editor
Aerodynamics has gained decisive relevance in MotoGP in recent years, to the point that certain elements and wings are now indispensable for the operation of motorcycles – since development takes the impact of aerodynamic parts very much into account.
Manuel Pecino interviewed Aleix Espargaro on his YouTube PecinoGP and asked if he would like to try the new Aprilia RS-GP without the wings in Portimao. In response, the rider explained that, without these elements, the bike wouldn’t, plain and simple, work:
– If it were to stay like this, yes; if not, no, because I already know for sure that it doesn’t work either way. Bikes have evolved a lot. After the aerodynamic load, the electronics, the power, the chassis, the weight distribution – everything evolved based on the wings, so it certainly wouldn’t work. But if I were to do without them – I actually spoke to Marc [Marquez] about it and when I saw the image he posted on Instagram of the bike without wings, it looked super beautiful.
Espargaro then reiterated the impossibility of riding the bikes ideally without aerodynamics: ‘It’s impossible, that is: when we assembled them, the bikes improved a lot – a lot of stability, you could take advantage of the engine’s torque much more. With eight or ten years of experience, everything that evolved in the bikes was with the aerodynamic load; it would be impossible’.