MotoGP news: Jerez testing, Honda's specs

Here’s what’s up in the world of MotoGP:

The Jerez testing round took place on the weekend, despite some pretty nasty weather. Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner managed to get in Friday’s best lap, with a 1:39.146  time, when track conditions were decent.

Saturday saw Ducati’s Nicky Hayden lead the pack, sneaking a top lap of 1:40.755 around windy and rainy conditions. Stoner was back on top yesterday, posting a best lap of 1:38.780.

Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, the 2010 MotoGP champion,  put a pretty up a pretty strong showing on Sunday, posting a 1:38.953 time; we can likely expect some great duels between Yamaha and Honda’s riders this season.

At the end of the Jerez testing, their teams hold down the top five positions. Cal Crutchlow is in fifth spot for Monster Yamaha Tech 3, Ben Spies is in fourth for Yamaha Factory Racing, Dani Pedrosa is third for Repsol Honda, Lorenzo is second for Yamaha’s factory team, and Stoner is first for Repsol Honda, aboard the RC213V.

Speaking of the RC213V, satellite team LCR Honda is bragging up the new machine, saying it’s putting out  more power than Ducati and Yamaha’s new MotoGP machines, which claim about 230 hp and over 240 hp respectively. LCR Honda is saying the machines Big Red delivered are putting out over 250 hp, for a maximum speed over 350 km/h.

The RC213V weighs 157 kg, and runs a six-speed seamless cassette transmission, with optional alternative ratios.The motor is a 1000cc DOHC V4, with pneumatic valves. It’s a long-stroke engine, thanks to new rules restricting bore size.

The bike has an aluminum twin spar frame, with fully adjustable steering and geometry and fully adjustable magnesium triple clamp. Brakes are  Nissin units up front, featuring a four piston caliper and a 320mm Nissin carbon disc. In back, a Nissin Twin piston caliper and 196mm Yutaka steel disc slow the bike down.

Suspension is from Öhlins, with a TRVP25 48mm USD fork and a fully adjustable Öhlins TRSP44 shock in rear. Tires are from Bridgestone, exhaust is Arrow titanium, and overall bike length is adjustable from  2050 mm to 2070 mm.