What’s it like to ride a MotoGP that’s missing a wing? Brad Binder reveals all

What’s it like to ride a MotoGP that’s missing a wing? Brad Binder reveals all

During the French GP, KTM rider Brad Binder battled without a wing to score the best possible result

18.05.2022 ( Aggiornata il 18.05.2022 20:01 )

Have you ever wondered what the winglets mounted at the front of the bike, under the fairing, are actually for? Well, Brad Binder explains, having been forced to ride without the left wing during last weekend’s Le Mans race.

Aerodynamics issues


Despite appearing insignificant, albeit aggressive, the wings are the appendages that actually make the bike a lot more stable, along the straight but particularly though the turns. They keep the front of the bike grounded, ensuring that the tyre is in contact with the asphalt, thus offering more grip.

Having started Sunday’s race from eighteenth, Binder made one of his best starts but soon after, on lap four, he came into contact with Zarco, with the left wing of his RC16 actually coming off in the incident. The KTM rider then had to complete the rest of the race with aerodynamics that were decidedly 'off-kilter'.

"The big problem is the thing shakes a lot. Because it's pulling to one side all the time, so any time you need to put some input into the steering, it just starts to wobble, so you have to hold on a lot tighter and it takes away your opportunity to rest on the straights, because you need to always compensate. It was a long race, like that. It was hard”, Brad tells the MotoGP website.

Binder: "It’s hard to ride with only one wing, my arms and legs were so tired"


The South African finished the race eighth, helped also by a number of crashes, but he definitely did well not to crash and to conclude the race in such a strong position. It would have been better to lose both appendages in fact, rather than have to ride with just one wing.

"I'm really happy to have finished up in eighth. Obviously there were a lot of crashes in front of us, but regardless, all things considered, we can leave here happy, because it was really really physical and hard to ride with one wing" continues Binder. "It's pretty hectic. I had quite a bit of arm pump, and then when my arms were dead, I was using my legs, and when my legs were dead, I was just waiting for the laps to finish to be honest".

Translated by Heather Watson

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