One of the noticeable things about the 2010 MotoGP bikes in Qatar was how the Ducatis all had a kind of mesh cover over the exhaust pipe. I asked around a bit and never found an explanation. Should’ve asked someone at Ducati, obviously, because this unique feature was just explained over at MotoMatters.com in an interview with Filippo Preziosi, Ducati Corse’s General Director.
The point of this mesh cover is to prevent rocks and gravel from entering the engine via the exhaust in a crash. Most crashes end up in the gravel traps, which are there to slow the bikes down before they and the riders can hit something on the track perimeter. These traps work well, but as the crashing bikes are often flipping and sliding at considerable speed, it is common for bits of rock to get caught up in and fall down the exhaust pipe toward the engine. This used to mean changing the engine, which is past seasons was doable, if expensive. Now that teams are limited to six engine for the season, this mesh grid is one solution to engine longevity, and one of those things that is so obvious once you know the answer, you wonder why you didn’t see it immediately. Derrrr.
