Marc Marquez Overcomes Disaster Start and Storms to Victory at…
Marc Marquez overcomes a chaotic start to win the 2024 Australian MotoGP, securing his third victory for Gresini.
At the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, Raul Fernandez and Trackhouse Racing took a bold step by running without an aero package that is now standard on MotoGP bikes. With the notorious Phillip Island winds in full force, Fernandez offered valuable insights for Aprilia – and was very happy without the front wings on the bike.
“Running without the wings was good, I was flying. The feeling was incredible. I had never ridden without wings; it was very nice,” Fernandez shared after the race.
“Aprilia trusted me, and I offered myself as a guinea pig to make a good bike. I had a great time; it’s been a long time since I’ve felt a bike like this.”
This rare opportunity to strip down the Aprilia RS-GP’s aerodynamics came from a track-specific regulation at Phillip Island, where teams can opt for a no-aero configuration due to the heavy winds encountered at the coastal venue.
Despite ‘only’ finishing 10th after a rough start had him fall back to 13th, Fernandez felt that his pace during the race was a clear indication of the setup’s potential.
“I think I had the pace to finish fourth. I was catching the group ahead of me at the end, so I was happy with our pace and I think we did a good job,” he reflected.
One standout point for him was his battle with Fabio Di Giannantonio’s group: “We held the gap to Fabio’s group. We had the same pace, and at the end, we were even faster.”
The decision to experiment with no wings originated on Sprint Saturday: “We talked about it with the team on Saturday and decided to do it. And the truth is that it has been very good for us to collect data for next year,” Fernandez explained. “It was a bit crazy, but we got some good conclusions.”
“The real pity, the most annoying thing, was to lose so many positions at the start,” he admitted, adding that his Aprilia’s tendency to wheelie remains a critical issue.
“Basically, we have to understand what we have to do to start well because this is the key in MotoGP. We have a lot of wheelies, and when that happens you cannot use the power. I have to close the throttle.”
