Burgess: 360km/h 1000cc MotoGP bikes 'folly'

"A rider slip-streaming another with just a breath of a tail wind will top
360km/h" - Jeremy Burgess.

Valentino Rossi's crew chief, Jeremy Burgess, believes that MotoGP's switch to 1000cc engines for the 2012 season is 'folly'.

The premier-class has increased its engine capacity back to 1-litre after five seasons of dull 800cc racing, but Australian Burgess - the most successful crew chief in the history of MotoGP - believes it is a mistake in terms of top speed and manufacturer relevance.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Adelaide Advertiser, Burgess said: "It was a folly to return to the 1000cc limit... On the fastest circuits, a rider slip-streaming another with just a breath of a tail wind will top 360km/h."

Those top speed concerns echo similar comments from Yamaha's former world champion Jorge Lorenzo. The present MotoGP top speed record is 349.3km/h (217.1mph) set by Honda's Dani Pedrosa at Mugello in 2009.

In terms of the technical challenge, Burgess added: "They [the manufacturers] have already developed 1000cc bikes.

"Rules that require them to make more power out of a smaller engine give manufacturers a reason to be there."

Burgess, who would prefer a MotoGP engine limit of 600cc and had some harsh words for Dorna's involvement in rule making, believes that Rossi should be able to challenge Pedrosa (Honda) and Andrea Dovizioso (Yamaha) for the podium during his second season at Ducati.

Burgess presumably expects Honda's reigning champion Casey Stoner and 2011 runner-up Lorenzo to fill the top two places.

-crash.net