Agreed !!
to a more modest degree 'to slide (drift) or not to' was the question even 40 years ago, Sheene was not enthustiastic
and Surtees mentioned this in the 50s, likewise the Brands Hatch scratchers 50 years ago
IMO physics suggests ......
the higher the power: weight ratio the more beneficial is a late-apex line that sacrifices apex speed for earlier/better exit
(the reason Moto GP lines/technique are different to the '250 line')
earlier/better exit is related to slide/drift
and the wider the rear tyre the more useful/easier is the slide/drift
because different parts of the contact patch have different velocities according to their radial distance from the axle
in cornering the centre of the contact patch will be rolling steadily matched to the passing track surface
but away from this there will be a mismatch of rolling velocities, some rubber being scrubbed one way, some the other way
so if the rider throttles towards wheelspin the total amount of rubber in matched contact doesn't sharply reduce
ie with the wide Moto GP tyre it's much easier/safer to slide/drift than with a narrower tyre (and to trail brake)
(velocity mismatch with wide tyres is literally a (mechanical) drag that would harm the performance of a lower-powered machine)
physics also suggests some things about rider weight and size (ie Pedrosa relative to the average)
he cannot get the same combined lean angle, or the same benefit in front:rear weight distribution
he may benefit from needing less cornering or braking force, or even suffer (eg in the wet) from having less
he can get better acceleration or need to use less of the limited fuel to get equal acceleration
so are some tracks favouable to Pedrosa ? (or unfavourable ?)
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