Today was the first day of testing ahead of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
We have another test day tomorrow.
Looking at endurance racing around the world, I think the current trend is moving in the right direction.
I’ve said this for years, but I believe pre-race testing should be prohibited by the regulations.
I’m sure some people will say, “How can you say that when you’re out there testing yourself?”
But if the rules changed and testing was banned, we simply wouldn’t test.
Rules are there to be followed.
I’d also like to see changes to the motorcycle regulations.
Most people probably don’t realize how many crashes occur during these test sessions, causing red flags.
Almost every session is stopped once or twice.
It’s the same all over the world.
To me, it feels like the machines have begun to exceed human capability.
Even today, despite having such a valuable test day, we spent nearly the entire day dealing with a mysterious electronic control issue.
Suzuka Circuit and EWC’s XP system were transmitting separate signals.
As a result, the ECU couldn’t receive accurate information and began malfunctioning.
Finding the cause took almost the entire day.
Modern race bikes now depend more on electronic control than even the skills of the best mechanics.
Maybe it’s time to shift the balance back toward the rider.
Would people really spend huge amounts of money to cheer for robots playing football?
Watching Alan complete his Long Lap Penalty made me think about all of this.
Hopefully, if we get dry conditions tomorrow, we’ll be able to put in some fast laps.