Since Cagiva had a prototype in GP500, we have not seen anyone try a full carbon-fibre chassis in racing.
The Cagiva C590 as it was called, was raced at the 1990 Czechoslovakian and following Hungarian Motorcycle Grand Prix GP but was then shelved due to "not desired results".
(feedback from that frame was very different from the previous one they used)
Apart from GP there was of course the mighty Britten V1000 that had a carbon frame, or, it didn´t have much of a frame at all but what was there was made from carbon.
The wheels and almost every part possible to make from carbon was just that.
That frame work perfectly, as did the whole bike.
But now we have a change, the Ducati 2009 MotoGP prototype, the GP9, has a composite frame.
Not only is this an exiting step in frame technology, but also remarkable since Ducati apart from using V twins in almost every model ever, steel trellis frames just IS Ducati.
The bike has been tested and show promising results, lets hope the frame is still there next year.
Words from the team:
CASEY STONER (Ducati MotoGP Team)
Best lap on race tyres - 1'42.632; on qualifiers - 1'41.533
"I'm happy with the way today has gone. The objective was to understand whether this new chassis concept has potential and I'd say that for now it looks to be the case. We were quickly into some decent times using the same set-up as the GP8. We barely changed anything to adapt it to the characteristics of the GP9 and I immediately felt an improvement so that is positive. I'm sure that with more time to work on it we can go much faster, although that is not the current brief. We'll have time to test it in the winter. Tomorrow we'll get back on my GP8 because we have some important tyre testing to do. There is still a lot of the 2008 season left and we want to be competitive."
FILIPPO PREZIOSI General Manager Ducati Corse
"We took the decision to allow the factory riders to test the GP9 because it would have been more difficult at a later stage of development and eventually we'd have had to go backwards in certain areas. There are some things that are possible to analyse with data such as in the engine or the cycle part but other areas where it is absolutely essential to have the riders' opinions. So it was important to get their feedback to understand if the choices we've made have been the right ones and to get their suggestions. Some changes we've made to the cycle part could seem more revolutionary than others but in reality we continue to evolve the initial concept that we designed with the GP3. So it's not a change in the direction of development, but another step forward in the same direction. With the 990 the seat supports and the footpegs were attached to the frame. With the 800 they are both completely separate and on the GP9 the front part is even more dedicated to support and the dimensions become more limited. The fact we've used carbon fibre in the production of the chassis is not the most relevant point, it is more the shape that is different from before. Casey's first impressions have been positive. Tomorrow Marco will try it and I hope his feeling with the new bike is better than with the current one."
Carbon fibre frame
Karl Wagner Carbo Tech Composites
THE DESMOSEDICI GP9 MONOCOQUE CARBON FIBRE FRAME
Linear Mode
