2017 will see all MotoGP riders lose their mustaches. So much the better, say some who didn't appreciate the new spiky aesthetics of the motorcycles, too bad say others who saw a new area of technical research to explore, as real prototypes must do.
During the Valencia tests, Honda and Ducati each brought their 2017 model. But if the first had taken care to put all its fins in the trash (so to speak), the second was still equipped with them, as well as during tests in Jerez the following week.
Why try the Desmosedici D17 with its fins when it will lose them in two months?
Gigi Dall'Igna explains it on speedweek: “The winglets were our idea. All the other factories then modified their aerodynamics following us. I'm really proud of it.
During the Valencia Grand Prix, Iannone hit another driver on the straight (editor's note: Yonny Hernandez), and the wings immediately broke. Thus, we have proven once again that winglets are not the least problematic in terms of pilot safety. But then what? The rules are the rules, we can't change them. We will develop the bike in this way because it corresponds to the new regulations. So we need to completely change the aerodynamics of the 2017 Ducati. We haven't finished the wind tunnel testing, so we used winglets a lot at the Valencia test. For us, the most important objective in Valencia was to compare the new 2017 chassis with the 2016 chassis. We wanted to test the new chassis with a configuration that we are familiar with and of which we are convinced, to avoid getting false impressions of the chassis because the winglets would be missing. »
Manufacturers must have their fairing approved before the start of the season, and will subsequently only be entitled to one change during the season. Ducati has not yet done so, unlike Yamaha which will start again next season with a more than well-known silhouette.
We are currently investigating other brands…
Let us remember that, on the one hand, approval ultimately depends on the simple opinion of the MotoGP Technical Director, and that it is linked to the absence of protruding elements generating support as well as to a fairing not exceeding more than 150 mm vertical to the front wheel axle…
...and that KTM will have the right to make as many fairing shapes as they want.
