The question of fins seems to be at the heart of a storm which is shaking up an MSMA which must decide which current to take. The officials and manufacturers of MotoGP thus gathered whisper that they would like to put an end to these accessories which were initially mocked upon their arrival. But their generality has placed them in the eye of the storm. Feeling the tide turning, the entire Ducati factory is mobilizing to support them.
Gigi Dall'Igna started in Jerez to pose the debate with a flurry of arguments in favor of the fins. The engineer even took the safety issue against the grain by explaining that a motorcycle which keeps its wheel on the ground thanks to good aerodynamic support is less dangerous than a machine struggling with more or less controlled kicks.
The lights of the Spanish Grand Prix extinguished, Ducati does not let go of the pressure and sends its team manager Davide Tardozzi in combat. On GP One, he insists on the red line: “ there is no evidence that the fins are dangerous. We talk about the incident between Márquez and Iannone and the loss of the camera on the Honda. But no one noticed that the wing had come off while Márquez never noticed anything. And what happened could have happened with any other part of the bike ».
He explains : " there are sensitive parts on the motorcycle such as the half handlebars or the toe clips. So why focus on the fins if not because it was our idea in the first place? We are open to their regulation in terms of dimensions and shapes ". And the development budget they require? Here too, a false debate according to Ducati: “ It’s a pointless discussion. We will all and always go through the wind tunnel to study the best shape of the fairing ».
« If we want to talk about safety, we should ask ourselves about motorcycles without rearing fins. We believe that a motorcycle that is stable when accelerating is safer than one that sees its front wheel rise. I don't attend MSMA meetings, but Gigi Dall'Igna and Fabiano Sterlacchini do ». Dani Pedrosa, who was very critical of the fins after his accident with Dovizioso in Austin, does not attend its meetings either…
