Jorge Lorenzo Debuts New Aerodynamic Fairing for Ducati Desmosedici
After new MotoGP regulations put a stop to the “winglets” seen on several racebikes last season, manufacturers have been trying new strategies to add aerodynamic features that comply with the new rules. The latest development, debuted today by Jorge Lorenzo during free practice for this weekend’s Brno round, is a new fairing design that looks somewhat like Sally Field’s costume from The Flying Nun.
The new design has a pair of aerodynamic elements extending from either side of the central air intake and curving downwards and back toward the narrower main part of the bodywork. It’s not clear if the new design will pass inspection, but Ducati may be hoping the fact the extensions connect back with the body is enough.
The design is similar to one Ducati tested at Losail over the winter, pictured below. That design had the openings higher in the front fairing. Both designs were intended to provide more downforce but sacrificed overall top speed.
Lorenzo finished 15th overall today in Free Practice 1 using the new fairing. Lorenzo says he did lose a bit of top speed but sees some roof for improvement.
“In the afternoon we tried the new fairing and even though my final classification today was not what we hoped for, I’m really satisfied,” says Lorenzo. “They’ve done a great job in Ducati Corse! In the end I didn’t use the new tire, which would have allowed me to improve my time, but the most important thing was to understand the behavior of the bike in this new configuration. We probably lose a bit in top speed, but by working well on the setting I’m sure that the new fairing has a lot of potential.”
The new aerodynamic fairing in slow motion! ✊? #DucatiTeam #ForzaDucati #CzechGP #MotoGP @MotoGP @lorenzo99 pic.twitter.com/hIbJWKW1Va
— Ducati Motor (@DucatiMotor) August 4, 2017
We’ll see if Lorenzo continues to use the new fairing design through the weekend.
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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Why is the Brno preview off the main page? Can't find it. There is a bunch of fluff in the way. I have a thought on how this page could work if anyone is interested. I have to say it is not as seamless as it could/should be. (Not the content, but the user experience.)
Ask NASCAR and build them all the same! Like yesterdays post said, tubular handlebars and no fairings. Maybe they should lift the ban on dustbins.