Prior to this weekend’s World Superbike Championship (WSB) round in Monza, Italy, team BMW Motorrad Goldbet rider Chaz Davies reportedly spent some time in BMW’s wind tunnel recently. Part of his pre-race homework, the Welshman was in the high speed wind tunnel facility working on his aerodynamics with the S1000RR race bike ahead of the race.
One of the fastest and most challenging courses in the WSBK race calendar, Monza’s unique nature requires riders to find and adopt an optimal body position while riding down its infamous long straights where speeds above 320km/h are reached.
Describing his interesting afternoon, Davies states, “I have learnt that I have to try and get myself inside the bike sooner on the exit of the corner in order to reduce the drag and be faster on the straights. It was good to see what difference that will make if we can improve that for the next race.”
BMW Motorrad Motorsports technical director Stephan Fischer also explained further on the matter, stating that a rider’s body position plays a crucial contribution towards aerodynamic efficiency. This applies to the whole package of rider and bike altogether, with the difference made very evidently clear on circuits such as Monza.
