Two years into the aero era, and MotoGP appears to be ready to come to its senses.
KTM has come to the MSMA, the organization that represented GP manufacturers, with an engineering report that contains about the least surprising conclusion in racing history. The report says that the aerodynamic structures, or wings, that have sprouted on MotoGP bikes in the past two seasons represent a vast waste of money spent on developing products that have no relevance for street-going motorcycles.
Credible? You bet. KTM is allied with Red Bull, which spends obscene amounts of money on aero research in Formula One car racing. Red Bull knows how much money is burned at the altar of the wind tunnel and computer aero modeling. Proof? This season, Formula One has mandated the Halo, a structure around the cockpit to protect the driver's head from injury or debris. Every front-running team has stuck a wing on their Halo. How much time in the wind tunnel did that cost?
You've read here before about how I predicted that the aero arms race for bikes was a waste of money. I'll repeat the most important point: Terrified that the series was going to turn into a runaway for Marquez, series organizers were happy to let Ducati keep its aero advantage, because it looked like that might be the only way to hold Honda at bay. It worked for a bit last season. It ain't working anymore.
I'll leave it at this: I'd rather have a bike with a torque-ductor than wings any day.
