 6th in the championship last year.

With the widespread implementation of big-bang firing orders, the distinct divide between the V4s and inline-4s has softened over the years, but the Vs still seem to require more of a point-and-squirt riding style: braking late and hard, turning the bike in quickly, spending very little time on the edge of the tyre and then firing the bike out of the corner as soon as it’s aligned with the exit. This approach allows the V4s to capitalise on their horsepower advantage while minimising the effect of their corner speed shortcoming. In contrast, the ideal riding style for the inline-4s involves beginning to brake slightly earlier but also releasing the brakes earlier, thereby shaving off less speed and carrying more momentum through the corners.

Like Meets Like

Pol Espargaro’s aggressive riding style on the point-and-squirt KTM is plain to see on the television, and it’s this riding style that could potentially make him a great fit on the RC213V. In his three years aboard the RC16 so far, he’s outscored teammate Bradley Smith by 90 per cent in 2017 and 34 per cent in 2018. In the 13 races that his 2019 teammate Johann Zarco rode on the KTM, Pol scored 77 points to the Frenchman’s 27. In contrast, when Espargaro and Smith were both aboard the inline-4 Yamaha M1, the Smith outscored the Spaniard 181 to 114 in 2015.

Both the KTM and the Honda seem to be quite a handful through the corners, especially during the entry phase, and Espargaro Jr. seems like the one man aside from Marc Marquez who might just be able to grab the Honda by the scruff of the neck and beat it into submission. He pushed Marquez all the way to the penultimate race of 2012 for the Moto2 title before winning it the following year, so he’s certainly no slouch. You can even head here to watch him perform a Marquez-esque front-end save on his knee and elbow.

Tried & Tested

History bears out the success of the approach that Honda is experimenting with. Casey Stoner topped his first tests on the RC213V and went on to win the title in his first season aboard a Honda, coming from the V4 Ducati. Maverick Vinales jumped on the inline-4 Yamaha from the inline-4 Suzuki and was immediately upto speed, winning 3 of his first 5 races with the Iwata manufacturer. Compare this to the early struggles that Jorge Lorenzo faced when he jumped off the docile Yamaha and onto the fire-breathing Ducati at the end of 2016. The 3-time world champion required 23 attempts before he could taste victory on the Bologna bullet.

So while Pol Espargaro might seem like a bit of a wildcard for the Repsol Honda seat next year, a little bit of analysis shows that he’s actually one of the ideal candidates. But as motorcycle racing has shown us countless times so far, the past is no guarantee for the future. Seeing two Repsol Hondas up at the front is always a lovely sight. For the sake of healthy competition and a hard-fought championship, hopefully Espargaro goes well on the Honda. Even fans of number 93 would have to admit it would be fun to see a challenge not just from Yamaha and Ducati, but also from within Repsol Honda.

Bring on the fireworks...