Can't find a press release but here's something.
On where and when MotoCzysz will race and the 990 Vs 800-
From the beginning MotoCzysz set out to build the most advanced sportbike ever built in America, one capable of bringing America back to competitive road racing and winning.
Without question the displacement for our effort would be a 1,000cc motorcycle the model that is the recipient of each manufactures leading technology. While pursuing this dream came a unique opportunity- prior to our first 1,000cc bike reaching production and with only a 10cc reduction in displacement it could qualify as a MotoGP bike…
More questions after the jump
…In fact our first bike- the C1 with all of its non-production innovation, by definition, meets the true intent of what a MotoGP bike was intended be.
When the rules were announced that displacement would be limited to 800cc in 07 (clearly a thoughtless and pointless change as evidence that lap times between the 990’s and 800’s are nearly identical. In fact it would be easy to make a case that the 800’s are more dangerous than the 990’s. Yes the 800’s have a lower top speed- where few riders crash but a higher corner speed- where most riders crash. Could it be that the manufactures with the most money benefit a competitive advantage over the others with less, each rule change?) we decided to stay dedicated to the open class displacement of 1,000cc.
We did however pick a bore X stroke formula that would be optimized for a future 800cc MotoGP design and still work for a 1,000 Superbike, we choose 82mm, the same as what Ducati picked for their new 800. So the bottom end for a future 800 MotoGP engine is nearly set, the problem is the top end. An 800 will have to turn around 18,000+ rpm’s and that will require pneumatics, at least for the intake cam. Our best estimate is this is $500,000 an investment that cannot trickle down to a production model, in other words, no way to recoup a $500,000 R&D investment.
So MotoCzysz will stay focused on delivering a 1,000cc sportbike and use 07 to turn our prototype motorcycle into a production bike and competitive race bike. We have secured several major players required to create a true American Race Dream Team, the principal members are all on one year contracts ready for 08 if we can deliver a competitive bike.
AMA or WSB? is very dependent on our race partners and sponsors. And though I would like to start at home and let the bike race in front of as many American fans as possible, the recent blunders of the AMA coupled with its poor attendance and small TV audience make it difficult to get companies excited about our national series. Most of the sponsors I have spoken to are favoring WSB along with their larger television audience and better run series. But maybe you can have an influence on this- tell us what you think. If we could get 10,000 new fans to come to each AMA event we could impress the sponsors and significantly increase the value of the AMA.
In response to choosing and needing to develop so many untried technologies and concepts-
Yes, we are definitely traveling down our own road, it may not be the road to success but nonetheless- it is our road. There is an inherent sense of adventure and reward in taking the road less traveled that is very appealing to true motorcyclists. It is an insanely bumpy ride and a little dangerous but there is little traffic- in fact, at times it feels nearly deserted, nobody to ask which way to go. I only hope that eventually the rough ride will smooth out and deliver us to a meaningful location. The trip is absolutely grueling but the view is spectacular, one few men have ever seen.
In response to the Ilmor X3 project-
The X3 project has been of great interest to us, the entire Ilmor team should be congratulated on their success to date. I was first made aware of the project last December (05) when one of our engineers from Cosworth told me about a project his mate was working on at Ilmor. At that time Ilmor had already been working on their bike for some time, while I had just presented our new Z-line 4 engine design to our engineers and we were just starting the design of the new 07 990 prototype, we knew then our bike would be at least 6 months behind the Ilmor bike. One of the many great advantages Ilmore has over MotoCzysz is that Ilmor already had an existing engineering firm and decades of experience designing and building engines. 18 months ago MotoCzysz had 3 employees and was based in my carriage house at home. We eagerly await additional development news on the project and will be rooting for them next year. Actually, what I would really like to do is take the X3 for a ride!
MC
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Originally Posted by 90ft
