Jorge Lorenzo’s M1 got wings at Misano. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
MISANO, ITALY, SEPT. 11—The talk of the paddock today at Misano revolved around winglets—specifically Jorge Lorenzo’s use of them on his Movistar Yamaha. Winglets, and whether they work, have been a topic of discussion since the Factory Ducati squad added earlier this season and kept them.
Lorenzo pointed out that it’s not the first time Yamaha has used them.
“The idea have more than 15 years because Yamaha used it in ‘99 with Checa and Biaggi, but they didn’t keep using it in the next years and after some years we put it on again,” Lorenzo explained. “Ducati started to use it this year again, so they started it and we make more or less the same to see what happens.”
The ones on Lorenzo’s Yamaha are farther forward, located on the front fairing rather than the lower ones on the Ducatis’ side fairings. Yamaha tested them at Aragon and Lorenzo wanted to try them at first opportunity to see if they work (teammate Valentino Rossi opted not to). So did it make a difference?
“We’re not sure,” he said. “We have to still see the telemetry… It’s not a big difference because if it was we would notice so much from the first lap. But if it can give you a very small advantage, it’s better.”
Also the topic of discussion was Lorenzo’s helmet woes. The Spaniard has had recurrent issues with his HJC—the helmet liner that came down at Qatar and most recently his fogging issue in the rain at Silverstone; both of which cost him a podium. So what is Lorenzo to do? Locked in a tight battle with teammate Rossi, he can’t really afford to have any more issues.
“I have to say I’m very happy with the company, because it’s a big brand,” he said. “I have a good relationship with George and the guys at HJC. But it is true in the past we’ve had some problems.”
Lorenzo wanted to point, that to be fair, he opted out of using the mask–a typical solution to try and limit fogging in a helmet.
“It is also true that we decided not to use the mask, so we don’t know what would happen with this mask, if we’d have the same problems or not. But is true that in two or three races that we have this kind of problems [misting]. And the brand I think is working on it to solve in the future. For the moment I have a contract with them ‘til the end of the year and I want to complete it. Next year we will see what we are going to do.”
