Case Study: Yamaha achieves MotoGP aerodynamic advantage with Hexagon MSC Cradle CFD

MSC Cradle CFD helps Yamaha Motor be competitive in MotoGP Design improvements of 0.01 second sought

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. sought to maintain a competitive advantage in MotoGP racing, where design improvements of even 0.01 seconds are critical. A key challenge arose when new regulations prohibited external wings, which were vital for generating downforce to prevent wheelies at speeds up to 350 km/h and ensure rider safety. Yamaha turned to its vendor, Hexagon, and their MSC Software Cradle CFD solution, specifically SC/Tetra, to find a way to comply with the rules while retaining aerodynamic performance.

Hexagon's SC/Tetra CFD software enabled Yamaha to visualize airflow and design a new, regulation-compliant cowl with internal aerodynamic devices. The powerful visualization tools were also used to convincingly demonstrate the design's legitimacy to race organizers. The solution was robust, fast, and user-friendly, allowing engineers to quickly analyze hundreds of models. This process led to the successful development of a new bike specification that met the stringent regulations while satisfying the riders' performance expectations and maintaining aerodynamic competitiveness.

Yamaha

Kiyoshi Shimada

Senior Supervisor