IN
THE
WIND
P48
MARC GROWS WINGS
M
arc Marquez credited his
new-for-this-year looped
winglets for improving his for-
tunes at the Assen MotoGP, a
track where he has claimed only
one victory and never before
taken a MotoGP pole.
Assen has generally been
thought of as "a Yamaha track,"
but Marquez has had superior
pace over the two days, culmi-
nating in pole.
"One of the most important
differences is the front wings,"
he said. "In the past, we arrived
without them. Now the stability is
much more."
While wings are nominally
banned, "aero bodywork" is
accepted, with many of the
designs little different from the
original winglets, but for be-
ing part of a closed loop. Each
manufacturer is allowed one
update during the season, with
each rider being permitted dif-
ferent bodywork.
Honda exercised the update
right early, testing the current
bodywork—very similar to that
shown by Yamaha from the
first season—at the French GP,
second race of the European
season, where Marquez said,
"We have played our Joker."
Michael Scott
Marc Marquez's team worked hard early to fully exploit
the advantages of the areo package.
KTM BACK ON TRACK
K
TM's return to form in Moto3
is the result of refinements
introduced after the start of the
European season, during which
the Austrian marque has re-
corded two wins and rider Marco
Bezzecchi had consolidated
his points lead. That is, until he
crashed on the final lap at Assen.
This follows a dismal 2017,
with just one win, and
Honda taking the top
seven championship
places.
Small changes have
made an important dif-
ference. At Le Mans,
KTM brought a new airbox with
a larger intake, and new, lon-
ger exhaust. The combination
offered slightly freer and better-
balanced breathing.
The French CIP team's Alain
Bronec, running Scotsman John
McPhee, explained to Dorna,
"The power is a little better, and
more smooth off the bottom,
so you can open the throttle a
little earlier. Then you keep your
speed through the corner, and it
means you are faster at the end
of the straight."
Michael Scott
Despite not being part of
the factory team, Marco
Bezzecchi's KTM has been
absolutely flying this year.
