BMW prepare for high speed Monza race with wind tunnel testing

Britain’s Chaz Davies has undergone the best possible preparation for the fourth round of the World Superbike championship at Monza by completing time in BMW’s wind tunnel facility in Munich.

Monza is a circuit where riders reach speeds of up to 210mph making aerodynamics vitally important. At 1.83m tall Davies is already well accomplished at getting tucked in having come from a 125’s and 250’s.

He said:  “it was great to experience to move myself around on the bike, to have elbows and shoulders in different positions and to then see in the data what difference it makes.

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.

Especially on a track like Monza, the aerodynamic efficiency is very important because every lap we are at full throttle for much longer than any other circuit on the calendar.”

Speaking about the test Stephan Fischer, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport said: ““The riding position is a main factor for the aerodynamic efficiency of the overall package of rider and bike.

The positions of the head and the upper body, of elbows, knees and feet can have an enormous influence on the drag, and subsequently on lap times. This goes in particular at a race track like Monza with its long and ultra fast straights.

Of course, there is not one position that is the optimum for all riders, because it all depends on so many different individual factors, beginning with height and stature.

The intensive work in the wind tunnel enabled Chaz to find out what riding position is the best for him personally. We did the same with Marco last year and it helped him a lot to achieve improved aerodynamic efficiency on his RR. We are convinced that we now will have a similar positive result with Chaz.”

Davies currently sits equal second in the championship table on 83 points alongside Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty. Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli leads the standings with 11 points.