That’s why everyone’s at it, because ultimately racing is about grip: the more grip you have the faster you can turn the bike in the corner, and the faster you do that the sooner you can lift the bike onto the fatter part of the rear tyre and use a big handful of throttle to rocket down the next straight.
Ducati and Aprilia currently lead the aero race, because they’ve hired F1 aerodynamicists, mostly from Ferrari, which knows much more about aero than anyone in MotoGP, even though it needs to apply its knowhow very differently to the dynamics of motorcycles.
Red Bull-backed KTM, which has always wanted downforce aerodynamics banned from MotoGP, has now accepted it’s got to get involved, so it’s using aerodynamicists from Red Bull F1’s team to catch up.
Honda and Yamaha didn’t want the aero war to get serious, either but they too have accepted that this is the way MotoGP is going, so they must also react accordingly.
Honda has car aero experience, from Formula 1 and GT car racing, so it’s using its own aerodynamicists to work on the RC213V.
Which leaves Yamaha, the only MotoGP brand without deep racing aero knowhow. Some factory team staff tell me they’re trying to convince Yamaha to hire F1 aero people, but so far, no luck.
Sepang’s year-opening three-day test had all five factories experimenting with new downforce aero and much more besides…
Aprilia RS-GP
Last year Aprilia came closest to matching Ducati with its similar 90-degree V4 RS-GP and at Sepang had more updates aimed at closing the gap.
Aerodynamically, the 2023 RS-GP features a revised downforce fairing to improve ground effect and therefore grip. Aprilia also tested front-wheel ground-effect fitments, which are small but very close to the tyre contact patch, so they may offer a useful improvement.
Also new are exit ducts either side of the screen, which take flow from the air intake and fire it over the rider’s shoulders to smooth airflow, thereby reducing turbulence and drag.
Aleix Espargaró says the 2023 RS-GP is more stable, turns better and has a bit more power, but Aprilia has a more powerful engine on the bench in Noale, which will most likely be homologated for the season. This could be significant because both Espargaró’s and team-mate Maverick Viñales’ bikes were equal-fastest with Pecco Bagnaia’s Ducati at Sepang, at 209.7mph.
Miguel Oliveira’s arrival in the independent RNF Aprilia team could be great for Aprilia. He is a fast and cerebral rider who may prove to be very useful, because Viñales, who was as fast as ever at Sepang, tends to perform differently depending which side of the bed he gets out of in the morning.
Ducati Desmosedici
Ducati appears to have maintained its advantage in pretty much every area – there were no less than seven Desmosedici riders in the top nine at Sepang.
The factory tried two aero directions: a revised version of its diffuser fairing and another version of the Aprilia-inspired ground-effect fairing it used at November’s Valencia tests. This is significant, for no other reason that this is the first time Ducati has copied a rival on aero design.
At Sepang the Aprilia-style fairing made the Desmosedici more stable on the brakes but the revised diffuser fairing was better in the corners, so both factory riders Pecco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini will most likely continue in this direction.
Bagnaia reported a slight increase in top speed but Ducati is working a lot on initial throttle response because the 2023 engine is a bit aggressive at the first touch of the throttle, which is hugely important to corner-exit speed. He also described a big step in electronics, although the bike’s handling is a bit more nervous.
Overall Bagnaia said the Desmosedici is in much better shape than this time last year, which didn’t stop him winning the 2022 title…
Luca Marini, who ended the test on top, riding a 2022 bike, said his machine has no negative points and the test went so well that he was able to do a sprint race simulation, during which he was “overtaking ghost riders”. That’s a rider in good shape…
Honda RC213V
Honda has a lot of work to do following three grim seasons, characterised mostly by Marc Márquez’s absence through injury and operations.
Márquez’s feelings were mixed at the end of the three days. He was delighted with his physical fitness – better than at any time since his career-changing accident in 2020 – but not so much with his machinery. He ended the three days tenths fastest, 0.777 second behind Marini and just behind younger brother Alex (Gresini Ducati), which must’ve made the journey home interesting…
After a total redesign of the RC213V for 2022 and so little testing time to get the bike right, Honda decided evolution not revolution is the way to go now for 2023. Márquez started the Sepang test with four bikes – one 2022 machine for comparison and three different 2023 prototypes, with different frames and aero. By Sunday he had whittled that down to one bike, suggesting that at least he’s found a direction.
An Aprilia-style aero fairing appeared and then disappeared, Márquez preferring the diffuser fairing he had used since the final races of 2022.