Winter testing has seen a lot of teams following in the tyre tracks of the Ducati team by adding ‘wings’ to the front fairing of their motorcycles.
The Moto GP bikes are highly powerful and under hard acceleration, this may cause the front wheel to lift. The wings are designed to keep the front end down; the air will travel over the wings creating a downforce hence allowing more traction from the front tyre and more efficient accelerating. The front end lifting means a small yet vital amount of time is lost for the rider which can be significant in a race situation; it also means more wear on the rear tyre.
Twitter: RT @MotoGP: Well, well, well… What do we have here?
#WingletWatch #QatarTest https://t.co/1aPaFxozVT (@bespokeBrands)
Ducati launched their new livery recently which included two pairs of wings now painted to match the fairing instead of the carbon look they had last season. Repsol Honda, Movistar Yamaha and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 have been seen sporting the wings in testing; even Moto3 team Mahindra Racing have added some to their bike. There appears to be many variants, the Repsol Honda riders’ wings are much smaller than those of Jorge Lorenzo’s whose seem to have outdone those on the Ducati!
Twitter: #WingletWatch: @DucatiMotor and @YamahaMotoGP sporting a single pair setup on day two of the #QatarTest… https://t.co/95NQmczN8A (@MotoGP)
On the track in a race situation the riders are known for getting extremely close, especially when cornering and overtaking. ‘Rubbing is racing’ and often the riders come into contact with each other. With the size and shape of some of them, it leads you to wonder how the riders will react to feeling one of these wings up their ‘rear end’.
Twitter: Winglets out in force on day one at the #QatarTest… #WingletWatch https://t.co/WpQqepGIc8 (@MotoGP)
How long is it going to be before the officials step in and start to regulate these additions? The size and shape vary depending on the manufacturer; some protrude significantly from the bike. Have officials any safety concerns that these may cause on the track? Are they effective enough to be necessary and if damaged upon contact will they break as a safety feature? If so, what repercussions will there be for the rider who is contacted or the rider whose bike is now damaged?
In Argentina last year Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez came into contact very close to rival Valentino Rossi several times as they battled intensely on track; resulting in Marquez crashing out after touching the rear of Rossi’s bike. If Marquez’s Honda had wings similar to the size of those seen on Lorenzo’s Yamaha in testing, is it worth thinking about the consequences that may have occurred? Do these riders need the added risk of distractions like these when travelling at these speeds?
Only time will tell!
