The standard electronics were introduced in the Supersport World Championship to keep costs low and to guarantee a fair balance between the engine concepts. But there is a need for discussion.
Since 2021, riders in the Supersport World Championship have been battling each other with very different engine concepts such as four-cylinders with 600 ccm (Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki), three-cylinders with up to 800 ccm (Triumph, MV Agusta) and the Ducati twins with 955 ccm. Thanks to the standardized engine control from MecTronik, the motorcycles are brought to a very similar level via the maximum opening of the throttle valves and the weight. The balance rule is designed in such a way that almost any motorcycle that fits into the scheme of this class in terms of weight and power could compete.
In order for this to be technically feasible, the standard electronics from MecTronik were introduced in 2019 by promoter Dorna in cooperation with the FIM (Scott Smart in person). A positive side effect of this measure is that the manufacturers, teams and their partners no longer have to make expensive in-house electronic developments.
In addition, the uniform motor control should ensure equal opportunities – but equal treatment is a prerequisite for this.
Exactly these did not exist before the start of the season in Australia in February. While the majority of the teams had to use the two-day test on Monday and Tuesday before the start of the World Cup to adapt to the new conditions caused by the changed firmware, others had received it in advance and had been using it on the track and/or the test bench for several days tested.
The Yamaha teams Ten Kate and Evan Bros as well as Aruba.it Ducati are not to blame, they had asked the standard equipment supplier MecTronik whether there were any innovations for the 2023 season. And the Italian company was happy to have top-notch testing teams with them at Jerez and Portimao in January.
But even if the new firmware does not bring any increase in performance, the teams at least had the advantage that they did not have to struggle with the adjustment of the new electronics in Australia, but could prepare directly for the race weekend.
Ludovic Reignier, the new SBK Technical Director of the world motorcycle association FIM, sees nothing reprehensible in this, although all other teams and manufacturers were up in arms about the disadvantage.
MecTronik boss Marco Cortecchia reacted in a similar way when asked by SPEEDWEEK.com.
“All software updates, which applies to every species and in every area, should not be released without thorough testing and field trials,” said the Italian. «It is normal that such tests cannot be done without the end user. Because of the ride-by-wire, we are moving in a safety-critical area with our software, one more reason to be careful with it.»
Cortecchia emphasizes that the test methods for securing embedded systems are always very comprehensive: “It is important that there are no steps backwards in terms of performance. Certain functions interact with other components, something like this can only be tested in the field before final approval. In the current case, it is about the functionalities that are necessary for the systems of the race control. That’s why we could only try them in a test where any infrastructure that interacts with our ECU was in place. But not all teams were in Jerez and/or Portimao. Our goal is to provide a service, not just an ECU. That’s why we collect all inquiries and create a system that does justice to everyone. We get very good feedback from everyone involved and there is no doubt that we are neutral. We’re always very careful that no one has an advantage, whether it’s first or last.”
There was never any doubt about the neutrality of MecTronik. What is rightly denounced, however, is the fact that the FIM did not ensure equal treatment in the pre-season. There are obviously different opinions as to what this should look like.
Bad blood is guaranteed.
On Phillip Island and Lombok, the teams were free to drive with last year’s or the new firmware. From the European start in Assen (April 21-23), the use of the new ones is mandatory.
