Winglets-Strakes to be outlawed in 2017

#22 said:

I noticed on the grid on Sunday that the Ducati has bulbous ends on the fairing to cover more of the handlesbars:

I wonder how long it is until they become more enclosed?

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#22 said:

I noticed on the grid on Sunday that the Ducati has bulbous ends on the fairing to cover more of the handlesbars:

I wonder how long it is until they become more enclosed?

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Marc Marquez has joined Valentino Rossi in voicing his dissaproval of the MotoGP winglets that have become fashionable with all of the class' factory teams in 2016.

The current championship leader by 17 points topped the timesheets at the post-race test in Jerez on Monday, a day during which he sampled HRC's triple wing design, which featured three small strakes on each side of the fairing.

Although the lap time remained largely unchanged with or without winglets, Marquez said he felt more comfortable aboard the bike that did not feature the strakes, and went to add that he hopes to see the feature banned at the close of 2016.

“Some people like the wings, some people no,” began the 23-year old. “For me I think it's much better without the wings. If you start to go a lot with the aerodynamics it will be more difficult to follow the riders. It will be more difficult to overtake, because on acceleration it'll be like Formula 1.

“You lose aerodynamics. You cannot take well the slipstream. For safety reasons [too], we saw already in Argentina, when Iannone touch me. In Austin, the good thing was Dani was without big wings [when he crashed in Dovizioso] but personally I don't like it. We can use them but only to try and improve.”

Would he like to see them banned ahead of 2017, as it has been rumoured?

“For me, yes. It's something I'm using. In some parts it's better. But in the race if we start and don't stop it, maybe it will be more and more and more. I think for overtaking and the racing it will be more difficult. In the end it looks like we will be able to use it this season so we will work to improve it.

“[With the triple wings] I feel not so bad in some areas, acceleration basically. Then in the corner it change the feeling on the bike. I did two runs and I go back to the normal ones. Then I try without wings. Honestly it was better but the lap time was the same. It's still something that we need to work on.”

Speaking of the rest of the test, Marquez explained how he and his Repsol Honda crew had attempted to limit the loss in acceleration that has been a common feature at the beginning of 2016.

“In the end we can say that we tried to improve but the final result was very similar to what we had in the race weekend,” said Marquez, who ended the test day 0.019s ahead of Jorge Lorenzo. “We got a lot of information across the weekend, this is true. We tried some things in the acceleration and it's where we need to work now in Le Mans, because it has a lot of acceleration points.

“We work also on the chassis and to try and get more grip for the accleration, to try to change the balance of the bike to have less wheelie but it's always a compromise. When you win there you lose in the corners. We're trying to find a compromise but we get some positive information that I think will help in Le Mans.

“The thing is that in the corners I feel really good. Especially today, again, in the morning when I start and in the last two hours I felt good. In the afternoon when it was hotter, it looks like I was struggling because the front tyre was on the soft side. The tyre was working well but the compound was too soft.

“I was trying to push too much the front wheel to recover what we lose in acceleration. We're working on this but it's difficult because the engines are closed. We must work in another side. One side is the aerodynamics. It's not easy.”

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Cool Blue said:

It's not quite as bad but it's up there with the six-wheeled Tyrell in f1. Hopefully will go the same way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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yamfan said:

The Japanese manufacturers are going to stitch Ducati up once more.
What no engine measuring any more?

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Arrabbiata1 said:

Ah - the abortive P34 project. This was so ill conceived even my Scalextric version wouldn't corner properly and it was so heavy it used to drop off the banking and jam in the skid chicane.

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#22 said:

Thanks Migs!!! I was trying to look for that and couldnt find it!

Had I found it, I was going to say I wouldnt be surprised if fairings start getting more like that.

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Winglets were one item which got a good run out at the test. Suzuki put a lot of work into testing its winglets, while Honda trialed a new set of bizarre triple decker wings at the front of the fairing. They helped, but Marc Márquez, who had tried them, was not a fan. "For me for the motorbikes is much better without the wings," he told the media. "If they start to go in a lot with the aerodynamics then it will be more difficult to follow the riders. They will be more difficult to overtake because then on the acceleration will be like Formula 1. You lose the aerodynamic and then you cannot take well the slipstream, so will be more difficult." The safety aspect was also a concern, he said.

The winglets are likely to be banned at the end of the year anyway. The MSMA met on Friday to try to come up with a proposal to put to the Grand Prix Commission, but they could not reach an agreement among themselves. During the GPC meeting, Dorna and IRTA told the MSMA that they were to come up with a proposal at Le Mans, and if they did not, then Dorna would unilaterally issue a ruling. That ruling will almost certainly be to ban them from the start of next season.

Though it would remain a shame if one avenue of truly unique and fascinating development were to be closed off, it is probably better for the sport in terms of cost. Ducati are unhappy with the situation, having invested heavily in aerodynamics and gained an advantage in that area. Honda are believed to have made a persuasive case to Ducati, however, by pointing out that Honda have three wind tunnels at their disposal, as well as an army of aerodynamics engineers ready to immerse themselves into the subject. If need be, Honda can spend money like water to win. That is a battle which Ducati cannot afford to get involved in, despite being owned by Audi.

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p4p1 said:

So Michelin not bringing any new tyres until Assen? Does that mean we are going to have a repeat of Jerez every race with tyres spinning on the straights?

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p4p1 said:

So Michelin not bringing any new tyres until Assen? Does that mean we are going to have a repeat of Jerez every race with tyres spinning on the straights?

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Arrabbiata1 said:

At Mugello and Catalunya very possibly. Track temperatures will be far lower at Le Mans which will help in addition to a high probability of a wet race.

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Keshav said:

Oh boy! A wet race! You can be sure all the teams are fervently looking forward to their first time on untested Michelin wets.

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Jumkie said:

Michelin found the winning combination they sought and were hired to do by Dorna. That 10th is going to come. It doesn't mean VR will win every race, but will have a boost in probability, that is the nature of rigging.

People see it play out in front of them, but ask for the official press release, or say, well, it's legal, so as to accept it. No wonder it's so easily done in the public eye. The scrutiny applies only to a miniscule minority, the majority already accepts it anyway.

Keeping Bridgestone was not going to work. Rossi's win total was just too anemic after his Dorna brokered return to Yamaha; if the Japanese continued supplying tires Marquez and Lorenzo would take all remaining championships. They needed a tire close by that could change compounds and construction quickly, as they have proven their capabilities historically and confirmed it recently. The stability of the Japanese Bridgestone system of making tires long before the race was untenable and Dorna knew it was running out of time.

Have you wondered why the switch from Bridgestone to Michelin has been underreported? Absolutely no scrutiny. And why would we expect it, the journalists corps is weak at best.

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