Winging it: How Aprilia's aerodynamic clothing could be the next big thing in MotoGP

[MCN]

There’s an ongoing battle for aerodynamic supremacy in MotoGP that’s resulted in a crop of machines which cut through the air like never before to produce valuable downforce. But there’s a large...

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[Bosco15]

There’s an ongoing battle for aerodynamic supremacy in MotoGP that’s resulted in a crop of machines which cut through the air like never before to produce valuable downforce. But there’s a large...

Continue reading...

I always get mixed feelings when advances in technology and engineering are brought to the table of motorbike racing.
On one hand it's great to see development that allows racers to have an edge, go faster, be safer, win more races, but on the other i feel that, increasingly, the riders talent is becoming less of a factor in the win.

500cc two strokes, with no rider aids, really seperated the wheat from the chaf. You had to be the best of the best to ride on the edge and survive.
Then came along technology, with anti wheelie, traction control, abs, on the fly engine management, etc.
The crashes, diminished, but the sport became a little more soulless.
The bikes now go faster, but it's less exciting.
The rider is becoming more of a jockey, just along for the ride.
I remember being shocked, whilst trackside at Phillip Island MotoGP. The bikes at full lean, traversing the Southern Loop, engines popping and farting, sounding like they were miss firing. I learned that it was lean angle sensors, traction control and engine management, all working together to give the rider just the right amount of power, at that particular moment, so as to maximise forward momentum without crashing. Just hold it pinned and the computer does the rest.
I can envision an active suit, in the future, Iron man esqu, not only controlling aero surfaces, but optimising rider position and movements.