As we know, since the first MotoGP series in Lusail, Qatar, two Aprilia Racing Factory Team racers, Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales, have been divided over the choice of using Aero in the stern section where Aleix Espargaro uses a stern with a diffuser design which is often referred to as a car-bat tail or a Cadillac tail. Meanwhile, Maverick Vinales prefers to use the 2023 stern which is slim and has minimal aero details. The maverick choice was also chosen by Miguel Oliveira in his RSGP 24. So at the Jerez test, Aprilia offered a new solution to this problem. .
The solution itself is a combination of Aleix’s Choice and Vinales’ Choice which results in a stern with an RSGP23-style upper part while the lower part offers RSGP24-style Difusser Details. It seems that Aprilia Racing itself believes that the details of the Difusser, whose true function has not yet been announced (between generating dirty air and producing downfoce), are still needed by Aprilia.
Friends, you can see in the two pictures above (new design above, initial design 24 below), the initial 2024 stern design has a gurney flap detail at the top which is also suspected to produce downforce. So with the new design it seems that Aprilia wants to continue to give the motorbike the effect produced by the diffuser, but without introducing additional Donforce on the rear-end, which in general might be felt to have more negative aspects for Vinales.
Once again, because this stern section is not a detail regulated by technical regulations, it could be in the Le-Mans series later. If the effect is good, then Vinals can immediately use it at the race weekend.