In technical jargon it is said that the science of aerodynamics helps to “cut through the air”, in other words to offer as little resistance as possible.
Of course, the wind tunnel is also useful to find Downforceto anchor the bikes and cars to the ground and avoid the opposite effect as much as possible, elevatorthat instead tends to straighten them up. That’s what wings are for.
Further elements of this science, which is also becoming increasingly important in motorcycle racing, can be found in this article: Technology and aerodynamics: the principles that influence performance and dynamics.
However, this premise only serves to showcase the latest devil egg that KTM has brought to the track Iker Lecuona at the last test in Barcelona.
As you can clearly see Two elements that characterize the aerodynamics of the KTM are the small winglets at the rear and the countless holes at the front, exactly where the motorcycle cuts through the air.
Fairings with holes are nothing new in motorcycle racing: They have been used for decades on particularly windy routes such as Phillip Island. The goal is simple: to offer less surface to the wind and to prevent gusts from taking the bike too far from the trajectory specified by the driver.
In the case of the KTM, on the other hand, that is ‘Swiss cheese’ The purpose of the cladding could instead be to create microturbulence in the front area and thus improve the air flow in the next area. By creating a cleaner airflow for the fins to function optimally, the purpose of which is to create buoyancy in the central area of the bike, possibly to improve stability or mechanical grip.
Photo: MotoGP.com