Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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VOLUME 59 ISSUE 23 JUNE 7, 2022 P149 Control tires offer very limited choices and dictate similar race tactics. But there are other dynamic issues. One concerns aerodynamics, the biggest development of the past five years or so. These too are governed by strict regula- tions and frozen development, but that is by the way. The effect on overtaking is inherited from F1 cars: the more effective the wings the more turbulent the air they leave behind. "Dirty air," they call it. As a result, the aerodynamics of the bike behind are less effec- tive; the downforce suffers, and advantages in controlling wheel- ies and keeping the front planted are reduced. He has less of a motorbike than the guy up front. Drafting is also more difficult. In the past a rider could slip- stream up close to gain extra speed, then duck out of the draft to overtake. Not anymore. With these wings, he is buffeted about uncomfortably, even dan- gerously. The second is even more specific and concerns front tire pressure. Following closely means your front wheel is not in a clean stream of cooling air. The tire heats up and the pressure rises. This changes it from the ideal profile, robbing grip and predict- ability. Once again, the guy you are trying to overtake has all the advantages, while you have to drop back to try and cool the tire again. Fabio Quartararo is a particu- lar victim, as the only Yamaha rider up at the sharp end. The M1 relies on corner speed to compensate for relatively poor acceleration, so when his front grip goes AWOL, he is doubly disadvantaged. This means a big poser for rid- ers and crew chiefs. If you can lead away, then you need the tire pressure on the high side to be able to stay up front. But stuck behind, your high pressure will betray you, by getting higher still. But if you choose a lower pressure then lead away, you are in danger of breaking the rules. This is exactly what happened to Pecco Bagnaia at Jerez, the epitome of a processional race with minimal overtaking. Although qualified on pole, he gambled by starting the race with the front below the speci- fied minimum 1.9 bar (1.7 for rears). In fact, he did beat Quartararo into the first corner and led from there to the end. As a result, his tire pressure never did rise to above the minimum, and he was in breach of the rules. Accusa- tions of cheating followed, but it was something of a technicality. There is a gentleman's agree- ment that this particular rule is not enforced. Bagnaia loudly declaimed that if he had been cheating, then every other rider had been guilty of it at some time or another: MotoGP tech director Danny Al- dridge blamed different pressure measuring devices, and decreed standardized equipment from next year. And other riders and teams, understanding the is- sue, largely kept schtum, while entreating Michelin to come up with a tire with more tolerance. In the meantime, is the matter of overtaking difficulty over-rated? Not every rider suffers. An ad hoc survey of the cham- pionship top 15 totals places gained/lost from grid-position to flag: Brad Binder, Sunday rider supreme, leads the way with 35 places gained. Maverick Vinales, notoriously a poor qualifier but strong racer, is close behind; Miguel Oliveira—race winner in Indonesia—has 32. By contrast, Quartararo languishes on six, Jack Miller sits on zero. Perhaps Binder and co. haven't been listening. CN In the past a rider could slipstream up close to gain extra speed, then duck out of the draft to overtake. Not anymore.