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/677616
VOL. 53 ISSUE 18 MAY 10, 2016 P137 2010, when the Desmosedicis ridden by Stoner and Hayden sprouted elemental stubs on the front of the fairing flanks. The latest product of some years of work with F1 aerodynamicist Alan Jenkins. There was much discussion about their effect which, given their small size, must have been minimal. Some suggested that the real function was to improve airflow through the adjacent radiator exit vents. The riders remained vague. It was last year, in new en- gineer Gigi Dall'Igna's second season, that Ducati's winglets really started to grow, moving around to the currently popular "moustache" position, as well as to the sides of the fairing lowers. They grew end-plates—"fences," in aero-speak. Sometimes they were two-tier. And still the riders remained vague. By the end of last season, Yamaha led the copycat surge. Lorenzo, ever the fashionista, rather liked them. This year, he has gone to even bigger ver- sions, turning the moustache into a pair of droopy tea-trays (at least he'll have somewhere to put his trophies). Valentino, ever the fashion leader, took the opposite view. While he could feel some dif- ference, it was not necessarily beneficial. And the worst thing: "They are ugly." But by Jerez even he had suc- cumbed. Was it a coincidence that he qualified on pole for the first time since last June, and went on to claim a Lorenzo-style pole-to-checkers victory? By the next day's test ses- sions, there wasn't a bike to be seen without the option of winglets. Including the bottom- of-the-class new Aprilias. Honda had moved from ves- tigial nose-strakes (at a surpris- ingly steep angle) via larger moustaches on race day to the side-flank triplane mentioned earlier. By now the riders were less vague. The wings did generate perceptible downforce, and the main benefit was in wheelie con- trol, especially on corner exit. To stay within the "widest part of the bike" regulations, even the big- gest wings are relatively small, so any downforce is likewise not very large: technical sage Kevin Cameron estimates it only a few kilograms at lower speeds, rising to just over 20 when absolutely flat out at more than 200 mph. It's not much, but it is appre- ciable. And when the margins are small, every little helps. Besides. It's the fashion. Get air or be square. But there is a dark side. The S-word. It stands for "danger." In two ways. Safety is said to be compro- mised for riders following behind a bewinged behemoth. The buffeting (probably from wingtip vortices) is severe, according to some. Especially lightweight Pedrosa, who nearly got blown off all too literally by one of the Dukes at Phillip Island's very fast straight. Nonsense, says Dovizioso. He's been behind teammate Iannone often enough to be sure—it's being alongside him that's risky. He echoes the view that the moaners are just jealous of the Ducatis' big top-speed advantage. Then there's the fear that in an awkward contact a wing might act like a bacon slicer to other riders or even its own rider. It's not so much that it is going to chop anyone's leg off, but cer- tainly able to inflict injury. (Easily solved: fit them with air-bags like those in the riders' leathers.) Finally, there's the expense. Wind-tunnel development is notoriously time-consuming and costly. And also sometimes rather vague. For these reasons it seems certain that winglets will be severely clipped by regulation, if not completely banned (as in Motos 2 and 3). For other reasons, this is un- likely to happen until the end of this year. Mainly because there are eight Ducatis of various vin- tages on the grid, and they will kick up a hell of a fuss. CN