There had been quite a scene after the opening round of the 2019 MotoGP world championship regarding Ducati using an illegal ‘aero device’ on its race bikes to gain extra downforce.
A number of teams protested against this and the matter escalated quickly. The issue was reported to the concerned authorities who after investigation gave Ducati a clean chit to continue to use the ‘aero device’.
Ducati said that the device is primarily used to cool down the rear tire and any downforce gains were secondary. Also, by mounting the device on the swingarm, Ducati avoided the MotoGP ‘Aero Body’ rules, which limit each rider to one fairing update during the season.
Since the controversial ‘aero device’ fulfills all the official norms, Honda also jumped in and tested a similar device during practice in Austin. Now, it’s Aprilia’s turn. As per our colleagues at crash.net, Aprilia has tried its own device during a private post-race COTA test and chances are that it’s going to be used during the Spanish MotoGP weekend, or post-race official test.
The next MotoGP race is going to take place on 5th May at the Circuito de Jerez. We hope that this round will be as exciting as the last round at the COTA.
