VOL. 53 ISSUE 16 APRIL 26, 2016 P69
Briefly...
Yamaha's Lin Jarvis pledged con-
tinued equal support for both Rossi
and Lorenzo for the season to come-
--but admitted that things might
change should important develop-
ments come along. "We have always
treated the two riders equally, and all
development parts will be for both
of them. But if, say, at Brno we have
2017 parts or a 2017 prototype, that
would be a different story."
Wings continued to sprout at Jer-
ez, some fully fledged, and others
merely formative. But while there is
still no real consensus among riders
on exactly what effect they have, by
race day, even non-fan Rossi was
using a fairing fitted with the biggest
wings in Yamaha's box, identical to
the drooping moustaches favored
by Lorenzo. The factory Hondas re-
placed their mini-strakes with wings
similar to but smaller than Yamahas.
The pioneering factory Ducatis this
time used the single-plane lower
wings. Now Aprilia joined the club,
with small side wings. And then Su-
zuki, although only briefly in prac-
tice, with a unique tri-plane design
that Aleix Espargaro said gave extra
stability on fast corner exits made it
possible to use less wheelie control,
releasing a little more power.
Michelin will stick for the rest of the
season with the harder-construction
rear tire brought in at the last race
after the problems in Argentina. It
is a safety call, explained tire boss
Nicolas Goubert in response to
the catastrophic delamination that
