Moto2 v 250cc v WSS

The new four-stroke Moto2 grand prix class, which replaced the 250cc World Championship last season, beat one 250 and one World Supersport race lap record during 2010.

At Le Mans, home of the French Grand Prix, home star Jules Cluzel's Suter dipped 0.497sec under the 250cc lap record set by Marco Simoncelli. But only two other circuits saw Moto2 within one-second of the 250cc best (where available).

Those circuits were Misano, where Alex de Angelis put his MotoBI within 0.437sec of the quarter-litre record, and Valencia, where Karel Abraham was registered as 0.952sec slower than Mika Kallio's 2007 250cc record.

Valencia was also the only track where Moto2 outpaced WSS. Abraham's FTR set a 1min 36.611sec on its way to victory in the November finale, beating the official WSS race lap record of 1min 36.865sec in the process.

The best race lap from the 2010 WSS event was a slightly slower 1min 37.049sec. Last year's Valencia WSS round was held in April, but air and track temperatures were only a few degrees different for the Moto2 race.

Moto2 was also close to WSS lap record pace at Assen and Misano.

The average difference between the Moto2 and 250cc race lap records was 1.698s (over 15 circuits) and 0.679s (over five circuits) between Moto2 and WSS.

Moto2 lap times should improve noticeably this season, due to predicted power increases from the Honda-supplied engines and further refinement of the inaugural chassis designs.

WSS uses production-based motorcycles, while 250cc consisted of prototype engine and chassis.

The full circuit-by-circuit breakdown can be seen below...

+ means Moto2 slower, - means Moto2 faster.

Losail
250cc race lap record: 1m 59.379s (Debon, 2008)
Moto2 race lap record: 2m 2.537s (Luthi)
Difference = +3.158s

Jerez
250cc race lap record: 1m 43.338s (Bautista, 2009)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 44.710s (Elias)
Difference = +1.372s

Le Mans
250cc race lap record: 1m 39.666s (Simoncelli, 2008)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 39.169s (Cluzel)
Difference = -0.497s

Mugello
250cc race lap record: 1m 53.669s (Bautista, 2008)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 55.647s (Iannone)
Difference = +1.978s

Silverstone (New track)
WSS race lap record: 2m 8.717s (Sofuoglu)
Moto2 race lap record: 2m 9.886s (Luthi)
Difference = +1.169s

Assen (Modified track for 2010)
WSS race lap record: 1m 38.608s (Sofuoglu)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 38.917s (Iannone)
Difference = +0.309s

Catalunya
250cc race lap record: 1m 45.925s (de Angelis, 2007)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 47.543s (Iannone)
Difference = +1.618s

Sachsenring
250cc race lap record: 1m 24.552s (Bautista, 2009)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 25.629s (Iannone)
Difference = +1.077s

Brno
250cc race lap record: 2m 2.299s (Lorenzo, 2007)
Moto2 race lap record: 2m 4.315s (Elias)
Difference = +2.016s

WSS race lap record: 2m 2.708s (Crutchlow, 2009)
Moto2 race lap record: 2m 4.315s (Elias)
Difference = +1.607s

Indianapolis
250cc race lap record: 1m 44.720s (Simoncelli, 2009)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 46.580s (Simon)
Difference = +1.860s

Misano
250cc race lap record: 1m 38.993s (Simoncelli, 2008)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 39.430s (de Angelis)
Difference = +0.437s

WSS race lap record: 1m 38.868s (Crutchlow, 2009)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 39.430s (de Angelis)
Difference = +0.562s

Motegi
250cc race lap record: 1m 51.412s (Bautista, 2008)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 53.653s (Simon)
Difference = +2.241s

Sepang
250cc race lap record: 2m 7.597s (Aoyama, 2009)
Moto2 race lap record: 2m 8.691s (Simon)
Difference = +1.094s

Phillip Island
250cc race lap record: 1m 32.710s (Bautista, 2008)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 34.771s (Iannone)
Difference = +2.061s

Estoril
250cc race lap record: 1m 40.521s (Bautista, 2007)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 45.456s (Redding)*
Difference = +4.935s

* Wet track throughout practice and qualifying.

Valencia
250cc race lap record: 1m 35.659s (Kallio, 2007)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 36.611s (Abraham)
Difference = +0.952s

WSS race lap record: 1m 36.865s (Crutchlow, 2009)
Moto2 race lap record: 1m 36.611s (Abraham)
Difference = -0.254s