AERODYNAMICS

Perhaps the most exciting area of MotoGP development at the moment – and one that’s moving incredibly fast. When the bikes are so similar in performance, running on control tyres, the tiniest advantage here can make a big difference. KTM motorsports director Pit Beirer isn’t too pleased about it, mind – he reckons it adds a lot of costs and complexity. “It is no secret that we have been quite critical of this aerodynamic development and ride height devices,” he said at the start of the season. “Our honest opinion is that it is not good for the sport. We feel that the MotoGP bike – the engine, chassis, suspension – is such a piece of art already. Of course, we can add on more highly technical, crazy things, but we must be careful because we increase the costs and it makes the show more difficult. At the end of the day, we need to attract a huge public and they want to see the riders fighting rather than a huge technology fight in the background from the factories. I feel that the bikes are so good now that everything we bring means we brake later, turn faster, but where are you going to make the pass in the future? Turbulence around the aerodynamics and all these things makes it more difficult for the riders.” Hate it or not, the KTM MotoGP team is knee-deep in aero development anyway, bringing in help from the Red Bull Formula One team. “When we saw that we needed to make steps with the aerodynamics and development, [then] when you look over to F1 and see what the boys are doing there in the Red Bull family, then they are setting the benchmark,” said Beirer. “It was refreshing to get these people on board, to look at the motorcycle in a different way, and create some aerodynamic steps we didn’t think of. It was a nice experience over the winter.” KTM’s aero isn’t as extreme as it is on the Ducatis and Aprilias – a good thing on the aesthetic front, we reckon. The RC16’s big cheek-mounted aerofoils are almost subtle compared to the competition – though if they need to get bigger and uglier to win, we’re sure they will.