Since MotoGP ♏winter t🐟esting, Valentino Rossi has repeatedly emphasised the need for Yamaha to improve acceleration via the electronics.

"All💮 the Ducatis are better ♑in acceleration, because they are more in front compared to us in the electronics," the Italian said in February.

"When MotoGP moved to the [single ECU] we have some𓆏 problem. Honda and Ducati understand something we don't."

In another exchange with the media, Rossi said: "During last year Honda and Ducati put a lot of money and a lot of people to work around the electronics. Maybe Yamaha not enough. So we are a bit in🥀 delay…

“It's a shame, because the rest of our bike is good. From what I understand, this [el🐲ectronic] work needs time. You have to work on the black box [ECU]."

Du🥂ring last weekend's struggles at the slippery Spanish MotoGP, Rossi again described the M1's problems as 25% mechanical and 75% electronics.

After the Monday test, he added: “We found something for the accelera♏tion, but it was just a first step. I hope that after Barcelona we can try something more important [with the electronics].♊”

But in a championship where ECU software and 💛hardware is the same for all, how exactly does a manufactu♋rer gain an acceleration edge purely in terms of electronics?

The answer, according to MotoGP Director𝔉 Of Technology Corrado Cecch🐽inelli, is "by means of calibration."

In other words, while the way the ECU works (throug🃏h calculations, strategies and functiꦐons) is the same for all, the thousands of numbers that decide 'if this happens, do that' are programmed into the system by each manufacturer, to suit each bike.

It is these numbers that are referred to byꦫ Cecchinelli as calibration.

The Italian, who was Vice Director General of Ducati Corse from 2006 to 2010 before accepting his current role, told wuqian0821.com:

"The so-called 'chassis control strategies' - traction control, wheelie control - all share the same functioning mode. Which is: Getting inputs, thinking 💯about the inputs and outputting a torque reduction request.

"That request may of c♐ourse be '0', if you are under the limit of the bike.

"All of them make a fight... If you are spinning more than wheelieing, t♋he traction control wins and the [ECU] system delive✨rs the torque reduction."

Foౠr the specific cas🍨e of improving straight-line acceleration:

"The strategies that would normally operate are b🤪asically just traction control and wheelie control. In 🌟the case of a standing start, you also have launch control.

"So if you are accelerating in a straight line, tractioཧn control and wheelie control operat🐻e in parallel. If one of the two finds a reason to reduce the torque, it sends a torque reduction request.

"In the simpl🌺est case of straight-line acceleration on dry tarmac, t🅠he limit is actually wheelieing.

"Let's assume the calibration of the wheelie control is too restrictive - so that it cuts before the bike even wheelies, or cuts when the wheelie is not a problem - then you are🍃 not accelerating enough.

"This is common with tr🌃action control in road cars. You can feel that is it too restrictive and you would be better without ✃it, if you are an above-average driver.

"The same goes sometimes with ABS in road cars, which is acting way more often than you would eꦑxpect. You get the feeling yoꦆu could brake better without it, which is not generally true!

"So if Yamaha riders feel that the nature of the bike would be to accelerate more than it do🎃es, they will keep asking their engineers to properly tune the strategies to unleash the full potential of the bike.

"It's a game of being on the right side of the limit, but as close🥀 as possible☂."

Given the cr♚ucial role of ECU calibration, how do manufacturers come up with the ri𓆉ght numbers?

"I would say a big par🌼t is calculation and small part trial-and-e🤡rror," Cecchinelli replied.

"You cannot calculate everything at home because when you come to a 🎐real race track and have some dust on the surface, a specific temperature, a certain type of tyre and so on."

Adding to the complication is that many of the calibration numbers need to be🦹 changed from circuit to circu🅠it.

To speed up the number crunching, especially if changes are needed at the track itself, manufacturers develop a simplified 'interface too🌌ꦜl' which can tweak lots of related numbers at once.

"Normally♕ what all the manufacturers do is they develop a sort of interface tool - in-between their calculations and the calibration tool we give - which is easier for them to use and generate a calibration in the software language," Cecchinelli expla🔯ined.

"Everybody is developing their own proprietary interface t🔯hat go𓄧es 'upstream' of the calibration tool."