During the 2019 presentation of the Ducati MotoGP team in Neuchâtel, Luigi Dall'Igna, General Manager Ducati Corse, spoke about the aerodynamic restrictions that will occur in 2019.
Luigi Dall'Igna : “From an aerodynamic point of view, the 2019 regulations are also more restrictive. Both because it prevents modulating the fairings by removing or adding parts to the fairing, but also because it reduces the total size of the fairing. I therefore expect that the aerodynamic downforce will be lower than on the 2018 bike. However, I hope that after changing the aerodynamic regulations for 2 consecutive years, we have now arrived at a stability of the rules which is the only way to reduce costs in MotoGP.”
Eduardo Lenoci, the head of Ducati's aerodynamic development then took the floor and, as usual, we offer you here a translation of his entire remarks.
Eduardo Lenoci : “When I started working at Ducati almost six years ago, my training and experience was based on F1 and racing cars. You can see for example that there is a lot of money invested in the development of aerodynamics in Formula 1. What we have learned from that world and transferred to my experience here at Ducati is for example an approach different in terms of using specific tools to identify the right tools and use them appropriately.
If you consider the aerodynamics and the dynamics of the vehicle, both together, there is a cooperation of our resources that is very useful for us to understand all the different solutions that we study and test to develop the motorcycle.
You mentioned specific tools. What are they ?
“For example, we introduced the massive use of CFD, which is Computational Fluid Dynamics, that is, the mathematical simulation of what is happening around the motorcycle in terms of aerodynamics. In the past, we developed motorcycles in a wind tunnel, so we used a life-size model, made up of existing components, spare parts from existing motorcycles for example.
When using CFD, there are some advantages. For example, I can tell you that on the one hand the enormous amount of data from simulations helps engineers to understand with in-depth knowledge what is happening on the motorcycle in terms of aerodynamics. Because in the wind tunnel you cannot see the pressure distribution, nor the flows or the stress distribution on the surface of the motorcycle. Whereas you have this with CFD. So when you go to the wind tunnel, you only have to do optimization work, which is as important as developing new concepts. On the other hand, you don't have to wait for existing parts to be fitted to the bike to serve as a model, and so you can start your development earlier than before."
What do you think of your opponents in terms of aerodynamics?
“Well, if you looked at a starting grid at a MotoGP race five years ago, you could see that our competitors' bodies looked very similar. And maybe some of them hadn't been changed in years. Then, in recent years, a lot of aerodynamic details started to be fitted, even to our competitors' bikes, weird appendages and things like that. And even depending on the driver.
So on the one hand, I can tell you that we are happy about it, because we started at the very beginning and maybe we were right to make this investment in money and time.
On the other hand, it’s also motivating for us, because it gives you pressure to push the level of development and new ideas that come a little further.”
What are the challenges ahead, taking into account the regulations?
“As Gigi mentioned before, the regulations have changed over the last couple of years in terms of what was available and possible in terms of new aerodynamics. Of course, as engineers we would have liked these kinds of changes to be aimed at improving performance, but sometimes that's not the case, so it's just about reducing or limiting, for example to reduce the costs, as has happened before.
But my opinion is that there are many areas to explore in terms of aerodynamics and, in any case, our methodology that we are going to use will be the same and will allow us to have the chance to face the new challenges, little it doesn’t matter where they come from.”
The Ducatis exhibited during the 2019 presentation were equipped with the latest appendages seen during winter tests, and Gigi Dall'Igna confirmed that “We will test the new fairing as usual in Qatar, immediately before the opening race of the season”.
