Photo: Ducati
There is still a good degree of mystery surrounding the winglets in MotoGP, the full list of purposes and the effects they generated, as well as the real reasons they were banned for. The latest story also arrives from the Ducati garage and indicates that Borgo Panigale had plans for even more winglets.
Winglets made their way into the premier class at the end of the 2015 season, in a way, as a consequence of the "what is not forbidden is permitted" principle. With no FIM regulations stating that a team can't use aerodynamic winglets on its motorcycles, Ducati saw it fit to devise some and install them on their bikes' fairings.
Around half a year later, winglets could be seen almost anywhere in MotoGP, with Yamaha and even Honda using them and struggling for more grip and better stability.
Ducati was, undeniably, the master of this game and this didn't exactly attract sympathy from the other teams. Even more, Ducati was already fiddling with the spec ECU software for quite some time, having grown to understand the biggest differences from the factory-tailored one and its limitations.
While Honda championed against the spec software, other factories were already testing the capabilities of the upcoming technology, trying to squeeze as much as possible from it. A lesser software lacking the extensive options of the factory version, the spec one needed help, and Ducati found that the aerodynamic winglets were just the right add-on.
Now, insella says that Ducati had even greater plans for more winglets with a higher functional complexity. Reportedly, Ducati was working on a new design that would have provided the Desmosedici GP bikes with better stability through the turns, as well. Ducati was seeking for ways to create more downforce when the bike was banking, thus increasing the tires' contact patch with the track and providing better grip.
These winglets, in all their shapes and forms, are now banned and this marks the end of the story for Ducati, probably the one team to miss them the most. On the other hand, we can expect that Borgo Panigale and Gigi Dall'Igna focus their talent and resources in finding other directions for development and we'd not be surprised to see Ducati revamping the fairings of the Desmosedici GP once more.
Team Manager Davide Tardozzi already warned the FIM, Dorna, and IRTA to choose their words wisely when putting together the final shape of the rulebook for 2017, as Ducati will continue to search and use the possible loopholes.
Around half a year later, winglets could be seen almost anywhere in MotoGP, with Yamaha and even Honda using them and struggling for more grip and better stability.
Ducati was, undeniably, the master of this game and this didn't exactly attract sympathy from the other teams. Even more, Ducati was already fiddling with the spec ECU software for quite some time, having grown to understand the biggest differences from the factory-tailored one and its limitations.
While Honda championed against the spec software, other factories were already testing the capabilities of the upcoming technology, trying to squeeze as much as possible from it. A lesser software lacking the extensive options of the factory version, the spec one needed help, and Ducati found that the aerodynamic winglets were just the right add-on.
Now, insella says that Ducati had even greater plans for more winglets with a higher functional complexity. Reportedly, Ducati was working on a new design that would have provided the Desmosedici GP bikes with better stability through the turns, as well. Ducati was seeking for ways to create more downforce when the bike was banking, thus increasing the tires' contact patch with the track and providing better grip.
These winglets, in all their shapes and forms, are now banned and this marks the end of the story for Ducati, probably the one team to miss them the most. On the other hand, we can expect that Borgo Panigale and Gigi Dall'Igna focus their talent and resources in finding other directions for development and we'd not be surprised to see Ducati revamping the fairings of the Desmosedici GP once more.
Team Manager Davide Tardozzi already warned the FIM, Dorna, and IRTA to choose their words wisely when putting together the final shape of the rulebook for 2017, as Ducati will continue to search and use the possible loopholes.
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