How It Changed the Way a Lap Is Ridden
Once the wheelie and braking limits moved, the shape of a fast lap changed. Riders could carry speed deeper into a corner, brake later, and get on the power earlier on the way out, which compresses the slow phase of the corner and puts more of the lap into the transitions. That in turn placed new demands on the front tyre, because the extra load that makes late braking possible has to be absorbed somewhere, and it made corner entry a more precise and less forgiving part of the lap.
It also shifted where a rider's skill shows up. When machines are limited by wheelie on exit, throttle control is the differentiator. When they are limited by how much the front will take on entry, feel for the front tyre is. That is a genuine change in what the sport asks of its best riders rather than a change in lap time alone.
