2011 Brno MotoGP 測試總評 - www.motomatters.com

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We 'd been waiting for it for a long time - longer than we had initially hoped for, after the planned 1000cc test at Mugello morphed into an 800cc test, the Brno test taking its place - but finally, we got to see the 2012 MotoGP bikes out on track, in public and undisguised. Honda and Yamaha pitted their latest creations against one another in full view of the public, and the results were not quite as expected beforehand.
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引頸期盼了一段不算短的時間後(原本應該在Mugello的1000cc最後變成了800cc測試), 我們終於盼到了2012的MotoGP戰駒在Brno賽後公開露臉. Honda與Yamaha將他們的最新力作公開在陽光下讓眾人檢視欣賞, 而結果出乎眾人原本的意料.

That a Honda RC213V - that's twenty-one three, not two thirteen, for the superstitious among you - should be fastest at the test was expected, Casey Stoner posting a time of 1'56.168 in the final hour before the test finished. Stoner had already had two days of testing on the 2012 bike, and the times being bandied about the paddock - about as reliable as any gossip from inside a small and deeply political community, i.e. not at all - was that Stoner had been two seconds faster than the 800s at the track earlier in the year, though the conditions for the 1000cc test were much more favorable.
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RC213V一如所料由Stoner在測試結束前的一小時跑出了1'56.168的最快單圈. Stoner早先已經試乘過了兩次2012的新車, 圍場上不可靠消息指出Stoner在早先Mugello做出的時間比起用800cc要快了兩秒, 雖說測試當天的天候狀況要比正賽時佳.

What was not expected was just how fast the Yamaha was, the bike only having been ridden by test riders back in Japan, but without having had a MotoGP-quality rider put it through its paces. So for the 2012 M1 to end up less than a tenth behind the RC213V was heartening indeed, and an impressive piece of work by Yamaha. Both Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo were fulsome in their praise, clearly very pleasantly surprised at the state of the 2012 M1. Those who had been predicting a Honda whitewash of the new formula - and I include myself among their number - will be rather surprised, either pleasantly or unpleasantly, depending on your perspective. The new Honda is clearly fast - Stoner was over a second faster during the test than he was during the race - but the difference is not as vast as many had feared. The Honda lane is still open, but entry restrictions have not yet been enforced.
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但更出人意表的是Yamaha的速度, 新車只有在日本由測試車手試騎而沒有GP等級的車手操過的情況下卻也跑得飛快. 2012 M1只比RC213V慢了不到點一秒確實令人振奮, Yamaha扎扎實實的打了一記好球. Spies和Lorenzo兩人歡喜之情溢於言表, 對於新M1的現況非常滿意. 之前那些預測Honda會遙遙領先的人 - 包括了我, 對於這結果都非常的訝異; 開心的或不開心的, 端看你的出發點為何. RC213V的確速度很快, Stoner做出的時間比正賽要快了一秒多, 但和新M1之間的差距卻沒有眾人原先所預期的那樣大. Honda仍然領先, 但並不多.

Lorenzo and Spies were both very happy after the test, happy with the work Yamaha had done, happy to be riding the 1000, and even happy with the new engine for the 800cc bike. The new 800 engine had more power everywhere, Spies said, though Lorenzo added that it was only a "little bit" more. He acknowledged that racers always want more, though, and was clearly grateful for what he had received. It may not be enough to blow the Hondas out of the water with, but it at least puts Lorenzo on a slightly more equal footing.
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Lorenzo和Spies對測試結果與Yamaha的努力非常滿意, 新M1的感覺很好, 對800cc的新引擎也滿意. Spies說800cc新引擎在每個轉速區段都更有力, 但Lorenzo保守的說只是多了些但並不多, 因為車手永遠想要的更多; 不過他仍然為此進步開心. 雖然可能還是無法與Honda抗衡, 但至少立足點越來越接近.

But as intriguing as the possibilities of Yamaha's new 800cc engine are, what you really want to know what the 1000s are like, right? Visually, they are remarkably similar to (and to the casual observer, virtually indistinguishable from) the existing 800cc machines. The bikes sound a little different - the Yamaha more so than the Honda - a little deeper and a little gruffer, but that difference is hard to hear in pit lane. At full chat along Brno's front straight the difference is clearer; where the 800s always sound strained, as if they are tearing themselves apart, the 1000s sound more forceful, accelerating with absolute ease. They are faster, but they sound as if they achieve that extra speed effortlessly.
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相較Yamaha的800cc新引擎, 我想大家更有興趣的應該是1000cc賽車. 從外觀上來看幾乎是一個模樣你分辨不出到底是1000cc還是800cc賽車. 但聽聲音的話 - 雖然Honda比起Yamaha較不明顯 - 是可以分辨的出來新車聲浪較低沉狂野, 在pit lane時還是不太好分辨, 但在大直路上的話就一清二楚. 800cc聽起來有種快爆血管的感覺, 而1000cc則是游刃有餘輕鬆愜意, 聽起來不費吹灰之力就達到這麼快的速度.

How much faster? Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi thought that at some tracks such as Qatar and Mugello, the bikes could hit 350 km/h. Would this be more dangerous? Stoner was pretty forceful in his dismissal of his accusation, pointing out that the advent of the 800s had actually seen more crashes due to riders carrying more corner speed. The extra power of the 1000s meant that getting out of the corner is no longer a problem, so losing corner speed is not so heavily penalized. Ben Spies thought that the added torque gave a rider more options, and the longer braking zones (due to higher top speeds and slightly heavier bikes) would open up passing options that were not there previously. Valentino Rossi thought that the 1000s might open up a couple of spots at each track where it would be possible to overtake. But the electronics and the fuel limits are still in place, along with the astonishingly efficient Bridgestone tires. As long as those factors are still there, the racing won't change that much.
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到底有多快? Stoner, Lorenzo, 和Rossi都認為在某些場地例如Qatar和Mugello可以達到350km/h. 這會更危險嗎? Stoner斬釘截鐵的說並不會, 相反的800cc事實上因為需求更高的過彎速度反而造成一堆摔車. 1000cc所提供更充沛的加速動力代表彎內損失一些速度不再是個太嚴重的問題. Spies則表示更多的動力可以給車手更大的發揮空間, 而因為極速更高與車重更重所造成的煞車距離變長, 會讓超車的機會比起800cc要多; Rossi也認同1000cc可以在賽道上有更多的超車點. 不過只要電控系統, 油料限制, 和石橋好的不像話的輪胎等因素還在, 場上名次其實不會有太大的改變.

The bigger bikes will also move the goalposts for the riders, though only by a small amount. Ben Spies thought the new bigger bikes had meant the game had moved toward him a little, the extra power negating some of the disadvantage he had from being taller and heavier. Casey Stoner admitted he might have to change his style a little, with less focus on corner speed, taking advantage of the grunt out of corners. It's not quite a radical revolution, but the game has definitely shifted.
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更大cc數的車輛也讓車手優勢有了些微變化. Spies認為在新車上他會更有利些因為更大的動力可以彌補他身型較大的劣勢. Stoner則認為他會需要因此做些姿勢上的修正, 將焦點放在出彎時的加速而非彎中的速度. 這些優勢變化並非劇烈, 但確實讓比賽有了些改變.

The relative importance of corner speed was demonstrated by the Suter BMW CRT machine. After a disastrous showing at Mugello - being over 6 seconds off the pace saw a number of teams who had been closing in on a deal with Suter suddenly develop very cold feet indeed - Kallio's time within four seconds of Stoner is a big boost to the project. Four seconds is still a major gap, and there is clearly a lot of still to be done. But to make up two seconds over the course of six weeks is a huge step, and shows that the potential is there to at least be competitive with the back of the satellite teams. Replacing Mika Kallio - who struggled on a MotoGP bike and is a way of being podium material in Moto2 - with a more competitive rider may take off up to a second of that time. Another second from chassis updates and better electronics would put the CRT teams in with a sniff of the points, which is the objective for most of them.
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彎中速度不再那麼重要或多或少可以從這次Suter BMW的測試得到佐證. 在Mugello的災難性初登場後(比起第一名整整慢了六秒的成績讓多隊原本已經快談好的合約立即怯步), Kallio在這次的成績進步了兩秒只差Stoner不到四秒.  四秒的差距仍算巨大而且明顯地還有待加強, 但只花了六周的時間就削掉了兩秒的差距算是一大進步也顯示了要和次級的衛星車隊做競爭還是有機會的.

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