Honda’s second attempt to have its Ducati-style MotoGP winglet approved in Argentina has been successful.
A swingarm-attached winglet was run by Ducati on all three of its 2019-spec bikes in Qatar, but the part was protested by rival manufacturers Aprilia, Honda, Suzuki and KTM after the race.
Ducati argued the appendage was used primarily to cool the rear tyre rather than for aerodynamic gain, which is prohibited in that area of the bike.
The four-manufacturer protest went to the FIM Court of Appeals, which ruled to dismiss the case on Tuesday, but Honda continued to push the issue with its actions at the start of this weekend’s round in Argentina.
The Japanese manufacturer first presented its version of the winglet on Thursday, while openly declaring it was used to generate downforce – which led to the appendage being rejected by MotoGP’s technical director Danny Aldridge.
But on Friday, Honda attempted to have the winglet homologated for use for a second time, on this occasion declaring a different purpose for the part.
Aldridge has now approved the winglet, which means Honda can begin using it on its RC213V.
However, the Japanese manufacturer will have also succeeded in what seemed to be the primary aim of the exercise – to demonstrate the flaws in the current MotoGP technical regulations.