A long time ago (on the scale of modern times), when a careful reading of the rules led us to conclude and announce that the manufacturers would undoubtedly launch into the manufacture of double-skin fairings, we had carried out a photomontage on a Ducati base which we found particularly hideous.
Today, observing the fairing seen from the front unveiled by Suzuki, we are no longer so sure... But it doesn't matter, since only the effectiveness of this element counts, namely its propensity to press on the front wheel.
From the first feedback we have from Sepang and Australia, it seems that Yamaha's double-skin fairings have been able to recover at least 50% of the downforce lost with the disappearance of the external fins.
What about Suzuki and Aprilia who unveiled their version this morning?
It is still much too early to say, especially since MotoGP Technical Director Danny Aldridge was clear in his interview: if the Yamaha fairing has passed the approval barrier, nothing today allows us to say the same for Suzuki and Aprilia.
Indeed, to this day, motorcycles are still allowed to ride with fins or any other aerodynamic solution, and only a safety reason could lead the technical director to prevent them from taking to the track.
Clearly, we can currently ride with fairings which will later be refused by Danny Aldridge, the homologation deadline being set at 17 p.m. on the Thursday of the Grand Prix in Qatar.
In the meantime, we can note that, rather than the elegant sides of the Yamaha, Aprilia and Suzuki have chosen to focus their efforts on the fork crowns, a place a priori more efficient (because further from the rear wheel axis) to failure to be aesthetic.
Photo credits: Steve English, Michelle Turco, Suzuki et Peter McLaren
