Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina 29 Mar - 31 Mar

Ten minutes with Marquez’ crew chief Santi Hernandez
27.03.2019 BSN

When Marc Marquez gets off his bike and sits in the corner of the Repsol Honda garage, the first person he talks to is Santi Hernández.

His track engineer since his time in Moto2 was already a premier class title winner with Álex Crivillé, with whom he worked as a suspension technician. After the spectacular start to the season in Qatar, Hernández reviews the first round of the year and explains how the series has evolved.

Many know you as Marc Márquez’ track engineer, but others may remember you working with Álex Crivillé as a suspension technician. What do you remember about that time? What was it like for a young man in his twenties to work on the Repsol Honda Team?
“I remember it with great fondness. As a child, at home bikes were always around me, and to have the opportunity to work for a team like Repsol Honda, with a rider who had always been an idol for me, means that the first feeling and first memory that I have is of being very nervous, like a fan living a dream. I remember it like that.”

The team are celebrating their 25-year anniversary and one of the milestones was the first Spanish 500cc World Champion. What was it like working with Crivillé in 1999?
“I have enjoyed many good moments, but one that I remember as being very positive was working with Álex Crivillé: A great rider and, above all, a great person. I remember how well he treated us, how he worked, and especially how he made you feel part of the group. Being able to be part of that team that opened the way for the rest of the riders in MotoGP makes me feel very proud.”

Do you miss anything from that time? Has the way of working changed?
“Yes, it has changed. Everything has evolved. Before there was rivalry, but not so many interests. There was a union of friendship between mechanics, teams and rider, not so much of a rivalry. Nowadays everything has become so professional that the atmosphere is not the same. It was more friendly before, instead of today when everyone is thinking only about the goal, which is to win.”

What do you think has changed more: The championship itself, or the technology and the bikes?
“I think both the championship and the technology have changed a lot, for the better. The championship has created a product that, right now, is enviable. It has grown and has been professionalised in such a way that, for those who like motorcycle racing, it is incredible. On a technical level it has changed a lot; 22 years ago there were many things that were unthinkable to control. Especially in terms of safety, both the championship and the technology have changed for the better.”

You started working with Marc Márquez in 2011, in Moto2. How would you say he has changed the most? Where could he improve?
“Marc surprised me from the first day I was paired with him, because of a comment he made about the bike and how he expressed himself. I always say the same thing: Marc surprises me every day. It’s not up to me to tell him what needs to be improved. He is a rider who is constantly learning and is capable of taking things away from his mistakes. Sometimes I learn more from him than he does from me, and that’s nice too. The communication that we have is good and friendly. It’s also good to talk about other things than motorcycles.”

How many times do you speak per week, away from the circuit?
“Normally we talk once a week, but in the team’s WhatsApp group there are messages almost every day. The communication that we have is good and friendly. It’s also good to talk about other things than motorcycles.”

How long has it been since you last saw the start of a race? Is that through superstition or nerves?
“Superstition. It goes back to 1999, when I started working with Álex Crivillé. I don’t know why it happened, but I missed the start and he won the race. So since then I don’t watch the start.”

After the race in Qatar, Marc Márquez said that the Honda’s engine had taken him to second place. In what ways has the new bike improved?
“As Marc said, the new engine has helped us to have a better top speed and better acceleration, which were points where we have struggled most in recent years. We are closer to the Ducati now and we have overtaken other manufacturers, and that is important. It is very interesting, because when you can gain time on a straight, you don’t have to sacrifice so much at other, riskier points of the track. It’s ‘free’ time, because everyone knows how to open the throttle and you don’t have the risk of having to make back time on the brakes. This is one of the big aspects that Honda have improved. We have to congratulate the engineers for the effort they have put in, because there are many people who work behind the scenes and sometimes go without sleep so that we can get the result.”

After the winter and the difficulties Marc had at Sepang, did you expect him to finish second and 23 thousandths off the win?
“Marc already went through a difficult time when he had his accident in 2011, in which he spent a long time out and we didn’t know if he was going to recover from the injury. He surprised everyone by winning the first race in Qatar the following year. I was very cautious when they asked me what level Marc would perform at in the first race but, inside, I didn’t doubt that he could fight for victory. Marc shows us every day that he is a fighter and that he performs in the face of adversity. I knew Marc could have a great race.”

The difference between the top five in Qatar was 0.6 seconds. Do you think the World Championship will be tougher than ever this year?
“Yes. Every year it is more difficult. Every year there are riders with more experience, as well as young talents who have arrived and who are learning fast. Although sometimes you might think it looks easy, winning the World Championship is very difficult, because things are very close. The important thing is to be consistent and know how to play your cards right, without rushing.”

Last year we saw many races that broke records for how close they were. How do you explain how even things are?
“It’s how the championship is set up. Keep in mind that the tyres are the same, and most teams have the same suspensions, brakes and electronics. The regulations have made it so that the difference between the manufacturers is not so big. That also helps us to see a larger group of riders at the front.”

The next race is Argentina, where Marc has always been fast. What is the key to going fast at a circuit like Termas de Río Hondo?
“It’s a circuit that has always been good for us, although sometimes the results have not been there. As at every circuit, you have to keep working and try not to make mistakes. Both Marc and the team have to give our all, and after the warmup we will assess how well we can go. There are races that in theory don’t look favourable for a win, and you have to be able to accept that and not make mistakes. As I said before, you have to be consistent and get the most out of every race.”

Joy
Dovi fans mocking Lorenzo's 1.5 year of adaptation to the Ducati seems to forget their favourite took 6 years of adaptation to the series to win his 2nd ever MotoGP race and 9 years of adaptation for his first ever MotoGP title challenge. But it's not very surprising since most.


At the ArgentinaGP, it has been defined that the "Long Lap Penalty" will be in Curve 7.

 

Dall’Igna explained that with the D16 spoiler device the gain of cooling temperature on the rear tire is 7 degrees average.

And 300 g of down force at 180 km/h.



David Emmett: 7 degrees C is a lot. 300g of downforce is not a lot. For comparison, Yamaha's front wings (first iteration in 2015?) produced about 5kg at 250 km/h

Neil Morrison: Plays down how much Ducati spending on aero development. Says 1% of Ducati Corse budget spent on aero. “Ridiculous in comparison to rest of MotoGP (costs).” What Ducati spent on lawyers for 5 days in CoA is equivalent to half of their aero development costs in all of ‘18. Admits Ducati copied Yamaha for the device. Believes other factories will follow.

Simon Patterson: Dall’igna says that their lawyers fees for the Court of Appeal cost the equivalent of five days in the wind tunnel, and that the entire 2018 season’s development took ten days

The Last Chance Chicane Termas de Rio Hondo

Jack's new seat is guaranteed to not move.

One more time Gigi. It’s thermodynamic NOT aerodynamic. Like we practiced earlier. Thermo, NOT aero. Got it?

‘Yeah, yeah. I’ve got it. I think.’

Aero Wars Ignited In Argentina: Ducati Defends, Aprilia Accuses A Broken System
David Emmett on Thu, 2019-03-28

If anyone thought that the decision of the MotoGP Court of Appeal would bring the controversy over Ducati's swing arm-mounted spoiler to a close, they were severely mistaken. When the paddock reassembled at the Termas De Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina, the media – sparse in number, due to the astronomical cost of attending the race – had the opportunity to question the various factories involved in the controversy.

How happy they were with the decision of the court varied, understandably. But there was one thing that united all five manufacturers involved, no matter what side they were on. Ducati on the one side, and Aprilia, Honda, KTM, and Suzuki on the other all felt the process fell far short of what is needed to manage the burgeoning field of aerodynamics. That meant that precious budget, destined for developing the bikes, was being spent on lawyers to represent the factories in court.

And even though the FIM MotoGP Court of Appeal has spoken, the feeling lingers that this is the beginning of something, rather than the end. The parties are just as far apart as ever, the decision of the court serving as a basis for division rather than something the rival manufacturers can unite around. For Ducati, the decision was a vindication of what they had been saying. For Aprilia, the decision didn't address the underlying problems, and was merely one FIM body backing up the decision of another.

Making rules and enforcing rules

At its heart, this dispute is about two things: the way the rules are made and communicated, and whether Ducati's spoiler violates the rules as communicated to the factories.

Ducati made their case in a press conference held with Gigi Dall'Igna, where the Ducati Corse boss got to put his side of the the argument. The decision showed that Ducati were in the right, according to Dall'Igna. "We read and interpreted the rules in the proper way," he said. "This is not only from the Technical Director's point of view, but also the Court of Appeal's point of view that had the possibility to read not only our documents but also the documents of our competitors."

But he was not happy with the fact Ducati had been forced to go to court at all. "In front of the Court of Appeal we have to tell something about our knowledge. Not only in front of the Court, but also in front of our competitors, and I think this is for sure not fair and not the best way to do things in motor sport." They had been forced to show data from the Qatar test and from computer simulations of "coefficient of heat exchange with the rear tire", to demonstrate there had been an effect on tire temperature.

They had no wind tunnel data to present, because Ducati had never been interested in any downforce effects the spoiler may have. "We didn't do any wind tunnel testing with the system, because our target was not the force of the device," Dall'Igna said. "It was only the thermal effect on the rear tire."

Seven degrees

That effect was significant. "It works to put some air on the rear tire," Dall'Igna explained, "and the results of our tests, at the Qatar test before the race, is that we can reduce the temperature of the tire by about 7°C on average. This is in the Ducati opinion for sure an important result in terms of the performance of the bike."

Without seeing Ducati's data, that seems like a major step forward. The Michelin MotoGP tires work best within a specific window of operation, somewhere around 120°C. If the tire gets too hot, it degrades more quickly, meaning the tire loses performance quickly. Having the ability to lower the tire temperature by 7°C would allow Ducati to increase the load on the tire, and get more performance out of the tire for longer. In terms of a single lap time, the difference would not be large. But if the tire lasts longer at maximum performance, it could make a much bigger difference in the later stages of the race.

What makes Ducati's claims a little harder to believe is that they chose to debut the system at Qatar. The race there is cold at night, on a cool track, and while temperatures are falling. Tire temperatures are already less of an issue than at some other tracks, so the added value of tire cooling is open to question. At Qatar, Ducati's Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti had pointed out that MotoGP is now so close that even the smallest benefit can make a difference. "When you are competing at this level, every fraction of second, every fraction of a hundredth of a second counts."

Small force or large force?

Dall'Igna did admit that the device produced downforce, though he downplayed just how much force it generated. "All the parts that you put on in the air flow have a force, this is for sure. Also the water spoiler that Yamaha used at the end of last year had this secondary effect for sure. In our case, I think that we can tell you that we have more or less 3, 4 Newtons at 180 km/h, 300 grams more or less."

It was that number which other factories disputed. Honda had done wind tunnel tests on a part with a very similar design to Ducati's, and had come up with very different figures. They had found that their device produced between 4 and 6 kg at maximum speed, or between 39 and 59 Newton.

It is worth noting the speed differential at this juncture. Although we don't have a value for maximum speed, it seems reasonable to assume around 355 km/h, which is about the top speed being recorded in MotoGP. That is also nearly double the speed which Dall'Igna mentioned, and this is significant. Aerodynamic force increases with the square of velocity, so double the speed equals four times the force.

But precisely because of the exponential nature of this relationship, even small differences in force are quickly magnified. If the shape and angle of the vanes are slightly different between Honda's model and Ducati's actual spoiler, a small difference in downforce (basically, inverted lift) is magnified to become a much bigger difference at twice the speed. If Honda's model of Ducati's spoiler produces 6 Newtons of downforce at 180km/h, instead of the 4 N which Ducati claim, then it would generate 36 Newtons at 360km/h, which is close to the numbers Honda are claiming, and over twice the 16 Newtons Ducati's spoiler would generate.

This, of course, is all speculative. I don't have the data from either Ducati's spoiler, nor the model Honda tested. Without access to that data, we must choose whose word to take.

Ambiguity abounds

Downforce is at the heart of the discussion for two reasons. Firstly, the guidelines issued by MotoGP Technical Director Danny Aldridge expressly forbade the use of attachments whose purpose was to generate downforce. Their only permitted purpose was to protect the tire from water or debris, or to cool the rear tire. By Dall'Igna's own admission, the Ducati swing arm spoiler generates downforce, though his argument is that its purpose is to cool the tire.

Secondly, the process by which the guidelines were arrived at is much in dispute. Mostly because other factories also asked to use devices similar to Ducati's but were rejected. The process by which Danny Aldridge went from rejecting Aprilia's idea for a spoiler to accepting Ducati's was opaque enough to generate significant protest from the other manufacturers.

Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola felt that Aprilia had been particularly hard done by. They had asked Danny Aldridge on 19th February whether a spoiler on the swing arm would be legal, and were told it would only be allowed if it was fitted in wet conditions. "On the 19th of February we asked Aldridge to study and develop something in that area," Rivola told Neil Morrison. "We saw the Yamaha idea on the water. It was quite cool. We said, ‘Can we develop something there?’ The answer was ‘Bear in mind you can develop something there only if you use a water device and for wet conditions only.’"

Then came the test at Qatar at the end of February, and Ducati tested their spoiler, despite the fact it was dry. And on 2nd March, Danny Aldridge sent out the guidelines stating that spoilers whose purpose was to generate downforce would be banned, but cooling tires or shifting water were permissible.

Inconsistent messaging

Rivola's bone of contention is that the Aldridge gave different explanations of what was allowed. Rivola claimed that Aldridge had explained in an email after Qatar that he had ruled the spoiler legal because Ducati had stated that "purpose of the attachment was to aid cooling of the rear tire only". At the hearing, Honda and the other manufacturers, including Ducati, showed that the spoiler also generated downforce. When Aldridge was asked about this in the hearing, he clarified his position, saying that he understood that the primary purpose of Ducati's spoiler was to cool the tire.

That would appear to be a contradiction. In Rivola's mind, and the mind of the other manufacturers, the question is simple: if it can be demonstrated that a spoiler generates downforce, then it should be banned. "In a way as long as you demonstrate it generates downforce, you should ban the device. I mean it’s easy," Rivola said.

At the heart of the problem is that the goalposts keep shifting, and the wording of the guidelines is too ambiguous. Swing arm attachments are permitted if "their purpose is not to generate aerodynamic forces with respect to the ground". Massimo Rivola, and the other manufacturers take that to mean that if the spoiler generates downforce, then it should be banned. But the way the rule is written, it allows for an alternative interpretation, which is that a spoiler will be judged on its stated, primary purpose, rather than any side effects it may also have. That this is a loophole you could fly a Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit through should be blindingly obvious.

Data point

This, presumably, is why the MotoGP Court of Appeal upheld Danny Aldridge's original ruling that the spoiler was legal, despite the evidence presented in the court, that the spoiler also generated downforce, which even Ducati admitted. The purpose of Ducati's spoiler is to cool the tire, something they could demonstrate with data from the test and from simulations provided by MegaRide, the software start up Ducati has been working with on modeling tire behavior. That it also produced downforce was an unfortunate side effect, Ducati argued.

And this is why Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola is so angry. "First, the rules are not really clear. Second, the way they are policed is a joke." Rivola believed that Aldridge should not have just taken Ducati at their word. "When you do a rule you need to be in a position to measure the rule and police the rule," the Aprilia Racing boss said. "I mean, if you give the OK to an aero device, first you should ask for some data. Second you should be in a position to read the data. And third you should spend a bit of time. They declared they had spent ten or 15 minutes in the garage to see the wing."

The fear among all manufacturers, not just Aprilia, was that it would cause an explosion of costs. "I think that if we go in the aerodynamic direction we all lose," Rivola said. "That is not the direction where even Dorna wants to go, otherwise they would not homologate just the bodywork. That is not the way to limit the cost or the aerodynamic development mainly."

Cheaper than you think

Yet Gigi Dall'Igna waved that objection aside. The cost of aerodynamics was much lower than people were claiming. "We, Ducati Corse, spend only 1% of our budget for the aerodynamics," Dall'Igna said. "So if we cut something there it is something ridiculous in comparison to the other costs of the MotoGP. We spent, for the lawyer and everything at the Court of Appeal, something equivalent to five days in the wind tunnel, and in 2018 we developed our fairing, our MotoGP bike with ten days in the wind tunnel. So 50% of the aerodynamic wind tunnel budget is gone only for the Court of Appeal."

Dall'Igna reiterated that there was still much to be learned for road bikes in terms of aerodynamics. "I think there is a shyness about aerodynamics," he said. "It has been neglected in the last years in the motorcycle world. But for sure this is important, not only in racing but also in production. We are working close to the production department of Ducati to develop not only the supersport bikes of Ducati but also the more normal motorcycles in terms of cooling, in terms of thermal comfort for the rider. And everybody of you knows very well how important the thermal comfort is for the rider. So I think it's something that we have to develop for the future."

Copycat contest

If an aerodynamic war does erupt, then the finger of blame will be pointed at Ducati, but Dall'Igna freely acknowledged that Ducati had copied idea for the swing arm spoiler from Yamaha. He expected the other factories to copy Ducati, because Ducati had copied Yamaha. "Honestly speaking, yes, because Ducati had this idea copying Yamaha. Because Yamaha used a system like this in Valencia and maybe also before in some practices, but for sure during the Valencia race. So Ducati had this idea to watch what another of our competitors are doing. So I think that the others will copy us."

Ironically, Ducati copying Yamaha is how the whole dispute erupted. Aprilia saw the Yamaha spoiler, asked Danny Aldridge if they could do something there, and were turned down. Ducati turned up at the test with a working part, told Aldridge it was for cooling the tire, and had their design accepted.

But it also seems inevitable that the system will change. With the MSMA split on the usefulness of aerodynamics, it seems unlikely they will be able to agree on proposals to put forward. And the current method of publishing rules, and then backing them up with changing guidelines has demonstrably not produced clear and unambiguous instructions to manufacturers.

There will be meetings through this weekend where the method and approach will be discussed. No doubt aerodynamic attachments to the swing arm will be one subject discussed. The way rules are drawn up will be talked about. And the way in which the rules are monitored, policed, and enforced is sure to be a major topic of debate. The Court of Appeal was not the last word on Ducati's swing arm spoiler. Most likely, it was just the first.

Moto2 Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification 2019

Termas de Río Hondo, Friday, March 29, 2019

Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev.
1 10 Luca MARINI ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 Kalex 282.8 1'44.220

2 22 Sam LOWES GBR Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 Kalex 284.6 1'44.240 0.020 / 0.020
3 23 Marcel SCHROTTER GER Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex 279.1 1'44.351 0.131 / 0.111
4 41 Brad BINDER RSA Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 282.3 1'44.394 0.174 / 0.043
5 73 Alex MARQUEZ SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex 281.5 1'44.467 0.247 / 0.073
6 97 Xavi VIERGE SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex 283.5 1'44.514 0.294 / 0.047
7 12 Thomas LUTHI SWI Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex 284.5 1'44.534 0.314 / 0.020
8 87 Remy GARDNER AUS ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team Kalex 281.0 1'44.662 0.442 / 0.128
9 27 Iker LECUONA SPA American Racing KTM KTM 280.2 1'44.678 0.458 / 0.016
10 40 Augusto FERNANDEZ SPA Flexbox HP 40 Kalex 281.7 1'44.711 0.491 / 0.033
11 88 Jorge MARTIN SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 276.6 1'44.734 0.514 / 0.023
12 7 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI ITA Flexbox HP 40 Kalex 280.4 1'44.741 0.521 / 0.007
13 9 Jorge NAVARRO SPA Beta Tools Speed Up Speed Up 279.1 1'44.757 0.537 / 0.016
14 35 Somkiat CHANTRA THA IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Kalex 278.6 1'44.938 0.718 / 0.181
15 89 Khairul Idham PAWI MAL Petronas Sprinta Racing Kalex 280.4 1'44.955 0.735 / 0.017
16 33 Enea BASTIANINI ITA Italtrans Racing Team Kalex 284.6 1'45.066 0.846 / 0.111
17 45 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA JPN ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team Kalex 282.4 1'45.119 0.899 / 0.053
18 77 Dominique AEGERTER SWI MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward MV Agusta 271.5 1'45.122 0.902 / 0.003
19 2 Jesko RAFFIN SWI NTS RW Racing GP NTS 270.9 1'45.155 0.935 / 0.033
20 5 Andrea LOCATELLI ITA Italtrans Racing Team Kalex 278.1 1'45.167 0.947 / 0.012
21 64 Bo BENDSNEYDER NED NTS RW Racing GP NTS 277.3 1'45.304 1.084 / 0.137
22 21 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO ITA Beta Tools Speed Up Speed Up 274.2 1'45.425 1.205 / 0.121
23 24 Simone CORSI ITA Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 Kalex 280.9 1'45.656 1.436 / 0.231
24 16 Joe ROBERTS USA American Racing KTM KTM 276.7 1'45.659 1.439 / 0.003
25 11 Nicolo BULEGA ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 Kalex 281.3 1'45.669 1.449 / 0.010
26 72 Marco BEZZECCHI ITA Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM 281.3 1'46.135 1.915 / 0.466
27 96 Jake DIXON GBR Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team KTM 274.1 1'46.142 1.922 / 0.007
28 65 Philipp OETTL GER Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM 276.6 1'46.290 2.070 / 0.148
29 62 Stefano MANZI ITA MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward MV Agusta 274.9 1'46.612 2.392 / 0.322
30 20 Dimas EKKY PRATAMA INA IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Kalex 277.3 1'46.738 2.518 / 0.126
31 3 Lukas TULOVIC GER Kiefer Racing KTM 278.8 1'46.857 2.637 / 0.119
32 18 Xavi CARDELUS AND Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team