The official testing of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship is just a few days away, but this week’s shakedown at Sepang gave us an idea of what we can expect from this year’s bikes.
While many of the developments being seen on the five different motorcycles will be adapted, tweaked and maybe even dropped altogether before the first round, it’s a chance to see how engineers from each of the manufacturers have been thinking over the winter.
So what’s new, why were they introduced and will they work. . . ?
Although it’s been a few years since KTM lost its testing concessions during the season, the Austrian manufacturer has pressed ahead with upgrades throughout the year.
This manifested itself in 2023 with the arrival of a rear wing on the rear wing of the KTM RC16 in a more apparent interpretation of the wings that appear on its rivals’ bikes.
For 2024, KTM has produced a similar solution for the front trim with a new razor-shaped aerodynamic component attached to the front trim and with a suspended finish above the front wheel. A more specific adaptation of the fins that adorn the front fascia, the wing – which has been tested by Dani Pedrosa and Pedro Acosta – will aim for front-wheel drive when accelerating out of corners.
Of the five manufacturers, Aprilia is the one with the most changes across the entirety of the RS-GP compared with 2023.
Unlike its competitors, who made minor design tweaks to the fins and finishes, Aprilia took a step forward and introduced an RS-GP with a more built-in front finish that enhances the expansive front wing in the front fascia for a more domed appearance. Reshaped, more curved rear unit that has been colloquially described as a “Batmobile” style.
Currently, Aprilia has the disadvantage of only Lorenzo Savadori doing the heavy lifting, so it’s hard to see if the solution is an improvement, but it’s worth noting that the manufacturer has invested in making sure Trackhouse Racing’s Miguel Oliveira rides a 2024 RS-GP alongside Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro.
Honda has plenty of catching up to do in 2024, but at least it can make the most of its new dealership with five riders on track for two more days of testing.
Today, Stefan Bradl continues to work on new solutions, most notably the ambitious interpretation of the tail of “Stegosaurus”. The rear has already turned heads with its sharp fins on both sides of the unit, but the RC213V in testing threw in a rear wing, similar to KTM, to target them.
In addition, Bradl is testing a revised front fascia with a thinner front air intake that, seen from afar without decoration, bears a striking resemblance to Ducati’s. Well, if you need inspiration, do it by opting for the best. . .
As expected, Yamaha compromised on the Yamaha M1’s aerodynamics when Cal Crutchlow, Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins took to the track.
This is partly due to the riders being happy with how the M1 handles and less so about what’s coming from the engine.
As such, we’ll have to wait and see when official testing begins for information that reveals whether the M1 is capable of annoying rivals on the radar, however, Crutchlow has been noticed eyeing a more rounded front fascia that looks designed to make the M1 more slippery in a straight line. . .
After winning the remaining three grands prix in 2023 and securing the top three overall with a combination of its newest device and the one-year-old Desmosedici, Ducati would be forgiven for being content to rest on its laurels ahead. 2024.
Naturally, it doesn’t work that way and while MotoGP’s most outlandish innovators don’t appear to have anything too radical on the Ducati GP24 being trialled by Michele Pirro at Sepang, there are changes to spot.
Chief among them is a revised side-fairing, a feature that has been teased by Gigi Dall’Igna as down to appear on the factory machines Pecco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini will ride.
More sculpted and more in tune with the more pronounced aerodynamics of the front trim, which in turn appears to have been flattened on Pirro’s control bike, the fairing will work in tandem with the already rugged engine for greater braking stability, a domain in which the Ducati has historically been the weakest due to its penchant for straight-line performance.