With the premiere this weekend in MotoGP Stability control is made, clearly. Security will gain integers in a system that fights one of the most spectacular and dangerous falls. But what is stability control and how differs from traction control?
Although they are often confused, tensile control and stability control fulfill different functions. The traction control intervenes when the rear wheel begins to skate by accelerating, reducing power delivery to recover grip. On the other hand, the stability control goes one step further: it acts when it detects a sudden loss of adhesion that could cause a violent skiddance and, with it, a launch of the pilot above the motorcycle.
That is, it will try to avoid the always dire “launched by ears”Without a doubt, one of the most dangerous and spectacular drop types.
This is how the MotoGP stability control system works
In practice, the system constantly monitors parameters such as the speed of each wheel, inclination, accelerator opening and torque delivery. If it detects a potentially dangerous situation, it reduces the torque progressively and controlled, preventing the motorcycle from recovering tensileness abruptly, which is what triggers the “highside”
The novelty arrives thanks to an update of the unified software that all equipment uses, supplied by the Italian specialist Magneti Marelli. The ECU (electronic control unit) has been standard since 2016, measure introduced by Dorna and the FIM to contain costs and balance performance between manufacturers.
Every weekend, the equipment selects from the software versions allowed for the Grand Prix. In Austria a new update will debut that incorporates stability control, and everything indicates that the vast majority, if not all of the formations, will choose to implement it from the first day of testing.
The development of this system has not been improvised. The idea began to take shape several years ago in collaboration between Dorna Sportsthe MSMA (MotoGP manufacturers association) and the technical team of Magneti Marelli. The initial tests were carried out in private training, with data collected in different grip conditions and in circuits of very different characteristics.
The objective was clear: minimize the risk of violent falls without subtracting spectacular races. The “highsides”, Although much less frequent than in the era prior to advanced electronics, they still appear in low grip moments (especially with cold asphalt or slow curves with strong acceleration), causing serious and forced withdrawal lesions.
Austria is a perfect scenario for its premiere. He Red Bull Ring It is a circuit with long straight and strong accelerations from low speed, just the type of scenario where a stability control can make a difference. The exits of curves such as 3 and 4, with great traction requirement, will be a good test bench to check how the system interacts with the most aggressive piloting styles.
If the implementation is successfully, it is likely that this technology becomes a usual tool in the electronic strategy of the motorcycles of MotoGPand even inspire future developments for standard motorcycles. That, in the end, that’s what it is about.
