Stoner confident of chatter improvement

"We knew from when we first tested those tyres that it just wasn't going to work with our bike. We told Bridgestone, everybody from the beginning. But they didn't seem to care" - Casey Stoner.
Stoner, British MotoGP 2012
Stoner, British MotoGP 2012
© Gold and Goose

Reigning MotoGP champion Casey Stoner believes he and Honda🌱 can see the light at the end of theꦜ tunnel regarding the long-running rear chatter problems with the RC213V.

However the blanket introduction of the new specification Bridgestone front tyre from this weekend🐼 means he and factory Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa now have front chatter to fix.

Australian Stoner, who starts the British MotoGP 2𓂃0-points behind Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo, began with the positives - saying that 'big progress' had been made during the post-race Catalunya🅺 test.

"Our whole objectiv✨e at the test was▨ just to fix the rear chatter," Stoner explained.

"We think we've reduced 📖it quite substantially and, with the imprꦦovement we've made, we also understand the direction we need to go in. I'm pretty sure we can reduce all of it this weekend.

"We've got to be positive. We're coming to a new track and if we get some dry sessions we'll try and understand it further. But we've been getting chatter in the wetꦓ as well, so hopefully it'll be reduced in ไthe wet as well.

"We made some big steps in Barcelona s🥀o we're pretty happy with tha𝔉t," concluded Stoner, who will retire at the end of 2012.

But while the rear chatter finally looks tꦓo be improving, Stoner and Pedrosa now have the new spec🍒ification Bridgestone front tyre to adapt to.

The new spec had been an addi♏tional option at previous rounds, but takes over as🐈 standard from Silverstone. Unlike Stoner and Pedrosa, most riders prefer the new tyre, including Yamaha's title leader Jorge Lorenzo.

And the bad news for the Repsol riders is that the new, softer, tyre causes chatter in the front.

"I didn't really want to mention it [the front chatter] because people will think we are just complaining about chatter and finding excuses," replied Stoner, when asked about the front tyre is💖sues

🐟"But yeah, unfortunately, 𒊎we made big progress with the rear and then as soon as we [used] the new front tyre - as I knew already from winter testing - immediately we had the front chatter.

"Now we've got one [area of chatter] under control so hopefully it'l𒁏l be easier to understand and fix the front. When you've got both [front and rear chatter] happening at the same time it can be complicated."

Stoner, who won last year's wet Silverstone ra🌸ce stated that there is nothing better about the new tyre from his perspective.

Even Pedrosa, known for choosing his words carefully, had been publicly critical of the tyre change, calling it 'unsafe and unfair to൩ Honda'.

"I haven't spoken to Dani about it, but we kn🧜ew from when we first tested those tyres that it just wasn't going to work with our bike," said Stoner. "Things weren't good. We told Bridgestone, everybody from the beginning. But they didn't seem to care.

"A few other people like it and obviously the CRTs seem to enjoyಌ it 🥀more, for exactly the reasons that we don't enjoy it. It is softer in the casing. It squishes a lot more, there's a lot more movement in the middle of the corner and on the brakes. We just don't find anything good about it.

"I did expect the comments from Dani. Even if he didn't complain about iꦅt in the past it was just a matter of time🌃. The more time you spend on the tyre. I don't think I'll be the only one complaining as the season goes on. We'll just have to try to work around it if we can."

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