We thought the matter was settled at the end of a meeting of the manufacturers' association present in the Grand Prix. But apparently that's not the case. The case of wings in MotoGP is still an open wound and it is not from Ducati, a pioneer in the matter that the wind of anger comes. But it is the Aprilia compatriot who presses where it hurts.
Wings will indeed be banned from the Grand Prix scene at the end of this season. These appendages were brought by Ducati which was first mocked before being observed then imitated. A flowering of accessories on the fairings which has sparked criticism. What about safety in the event of an accident, the bodily integrity of the drivers in the event of a collision, the stability of the machines in the event of being sucked into a straight line? Everything happened there, and the fins were loaded with all the evils. Dani Pedrosa took care of their case by calling them knife blades. Honda was against it. And the feeling that it was necessary to move in the direction of a leading world manufacturer orchestrating a cabal in the shadows emerged.
Still, if Honda's goal was to discredit the fins, it was achieved. But for all that, we continue to talk about it. Ducati could have raised its voice. But the question comes from Aprilia. A manufacturer who was among the last to adopt them. In this sense, he cannot be suspected of only defending his interests. But to objectively ask the question about their usefulness and their contribution. Because the fins stabilize the motorcycle. A gain in security: “we are opposed to this ban” insisted on crash.net the sports boss in Noale, Roman Albesian, which also succeeded Gigi Dall'Igna who now works at Ducati. “ We voted against. We tried to find a compromise to agree between the Japanese manufacturers and Ducati. By offering fins in the shape of an arrow towards the fairing and not at right angles. In fact, this new shape protected the pilot in the event of a collision while continuing to act as aerodynamic support. ».
An idea that was not retained: “ we tried to bring a little common sense to this question because if motorcycle racing costs money, it also serves to develop motorcycling as a whole. And the fins can improve safety, including eventually in large series. ". And the same Albesian specifies that if a production motorcycle came out with fins, it would have the right to be used in Superbike. With the risk of giving the image of a WSBK more open to progress with motorcycles from the series than a MotoGP supposed to present prototypes...
« Banning fins is not a safety issue. I don't believe the pilots' arguments about the disturbances generated in a straight line. And then the support thus lost will have to be found differently, which will cost more money in research and development. ". Close the ban! Romano Albesiano will thus have had the merit of undermining the single thought. It will be recalled that an RS-GP appeared in testing in the shape of a hammerhead shark. We will also note that Aprilia is struggling to achieve success in MotoGP but is still thinking about a satellite team. Meanwhile, the Noale firm which has officially won world titles in Superbike is thinking of supporting a second team in this category which it had said it would have to abandon. So that Sylvain Guintoli, World Champion with the Piaggio group brand would be on the comeback. In 2017, Aprilia MotoGP riders will be Aleix Espargaró et Sam Lowes.
