Japan Grand Prix marks dawn of new era

The opening round of the 2002 Motorcycle World Championship will take place at the Suzuka race circuit in Mie Prefecture on Sunday.

Italian Valentino Rossi, the 2001 1500cc world champion, puts his Honda through its paces.

This year, it's not just another Grand Prix. Sunday's race marks the dawn of a new era for motorcycle Grand Prix racing as the regulations have been changed significantly since last season.

Previously, the top level in Grand Prix races was the 500cc class for two-stroke 500cc machines. This year, things are different with the introduction of what is called the MotoGP class in which both two-stroke (500cc) and four-stroke (990cc) machines will compete.

Four-stroke racers competed in Grand Prix racing in the 1960s and early 1970s but since the middle of the '70s, the more powerful and lightweight two-stroke machines have dominated the scene. From 1979-82, Honda entered its four-stroke oval piston engine-equipped NR500 in the 500cc class under the equal capacity condition, but the machine failed to get a point in the class, let alone a victory.

The NR500 was simply too heavy and less competitive than its two-stroke rivals.

However, environmental issues have recently come into play and motorcycle manufacturers have been concentrating on producing more eco-friendly four-stroke production bikes.

As a result, the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has changed its rules to allow four-stroke bikes onto the Grand Prix circuit.

There is already a World Championship for four-stroke machines -- the World Superbike Championship -- but unlike the MotoGP class, the machines competing in the World Superbike Championship are based on production motorcycles and there are a number of restrictions on them.

Of course, having two championships for four-stroke machines is a bit confusing, but with the possibility that the FIM would integrate the two championships in the future, the manufacturers started developing four-stroke Grand Prix machines.

Honda was the first off the blocks with its V5-powered four-stroke RC211V, released at the beginning of last year, followed by Yamaha with its straight-four engine powered YZR-M1. Suzuki also brought forward its development plan by one year and will introduce its V4 GSV-R this year. Italian manufacturer Aprilia also entered the field this year and will use a straight-three engine for its RS3.

From next year, Kawasaki, Ducati and Sauber will also join the championship. There is even a rumor that BMW is preparing a four-stroke racer for the championship.

With various types of engine configurations in the Grands Prix, it will be interesting to see which comes out on top.

Winter tests have been completed and the Honda RC211V was the fastest of the new bikes.

Italian rider Valentino Rossi, the 2001 world 500cc champion, has rewritten a number of track records, while teammate Tohru Ukawa, also riding an RC211V, has recorded some equally impressive times.

The Yamaha YZR-M1 will be raced by Rossi's archrival Max Biaggi, while Suzuki will be led by Kenny Roberts Jr., the 500cc world champion in 2000.

The introduction of the new class means that, this year, racers will have to compete not only against riders from other manufacturers, but also against riders from the same manufacturer riding two-stroke machines. For instance, Rossi's main rival is likely to be Daijiro Kato riding the two-stroke Honda NSR500.

Kato has moved up to the premier class after winning the 250cc title last year and has already broken the lap record at Suzuka, previously held by Italian Loris Capirossi, during winter testing.

Despite the quality of the NSR500, Kato is likely to have a hard time competing against the powerful four-stroke racers. The two-stroke NSR500 is lighter and handles well on the bends but cannot match the power of the RC211V. Rossi has recorded speeds of 320 kph at Suzuka and that is almost 10 kph faster than the top speed of the RC211V.

However, the crucial factor for the four-stroke racers will be tires. While bike manufacturers have been developing their new four-strokers in conjunction with tire manufacturers, no one is sure the tires will last the distance under severe racing conditions.

Another unknown factor is the weather. The new four-stroke machines have, so far, not been tested in rain.

The crowd at Suzuka will be hoping for a good performance from the Japanese riders. Beside Kato and Ukawa, Tetsuya Harada, the 250cc champion in 1993, has switched to Honda from Aprilia this year. He will be riding the NSR500 but has so far struggled with the machine.

Yamaha has Norick Abe and Shinya Nakano on two-stroke YZR500s. Abe has won the Japanese GP twice in the past and is eager to repeat the success.

Suzuka is one of the most technical race tracks in the world, and if you can do well there, you can be competitive anywhere in the world. So all the manufacturers, including those who are intending to introduce four-stroke machines in the future, are anxious to see how the bigger bikes will perform at Sunday's Japan Grand Prix.