Aprilia is now MotoGP’s reference in terms of aerodynamics. Having introduced winglets under the rider’s legs midway through last year—an innovation since adopted by Honda and KTM—its “F-Duct” fairing was the talk of the paddock at round one in Thailand. Its riders can now change the airflow through its fairing by placing their forearms over a duct just below the resting position when fully tucked in.
“We pushed quite hard on the aero side,” said Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing. “We think it’s always a bit of here and there. Small details always make the difference. You can see the shape of the bike is quite different to last year. What I like the most is that even if the new aero package is difficult to digest for the riders, every time we introduce something on that side, it works. It means our models are working well. Every year we become a better factory—if that’s the case, you’ll have better performance.
“Since the middle of last year, the bike is adapting more easily to the tracks with the Aprilia’s DNA of being especially fast in quick corners,” explained a jubilant Rivola.CN
