Following the ban on non-fairing fins this year, Ducati tried a sort of F1 front end on its motorcycles during tests in Qatar: the famous Hammerhead!
More this turned out to be too penalizing, mainly in terms of top speed but also handling, and Gigi Dall'Igna preferred to review her copy during this first half-season to present something generally more effective at the next Grand Prix, in Brno.
What will it be about?
Probably something less massive, perhaps like the Yamaha, because if the Italian engineer expects a benefit in stability at high speed (and therefore undoubtedly when entering a corner), for Jorge Lorenzo but also for Andrea Dovizioso, he acknowledges having also worked well with other technical solutions to compensate for the negative effects caused by the wings (loss of maneuverability and physical constraint), whether from last year or from future races...
It was once again Manuel Pecino who questioned the Ducati manager.
It's no secret that after the summer break, Ducati will try again an aerodynamic solution that could give back what you lost with the ban on fins. Will these innovations be the solution for Jorge Lorenzo? In my opinion, this will help in the area where he really suffers the most. Who is … ? Entering or exiting curves?
“In the stability of the motorcycle. Our bike, especially at high speeds, is a bit unstable. And it takes confidence for Jorge to be fast, because it hurts one of his strong points. I think the aerodynamics can help him on this point. Dovi has the same problem, but Dovi has the experience to handle this type of motorcycle and he knows how to make it work. For him, it's more a feature of the bike than a particularly negative point, even it is. So, I think it will be an improvement for him as well. »
Isn't a contradiction to go back to last year's aerodynamics, when Dovizioso has repeatedly said that this year's bike is much more agile and less physically demanding?
“I repeat what I already said: between Aragon and Valencia, last year, Dovizioso was the driver who scored the most points. As always, the carpet is short (editor's note: it's a compromise). With fins you win in some areas and lose in others. I'm convinced, no, it's better to say that I believe that with the new aerodynamics we will have a better compromise than what we have now. I also believe that if we could use last year's wings the bike would be more competitive. In my opinion, working in other areas of the bike reduces the disadvantage produced by the fins. »
Can real aerodynamic effects be reproduced in a wind tunnel?
“This is another point where we have worked more, compared to our rivals. We still don't have all the answers, but we're working hard to understand the specific things about motorcycling, things that were until now completely unknown. »
We remember that the new products made available to Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo in Brno will not be limited to the new fairing...
