Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso has dismissed claims that the new transmission in the RC212V MotoGP contender has made the manufacturer unbeatable in 2011.

Like his teammates, Dovizioso has benefited from upgrades to the Honda RC212V, which has dominated the podium this season.

The most newsworthy enhancement is the seamless gearbox, which shifts so smoothly and so quickly that it doesn’t unsettle the rear tyre. However, the Italian says the advantage isn’t as large as the media believes.

“Two things. One is the acceleration,” Dovizioso said of the advantage. “You have faster shifting so it makes a really, really small difference in speed, but more in acceleration.

“But most important for the feeling of the rider is that when you’re shifting on the dry, when you need to shift leaned over, the shifting is softer, faster and smoother.

“This makes a small difference, because there is electronic shifting and the ignition cuts out for a very small time. This time that the engine cuts out is smaller with the new transmission.

“The main problem in the past was when you were spinning and you needed to shift. This transmission makes it better. It’s good. In some tracks, in some corners, it makes a big difference.

“For example in Valencia in the last corner you need to shift twice and there you can decide the line and slide a bit easier.

“Much of the media spoke about the transmission too much, I think. I can say two things about that – when I tried that transmission it is something special for the rider, because you never try something big, a big mechanical difference.

“Because you never try something big, when you feel this you can say, ‘Wow, it’s so good.’ And this is a really good point and Honda did a really good job with it, but it didn’t make a big difference in lap time.

“I mean, very small. I don’t believe it makes three, four-tenths a lap. It’s not like this. But on the bike everything is important. So if you can improve three or four-tenths with all the improvements, it’s really important.”

Dovizioso also revealed that he’d like to see the use of electronics scaled back in GP racing.

“What I would like to change is the electronics system,” he added. “It’s something very important for the safety, something very important for the street bike, so this is really good.

“But to have fun riding the bike on the track and to have a battle on the race track, you need to cut the electronic system. Not everything, but more than 50 percent, because the bike without the electronics system is uncontrollable.

“I would like to see happen, but I’m 99 percent sure it will not happen, but for a good reason.”