Corrado Cecchinelli

MotoGP Director of Technology

Corrado Cecchinelli On The Future Of MotoGP: Part 3 - Sustainable Fuels And The Future Of The Combustion Engine

By David Emmett |

In the first two parts of this interview with MotoGP Director of Technology Corrado Cecchinelli, we talked about the proposals for changes to the engine specifications to help reduce the speeds of MotoGP bikes, and Cecchinelli explained the perils of having aerodynamics play too big a role in the sport. Those areas will only be decided for the 2027 season however, when the next rules package comes in.

At the moment, we are still in the proposal stage, with Dorna and the manufacturers negotiating a package that will improve safety, with an eye on cost reduction and sustainability. A final set of rules is unlikely to be agreed between Dorna, the FIM, and the MSMA before the end of 2024.

One rule has already been agreed between all three parties, however. From 2024, the MotoGP bikes will have to use fuel that has been sourced from non-fossil sources. In 2024, that proportion will be 40%, with a switch to 100% non-fossil fuels from 2027.

Corrado Cecchinelli On The Future Of MotoGP: Part 2 - The Hows And Whys Of Limiting Aerodynamics

By David Emmett |

In part 1 of this interview with Corrado Cecchinelli, Dorna's Director of Technology, we talked about how his objective for the MotoGP rules package due to come in from the 2027 season was to improve the safety and increase the sustainability of MotoGP by looking at ways to limit performance without restricting the ability for engineers to explore innovative solutions too much, and to create an environment in which R&D in racing transfers more directly to road bikes.

The aim is to make the racing safer without forcing the tracks to make expensive, and sometimes impossible, safety upgrades, and to reduce the risk of crashing at excessively high speeds. The other important aim is to allow ordinary motorcyclists to benefit from the lessons learned by manufacturers in MotoGP.

Corrado Cecchinelli On The Future Of MotoGP: Part 1 - Can Top Speeds Be Reduced By Changing Engine Spec?

By David Emmett |

The past few years have seen a massive change in the way MotoGP machines perform, and more significantly, how they achieve that performance. Ducati's early experiments with aerodynamics in 2010 went from a curiosity to wings and other aero add-ons becoming ubiquitous, and an integral part of motorcycle design. The Bologna factory repeated the feat with the holeshot device, which morphed into ride-height devices, forcing the other manufacturers all to copy Ducati and try to catch up.

All of these changes have had an immense impact on the racing. Top speeds have gone through the roof. At Mugello in 2015, Andrea Iannone was the fastest through the speed trap with a top speed of 350.8 km/h. This year, in the sprint race, Brad Binder hit an astonishing 366.1 km/h in the sprint race. That's an increase of 15.3 km/h or 4.4%.

But it isn't just top speeds: the combination of aerodynamics and ride-height devices have made passing more and more difficult, with riders taking ever greater risks to try to make a move. The first corner has taken on an oversize importance, with pile-ups at the start an increasingly frequent occurrence.

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