'There might be a day when nobody has an idea who a MotoGP rider is'
As MotoGP risks losing touch with its roots, Jorge Martínez 'Aspar' and his turquoise-blue academy remain the factory floor for tomorrow's stars
Yamaha’s autonomous Motobot racing bike has attempted to beat Valentino Rossi’s time at Thunderhill Raceway Park, USA
With a targeted top speed of 124mph, the Motobot’s second development milestone is to beat Rossi’s time of 85.740sec around the two-mile circuit. Check out the video below.
The bike didn’t beat it, but Yamaha used the experiment as a learning process for the robot, which uses six actuators to gauge numerous factors including lean angle, altitude and speed. The robot itself rides a stock YZF-R1M, and manipulates the bars as a human would. Yamaha says that the technology has various real-world applications, and will “create new value for existing business and cultivate new business.”
As MotoGP risks losing touch with its roots, Jorge Martínez 'Aspar' and his turquoise-blue academy remain the factory floor for tomorrow's stars
Portugese GP winner Bezzecchi proved that Aprilia’s RS-GP finally has a rear end to match its awesome front end to score the brand’s third win of the year so far. Meanwhile Ducati’s factory team had something to celebrate – its first Sunday point since September!
A fascinating chat with Aprilia tech boss Fabiano Sterlacchini, during which we discuss MotoGP's new rules, how he's helped transform the RS-GP into a title contender, how the bike's so-called leg wings work and why Marco Bezzecchi is a feedback genius
The American team bumped back to Earth (literally) at the Malaysian Grand Prix, but the MotoGP newcomer is at the forefront of the series' changing order