PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

2022 MotoGP riders trying out their latest holeshot devices in pre-season testing.
PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

One we🍨ek from today (Sunday), the 2022 MotoGP ride🎐rs will be lining up on the grid for the Qatar season opener.

And unlike last year, all of them will be equipped with both front and r🧸ear holeshot devices, l𒉰owering the bike to allow for greater acceleration before the front wheel starts to lift.

Excessive wheelies (not rear grip) are the 'weak point' for a dry MotoGP start since, when the front whe𝓀el rises too high, engine power has to be reduced (by the electronics) to remain in 🤪control.

With MotoGP bikes and riders closer than ever, race starts have become evܫen more important and special time was set aside for practice starts during each day of pre-season testing.

Although 'holeshot devices' (used only for the race start) an🦋d repeatable 'ride-height devices ' (used as needed by the rider via a handlebar switch, usually during slow corners that lead onto a long straight) share the same technology, the switches used to deploy them are often different.

That's why riders can be seen taking their hands off the handlebars to turn a switch on the triple clamps to engage the hole🐭shot device(s).

It may seem like an unnecessary d🧸uplication, to have multiple switches, but the bikes sit noticeably lower when the 'holꦛeshot' device is activated for the start compared to when the 'ride height' system is used on corner exit.

The difference ma♛kes sense in that wheelies are much more critical from a standing start, meaning every millimetre the centre of gravity can be lowered makes a bigger an impact, while allowing some extra suspension travel on corner exit means any bumps or jolts (for example from the kerbs) can still be soaked up when using the 'ride height' system.

All teams and riders not only have access to front and rear holeshot devices, but some form of rear ride-height system - either 'manual', meaning the rear lowers as soon as the rider triggers the device, or 'automatic', when the rider activates on the way into a corn🦂er and the bike lowers by itself on the exit.

However, Duca෴ti is the only factory so far known to have a ride-height system that can now lower both the rear and front on corner exit for 2022.

Here is a selection of Hazri🦹n's holeshot device pictures, taken during end-of-day practice starts at Sepang earlier this ✤month:

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Alex Marquez, LCR Honda.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Francesco Bagna༺ia activates the Ducati holeshoꦆt device...

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

...Waves to the fans...

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

...and he's off.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Enea Bastianini (Gresini Ducati GP21) showing th💯at wheelies, not w𝄹heelspin, are the limit during a dry race start.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Rookie Marco Bezzecchi on the VR46 GP21 Ducati.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM).

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow alongside RNF Yamaha rookie D꧃arryn Binder, on the 2021 A-spec bike.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Binder's team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, on the 2022 Spec M1, and Aleix Esp🔯argar♈o.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Espargaro drops the clutch and the front of his Aprilia hovers just off the ground, the pointꦜ of maximum acceleraton.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Rookie Raul Fernande꧂z on his Tech3 KTM. Note how close the swingarm spoiler (or 'spoon') is to the ground. Some factories have now removed the swin🅰garm attachment to avoid grounding.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Marc Marquez on t꧂he all-new 2022 Honda. Marquez wasn't even on🦂 the grid at Qatar last season, but will he lead the field into turn one next weekend?

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

🔥Jorge Martin made one of the most impressive starts to a MotoGP debut when he bolted from 14th to 4th at turn one in Qatar last season. Here h♎e is practising his skills on Pramac's latest GP22.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Hol🌞eshot devices help a bike to resist wheelies at the start but don't 🉐eliminate them, as illustrated here by Joan Mir (Suzuki), 

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Franco Morbidelli was a two-year-old Yamaha, in Petronas colours, for Qatar la🦂st season. He'll return riding the lastest factory machine at Monster Yamaha.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

The LCR team of Takaaki Nakagami and Alex Marquez also ha🍎ve the radically revised 2022-spec RC213V.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

KTM, seen here with Miguel Oliveira💧, have made smaller changes to their bike for 2022.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Pramac's Johann Zarco has been developing Ducati's new front ride-height system, operated by a handlebar switch on corner entry. Here the Frenchman us𒅌es his left hand to select the holeshot device, which also now lowers the front and rear at the same time.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Yamaha was without a front holeshot device at Qatar last year but still won both races with Mav🔯erick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman returns as reigning world champion and with the M1 able to lower at the front and rear f♔or race starts since the early European rounds of last season.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Alex Rins (Suzuki).

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

Maverick Vinales on the impressive new RS-GP. The Aprilia holeshot syste🍎m looks to be one of the best in terms of how much it lowers the bike, a challenger for even&🤡nbsp;Ducati.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

For comparison, Johann Zarco on the Pramac GP22.

PICTURES: 2022 MotoGP holeshot devices - how low can you go?

KTM vs Ducati drag race. ꦓThe real thing takes pla꧟ce in Qatar next Sunday (March 6).

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