This Friday starts at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao a MotoGP World Championship that has reinvented itself at the level of the sport with the aim of fueling the star of two-wheeled competition. Dorna faces the challenge of regaining the interest of spectators who, by saying goodbye to stars such as Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa or Casey Stoner, the so-called ‘The Magnificent Four’ have gone by the wayside. For 2023, they are adjusting their product and if Sunday has worked, now they will give more weight to Saturdays by introducing sprint races. MotoGP riders will suddenly go from having 20 races in 2022 to 42 in 2023. These are the great new things for 2023.
1
The sprint races
The main novelty concerns the program of a Grand Prix that has been rewritten to give more weight to Saturdays. Regarding MotoGP, on Friday the FP1 and FP2 qualifying for Saturday’s Q1 and Q2 will take place, this morning (10:50 am and 11:15 am, European time) and will serve to prepare the grids for the sprint race and the Sunday And at 3:00 pm the Sprint Race will be held, between 10 and 15 laps depending on the length of the circuit and they will have 12 liters of fuel. Deliver half of the points for the World Cup: 12, 9, 7, 6.5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point in the first nine and will not count for victory/podium statistics but will instead inaugurate a separate chapter. The podium ceremony will be held in amateur foot. Moto2 and Moto3 kept their competition format, but lost warm up on Sunday. That time will be devoted to a MotoGP parade, an F1 parade.
2
Two new countries entered
With his decision to open more markets, especially in Asia, the Kazakhstan Grand Prix will be part of the calendar, at the new Sokol circuit in July, the last one before the break, and India in September, which will open the Asian tour. They provide a new service to the Buddh circuit after a failed attempt to host F1 that only lasted from 2011 to 2013. These are the two circuits designed by the controversial Hermann Tilke studio. This 2023 MotoGP will visit 18 countries, twice in Italy and three times in Spain.
3
The calendar is undergoing major changes
In 2023 there will be more Grands Prix than before, 21, and the entry of two new countries means that the most feared, for the Spanish fan, the Iberian alternation will start in 2023 and the first victim will be Motorland Aragón. The remodeling carried out at the Qatari Lusail International Circuit made it impossible for the opening of the calendar this year and the privilege was passed to the Autodromo de Portimao ahead of the American tour and on the return, Jerez (April 28- 30). Catalonia changes from June to September (from September 1 to 3), and Cheste closes for another year, at the end of November (from 24 to 26). It will be a huge effort with three doubles and three triplets all year and the last six GGPPs in seven weeks.
4
Great technical innovations
The novelties affect aerodynamics and the bottom appendages that attach to the swingarm should be 35mm off the ground instead of 15mm because pieces are lost when rubbing against pianos. And for the system that allows you to change the height of the motorcycle (holeshot), the use of the device on the front side is prohibited, it can only be used at the starts, but in any case during the race, and from 2024 it would be illegal to affect the rear part of the progress. Magnetti Marelli is updating the ECU, but it will only reach the official teams, the rest will continue with the one from the 2018-22 season. The support of the brake discs must be made of magnesium and aluminum and for sprint races, with only 12 liters in the tank, they will be able to reduce their size if they want.
5
New career direction
The most significant change is that the figure of a race director for Moto2 and Moto3, Graham Webber, was created, apart from MotoGP, which will continue to be Mike Webb. The Tricephaly of Race Direction will be made up of Webb, Bartolomé Alfonso (FIM) and Loris Capirossi (Dorna). And the highly criticized Panel of Commissioners kept former world champion Freddie Spencer as president (appointed by IRTA) along with Andrés Somolinos and Tamara Matko (appointed by the FIM).
6
Equipment changes
Another new thing in the regulations concerns the equipment of the pilots so as not to repeat the case of Quartararo in the 2021 Catalunya race when the zipper of his suit opened and thus he ran in the last laps with the consequent danger to his integrity having suffered a fall. From 2023, the suits will be equipped with a new closure system (positive fastening).
7
No more concessions in MotoGP
Concessions were introduced in MotoGP in 2016 to help manufacturers have some advantages if they don’t perform well. Between 2016 and 2022, some factories will always enjoy its advantages: further engine development throughout the season, an unlimited number of private tests, both in pre-season and throughout the year, for officials which driver and tester, and two m engines. , more than others for a campaign. But that’s how podiums come and victories run out: Suzuk in 2017i, KTM in 2021 and Aprilia in 2023
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
