Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/487891
IN THE WIND P38 THE DUCATIS GET WINGS I f winglets had ugly little heads, they would have reared them again at Losail, with both factory Ducati riders favoring the stubby little aerodynamic aids on their fairing sides that appeared for the first time at the final round of tests. Andrea Iannone said the big difference was in improving stability in fast corners, while he and teammate Andrea Dovisioso both also claimed they reduced any tendency to wheelie. Clearly something was work- ing for Ducati, but many ques- tioned the value of the winglets, which are a few centimeters wide with big end-plates, and some veterans criticized them as dangerous. One was designer and aero- dynamicist John Mockett. "We played with these with Yamaha back in the 1980s at MIRA [British motor industry test facility] and on the road," said Mockett. "I think they are dangerous, due to the instability of the two-wheeler as opposed to the stable race-car set-up. High angles of pitch, yaw, asym- metric flow and more can cause unpredictable forces." Nonetheless Yamaha essayed their own short-lived GP winglet experiments in the 1990s; while a couple of years ago somewhat different add-ons appeared on the Ducatis. These however had more to do with directing cooling airflow. One question concerns what happens when the bike does wheelie. With sufficient angle of incidence, the wings could surely induce lift rather than downforce, making the wheelie worse. Not so, said Dovizioso: "The bike never would get into such a position." Ducati team chief Paolo Ciabatti agreed. "The design is in such a way that this would not happen." For Mockett: "My feelings about the wheelie thing are that everything is okay in controlled situations, but things are not always that way. You could also say that the additional drag will slow the bike down. The whole point is a sort of sexy F1 look." Michael Scott PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE The Desmosedici GP15's got winglets in Qatar—do they work? SX SEASON OVER FOR CANARD T eam Honda HRC's Trey Canard underwent surgery to repair the broken arm that he suffered at the Detroit Supercross on March 21. During the operation, doctors applied a carbon fiber plate, replac- ing another plate that had been applied in November 2013, following a different arm injury. In addition, doctors inserted eight screws and performed a bone graft to ensure optimal healing. With an estimated recovery time of six to eight weeks, the Oklahoman will immediately begin rehabilitation in preparation for the AMA Pro Motocross Champi- onship, which begins May 16. The team says it has, as of now, no plans bringing in a fill-in rider while he recuperates. "The surgery went really well, and we're hoping for the best in terms of recovery time," Canard said. "The doctors said it will likely be six to eight weeks, but we'll have a better idea after seeing the x-rays. I start physical therapy tomorrow and am going to do everything I can to get back to action as soon as possible. I'd really like to thank everyone for their love and support." Trey Canard hopes to return for the outdoor National MX series.