MotoGP – Honda ready to follow Ducati footsteps and use the tire “spoiler”

Bruno Gomes

March 28, 2019

Sumber gambar: Lalasport

It didn’t take long for another manufacturer to try and use the famous rear tire “spoiler” introduced by Ducati Corse at the Qatar GP, the “spoiler” that made so many headlines and caused such a controversy that it had to be a court to decide if what Ducati was doing is legal or not. Well, after the FIM Court of Appeal decided that the tire “spoiler” is legal, the first manufacturer to follow Ducati footsteps is Honda.

The Japanese factory team is already trying to use a similar tire “spoiler” at this weekend’s Argentina GP, in Termas de Rio Hondo. The Repsol Honda team already presented their “spoiler” to Danny Aldridge, MotoGP technical director, so that this element is approved and homologated for MotoGP race use.

According to Motorsport.com, the “spoiler” developed by Honda Racing Corporation over the last few days is similar to the one used by Ducati, and by trying to copy the Italian team, Honda hopes to get the same results as Ducati did on their Desmosedici GP19: the rear tire temperature at the Qatar GP went down 7ºC, because the “spoiler” directed cold air to the rear tire, and at the same time it didn’t have any aerodynamic effects, according to Ducati, as their rivals suspected, with Ducati Corse showing in court that the “spoiler” only generates around 300 grams of force on the rear section of the bike at speeds of 180 km/h.

Alberto Puig, Repsol Honda team manager, speaking today at Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, spoke about what Honda is doing

“At this moment we don’t know if we have a spoiler like Ducati ready to be used in this race. Honda is a company that is always working to develop and evolve its bikes. Obviously, we are not asleep!”.

Honda is the first manufacturer to also admit the use of the rear tire “spoiler” as Ducati, but others will surely follow. For example, Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing technical director, as already confirmed that the Noale factory was working on a “spoiler” during the winter break, but they stopped the development of this component when the rules were changed to don’t allow the use of components attached to the swingarm that create aerodynamic effects.