MotoGP Valencia: Aoyama 'killing RC213V-RS power too much'

"At the moment we are killing the power too much at the moment. So I had top speed but I was losing a lot in acceleration" - Hiroshi Aoyama.
Aoyama 'killing RC213V-RS power too much'

ꩲHiroshi Aoyama is looking to unleash more engine performance from the new Honda RC213V-RS's Open class bike during day two of the Valencia MotoGP season finale.

Aoyama has been given the honour of racing the new machine prior to becoming a HRC 🌼test rider in 2015.

Unl🍒ike the current RCV1000R, which Aoyama has spent the r𓂃est of this season on at Aspar, the 'RS' is powered by the same pneumatic-valve engine as the title-winning RC213V.

The increase in power was obvious f🤪rom Aoyama reaching 324.1km/h in Friday practice, as quick as the Factory Yamahas and just a few km/h behind the official Repsol Hondas.

However Aoyama was only 21st on the timesheet, behind riders still using theౠ RCV1000R, despite being at least 10km/h quicker ♐than them on the straight.

"The new bike looks the same, but inside it is completely different. So I'm struggling a bit to adapt to the bike," Aoyama explained. "The engine has more power, but together with the Marelli [Open class] electronics - at the moment we are killi൲ng the power too much. So I had top speed but I was losing a lot in acceleration.

"We started with quite a smooth engine character. We had many mappings available, a little too much. Also gearing. With this bike we do not have e❀xperience and so tomorrow we need to adjust the gearing.

"This bike has a little more power range, but if you are below there is nothing. The old🐟 engine had a narrow powerband and less overall power, but was more progressive."

The Japanese added: "We tried to improve from the morning to the afternoon, especially in the suspension side. Because w🍸hen the engine character changed we needed to adapt the suspension also, but we went in not the correct way and lost the sensation of the bike a little bit.

"Tomorrow we must find out which direction to go and improve the lap time. The problem is that we don't have much time to work. This bike has a lot of parameters that can be adjusted so we have to find out which to adjust 💖anꦓd which we don't touch.

"As I s൩aid, today we were killing too much power and tomorrow we have to find a good compᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚromise."

The new bike looked to give Aoyꦐama an improved chance of bridging the eight point gap to top Open Honda rider Scott Redding in the final standings, however the set-up issues meant the Englishman was 0.7s faster on Friday.

Aoyama's RC213V-RS will be handed to team-mate Nicky Hayden and Cardion AB's Karel Abraham to share during next week's Valencia test. Aoyama's replacement Eugene Laverty and fellow 2015 rookie Jack Miller will use the old RCV1000R f♈or their first outing.

Aoyama expects to take par💛t in his first test as a Honda development riꩲder at the end of November.

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