Aprilia: The rules are vague and the control over them is ridiculous

Aprilia Racing director Massimo Rivola said without a hair on his tongue that the process by which FIM decides on the legality of aerodynamic accessories on motorcycles is downright ridiculous. He also added that the rules are unclear and that everyone will be at a disadvantage if the doors to the development of aerodynamics are opened in MotoGP.

Rivola said technical director Danny Aldridge was quite inconsistent in enforcing the rules from the Qatar race to his statement at the Court of Appeal hearing. As a former Formula One sports boss, Rivola is aware of the consequences of the boom in aerodynamics, but says the court's decision has angered Honda and will now only accelerate the aerodynamic war between six MotoGP-class motorcycle manufacturers.

“I’m kind of disappointed, but the result is almost as I expected,” Rivola said. “I knew that FIM would not reject the decision of one of its members, even though the technical director changed his mind during the hearing and went against what he wrote down and then signed. Despite the defeat in court, I won as my goal was to point out that something was wrong here. The rules are not clear and control over their implementation is ridiculous.

Besides, if we follow the path of aerodynamics, we will all lose. This is definitely not the path Dorna wants to take. This will not limit costs or the development of aerodynamics. ”

Rivola explained that the technical director at the hearing, where Ducati's wings were once again recognized as legal, argued that Ducati's wings were legal, as its original function was to cool the rear tire, which is not in line with his explanation in Qatar, where in an email he sent to all the teams, he wrote that Ducati’s wings are in line with the rules because its only function is to cool the rear tire.

“Aldridge said the sole function of the wing is to cool the rubber, and at the hearing we all, including Ducati itself, proved that the wings are also produced by vacuum. We compared the numbers with each other, even with the Ducati, and the differences were very small. Honda was the only one to also pass the wind tunnel test and their results showed even the slightest amount of aerodynamic effect. However, Honda said at the hearing that they did not use the wings on the motorcycle because it produces vacuum, and Aldridge wrote in an email that Ducati's wings are legal because it is not his job to create vacuum or aerodynamic force, "added Rivola.