Jerez Test Tech Photos: Niki Kovács Captures Clutches And Aero From The MotoGP Test

May 11, 2023

Niki Kovács caught the factory KTM RC16 without its fairing. The scrutineering sticker on the frame shows this is Jack Miller's number 1 bike.Above the clutch, the rear cylinder bank is clearly visible. In front of the clutch, the 8-point star drive for the external starter.Note the way that the left exhaust downpipe snakes around the right one, and the balance pipe at the front.Just below and behind the blue radiator connector hose is the 3D printed connector block, which connects sensors and controllers to the ECU.Strapped to the outside of the connector block is the receiver for the McLaren tire pressure monitoring system. Above the blue radiator connector is the receiver for the official spec TPMS, which will, at some point in the future, be used to enforce the minimum tire pressures.

Here, on the wheels for Alex Rins' LCR Honda, you can see the two tire valves, at the 4pm and 10pm positions. Each tire valve is fitted to a tire pressure monitoring system.The advantage of valves is it allows the teams to 'wash' the tires with dessicated air. The tires are filled with dessicated air, then put on tire warmers to bring them up to temperature, then the air that was in the tires flushed out through one valve with dessicated air pumped in through the other valve.Teams use dessicated air because it's much cheaper than carrying nitrogen around, and almost equally effective. Flushing the tires also removes any moisture which may have leached from the tire itself as it was warmed up.

Honda have been experimenting with different clutches this year. This is the standard unit from last year on Alex Rins' LCR Honda RC213V.

This is the black carbon clutch Honda tried during winter testing, but which they abandoned at Portimão.The benefit of a carbon clutch is it's lighter. But carbon clutches tend to be a little grabbier, making it more difficult to control and release smoothly.

This is the new version of a fiber and steel plate clutch used by HRC since Portimão. This is on Stefan Bradl's HRC bike.

The clutch cage from the Aprilia RS-GP. Aprilia were working a lot with clutches at the Jerez test, Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro doing a test start every time they left the pits.

The square tail wing which KTM tested at Jerez and used in Le Mans is surprisingly effective. Look closely at the top of the wing, and you will see a small gurney flap. This provides a significant increase in downforce.

The influence of Red Bull Advanced Technologies from F1 is growing in KTM. This is the fairing raced by Dani Pedrosa at Jerez on Brad Binder's KTM RC16 at the Monday test after Jerez.The interesting part is the bottom of the fairing. There is what looks like a scoop at the front of the fairing, directing air underneath the belly pan. The edges of the belly pan have been sculpted to manage the airflow along the bottom of the bike, optimizing the flow directed in by the scoop.

KTM also had a more extreme version of the new fairing. Here, the side pods have been turned into an aerofoil which completely surrounds the edge of the fairing. This will accelerate the air along the sides of the fairing, perhaps reducing drag.

Yamaha were working on aerodynamics as well, but in a much more modest way. The Japanese factory had brought a revised version of the new front wing used at the Sepang test. The response from both Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli was unenthusiastic. It made too little difference.

Yamaha had also brought a much longer exhaust for the riders to test. Their response here was also less than enthusiastic. At Le Mans, the Yamaha M1s had the old exhaust fitted. This version did not make enough of a difference.

Ducati had very little to test. One item which appeared on the Pramac machines was this scoop underneath the fairing. This is likely being used to cool the exhausts. The Ducatis are packaged so tightly beneath the fairing that they have a tendency to catch fire.

Great images Niki! Such great detail and choice of viewpoints. The KTM frame is new to me; how is it constructed? It looks to be neither aluminum beam nor steel trellis (and clearly not carbon monocoque).

In reply to How is the KTM frame constructed? by Merlin

Good question Merlin.

I think it is mostly steel.

Looking closely at the first image the side panel of the "chassis " isn't welded to the main spar. The end of the frame spar is flared out and it goes over the top of the vertical element with the holes for the swing arm pivot etc. If these side plates, I'm assuming one on each side, were steel they would be welded. They may be aluminium alloy. The joints could be glued and bolted.

In reply to Good question Merlin. I… by Apical

...The cooperation between Pankl and voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl(stainless steel), a global leader in the field of high-performance metal, enables a joint, tailor-made development of new metal powders as optimal starting products for the high-end sector. For Pankl and Böhler, the goal of mastering challenges together was the basis for founding Pankl Additive Manufacturing Competence Center (PAMCC) ...

As Pankl - the company in the center of this cooperation - is owned by KTM-Owner/CEO Stefan Pierer, the RC16 is on the receiving end of these technological efforts.

In reply to Good question Merlin. I… by Apical

I took most, or all, of the orange coverings to be "privacy" covers, obscuring what's really been done underneath. The main spar covers look to me to be vinyl stickers, as does the covering around the swingarm pivot. The bit between the pivot and the spars looks more like a plastic cover of some sort, perhaps a stiffener? In any case, if the coverings were removed, I'd guess it's creative steel shapes welded together, all covered to be hidden from prying eyes (and cameras).

In reply to I took most, or all, of the… by Dirt

Ditto. Vinyl wraptastic. Looks black and welded in the gap above pivot. The paint/vinyl on the spar steps but the frame doesn't.

In reply to How is the KTM frame constructed? by Merlin

my recollection: formed steel spars, generally oval in cross-section, with 3D-printed structures for the upper/head and lower/pivot areas.

In reply to my recollection: formed… by wallymann

Thanks Apical, Wolfer|123, Wallymann,

Now, that's seems pretty innovative, at least in the motorcycle world; using 3D-printed, fused-metal components at these transition points, and adhesive bonding at the head stock and swingarm pivot, no less. I assume it reduces the effort to experiment with changes to geometry, stiffness, etc. Also looks like it results in smaller cross-sections for frame members, creating more room for and easier access to all the stuff crammed into these bikes.

Sounds like F1 tech, but of a kind that I find more appealing than F1 aero coming to MGP. I'd love to hear more about how that's working for KTM (but maybe that's hard-to-get info : -)

In reply to Sounds like F1 tech (the sort I can appreciate in MGP) by Merlin

Actually it is F1 Tech, as Pankl supplies almost each and every piston rod in a F1 ( and i assume in MotoGP as well) engine.

Thank you for the photos and the insights. Everthing shown is amazing, but dessicated air... they flush the tires with dessicated air...two valves with a pressure monitor each!And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

For the last year and a half, a recurring comment from Yamaha riders when asked about the benefits of an upgrade they tested tends to be along the lines of "it did not make enough of a difference". Especially around aero updates, I wonder if the updates they bring are simply too small. Hence the comments from the riders. Perhaps a bigger overhaul/change would give them a clearer view, a bigger difference (positive or negatif) and thus direction of development.

Just by comparing the Yamaha pictures with the KTM ones, I can imagine FQ or FM thinking "What kind of amateuristic game are we playing here. All down pitlane the competition is testing aero packages developed by NASA and here we are sticking pieces of cardboard onto our fairing."

I can't help but feel for the poor guys.

In reply to For the last year and a half… by Matonge

Fabio mentioned recently that Yamaha cannot do too much with the air because they don't have the power. There's little point in having Ducati power without aero. It would never be used. On the other side there's no point having Ducati levels of aero without the power. Right now power allows more aero and aero wins. I guess they just find themselves in a difficult area. Maybe they can have the aero, have the benefits but on balance the extra drag with that motor would be suicide.

I do like the livery on Bradl's bike. Steel is real....thanks KTM!

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Great images Niki! Such great detail and choice of viewpoints. The KTM frame is new to me; how is it constructed? It looks to be neither aluminum beam nor steel trellis (and clearly not carbon monocoque).

In reply to How is the KTM frame constructed? by Merlin

Good question Merlin.

I think it is mostly steel.

Looking closely at the first image the side panel of the "chassis " isn't welded to the main spar. The end of the frame spar is flared out and it goes over the top of the vertical element with the holes for the swing arm pivot etc. If these side plates, I'm assuming one on each side, were steel they would be welded. They may be aluminium alloy. The joints could be glued and bolted.

In reply to Good question Merlin. I… by Apical

...The cooperation between Pankl and voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl(stainless steel), a global leader in the field of high-performance metal, enables a joint, tailor-made development of new metal powders as optimal starting products for the high-end sector. For Pankl and Böhler, the goal of mastering challenges together was the basis for founding Pankl Additive Manufacturing Competence Center (PAMCC) ...

As Pankl - the company in the center of this cooperation - is owned by KTM-Owner/CEO Stefan Pierer, the RC16 is on the receiving end of these technological efforts.

In reply to Good question Merlin. I… by Apical

I took most, or all, of the orange coverings to be "privacy" covers, obscuring what's really been done underneath. The main spar covers look to me to be vinyl stickers, as does the covering around the swingarm pivot. The bit between the pivot and the spars looks more like a plastic cover of some sort, perhaps a stiffener? In any case, if the coverings were removed, I'd guess it's creative steel shapes welded together, all covered to be hidden from prying eyes (and cameras).

In reply to I took most, or all, of the… by Dirt

Ditto. Vinyl wraptastic. Looks black and welded in the gap above pivot. The paint/vinyl on the spar steps but the frame doesn't.

In reply to How is the KTM frame constructed? by Merlin

my recollection: formed steel spars, generally oval in cross-section, with 3D-printed structures for the upper/head and lower/pivot areas.

In reply to my recollection: formed… by wallymann

Thanks Apical, Wolfer|123, Wallymann,

Now, that's seems pretty innovative, at least in the motorcycle world; using 3D-printed, fused-metal components at these transition points, and adhesive bonding at the head stock and swingarm pivot, no less. I assume it reduces the effort to experiment with changes to geometry, stiffness, etc. Also looks like it results in smaller cross-sections for frame members, creating more room for and easier access to all the stuff crammed into these bikes.

Sounds like F1 tech, but of a kind that I find more appealing than F1 aero coming to MGP. I'd love to hear more about how that's working for KTM (but maybe that's hard-to-get info : -)

In reply to Sounds like F1 tech (the sort I can appreciate in MGP) by Merlin

Actually it is F1 Tech, as Pankl supplies almost each and every piston rod in a F1 ( and i assume in MotoGP as well) engine.

Thank you for the photos and the insights. Everthing shown is amazing, but dessicated air... they flush the tires with dessicated air...two valves with a pressure monitor each!And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

For the last year and a half, a recurring comment from Yamaha riders when asked about the benefits of an upgrade they tested tends to be along the lines of "it did not make enough of a difference". Especially around aero updates, I wonder if the updates they bring are simply too small. Hence the comments from the riders. Perhaps a bigger overhaul/change would give them a clearer view, a bigger difference (positive or negatif) and thus direction of development.

Just by comparing the Yamaha pictures with the KTM ones, I can imagine FQ or FM thinking "What kind of amateuristic game are we playing here. All down pitlane the competition is testing aero packages developed by NASA and here we are sticking pieces of cardboard onto our fairing."

I can't help but feel for the poor guys.

In reply to For the last year and a half… by Matonge

Fabio mentioned recently that Yamaha cannot do too much with the air because they don't have the power. There's little point in having Ducati power without aero. It would never be used. On the other side there's no point having Ducati levels of aero without the power. Right now power allows more aero and aero wins. I guess they just find themselves in a difficult area. Maybe they can have the aero, have the benefits but on balance the extra drag with that motor would be suicide.

I do like the livery on Bradl's bike. Steel is real....thanks KTM!