The MotoGP aerodynamic war has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent seasons. So much so that what was once a front wing has given way to real aerodynamic work that has completely changed all the bikes on the grid and has become such important elements that without them they do not function properly.
Furthermore, when we talk about MotoGP aerodynamics we usually focus more on what is obvious, the spoilers and deflectors that we find almost everywhere on the bike. They are no longer just the wings under the front or the fins on the sides, we are talking about appendages on the tails, on the mudguards, small front spoilers on them and even pieces on the swingarms.
And yet, within all this aerodynamic tangle of MotoGP there are some elements that are just as important, or even more so, that they are going unnoticed. These are none other than the aerodynamic ducts. All the bikes on the grid have them to a greater or lesser extent, but it was Yamaha that patented them.
MotoGP aerodynamics but for production bikes
First of all, patents are not valid in competition, so even though Yamaha has patented it, it does not mean that others cannot use it. There is a commercial purpose behind it and, therefore, the intention of being able to use this MotoGP aerodynamics in production models that will reach the street at some point.
The most curious thing for us is that this Yamaha patent also reveals the use and, at least, the effect they are trying to achieve and it is not only related to aerodynamics. This curious system seeks to direct the dirty air generated by the front wheel to channel it and expel it, generating a low pressure zone that not only slightly increases the aerodynamic load, but also causes the hot air from the radiators to be extracted by this low pressure from the inside of the fairing.
Thanks to this effect, what could be achieved is that the necessary radiators would be smaller and thus make the bike more compact and lighter. Now we just have to wait to see which models Yamaha ends up using it on, if they do, because the bike design on which they are presented is the Yamaha M1 MotoGP bike itself.
