How MotoGP got entangled in a brutal pit lane spy war

In the world of motor racing, a slight edge over your opponent can mean a race, however, do the ends justify the means? There has been some controversy in MotoGP after the Italian team Aprilia was caught spying on Ducati at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The altercation involving Ducati and Aprilia team members highlighted the ongoing "spy wars" amongst both Italian manufacturers, who go to great lengths to gather valuable information on their rivals.

Ducati's team manager, Davide Tardozzi was seen confronting an Aprilia engineer in the pit lane. A viral video surfaced online, showed Tardozzi's frustration with the engineer.

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Moto GP fans were puzzled after seeing Tardozzi's anger on the pitlane, however, another video would be released soon after the race, revealing an Aprilia engineer using an iPad with a LiDAR scanner to create a 3D image of a Ducati motorcycle, reports Motorsport.

This high-tech method allows teams to analyze and replicate the aerodynamic features of rival bikes, giving teams a potential competitive advantage over their opponent.

According to Motorsport, some fans criticized Tardozzi for losing his temper at the pit lane, while others criticized the Aprilia engineer for 'espionage'. Funny enough, the same engineer scanned a series of other bikes, in the name of espionage.

Historically speaking, there has always been 'espionage' in the world of motor racing. In the world of MotoGP, teams seek a competitive edge over their rivals to enhance their own performance on the tarmac. Even before modern technology, teams would take photographs and make detailed observations to understand their competitor's designs and innovations.

We saw a similar scandal occur in 1989 when Honda used photographs of Suzuki's bikes to learn about its engineering choices and new modifications. This strategy allowed Honda to make significant improvements to their bikes, proving that learning from its rivals is part of the DNA of the sport.

"It was real hot and Suzuki had their awning rolled up, right over the way from where my motorhome was parked. I told the Japanese, 'Hey you should take some photos', and the rest is history." recalled Wayne Gardner, former world champion, during an interview for Motorsport.

Modern-day MotoGP teams use more advanced methods now due to the technology available. Videomety software that allows teams to analyze both their own team and their rivals. While the Aprilia engineer's actions were seen as bold, they were not unusual for the sport. Nevertheless, Aprilia has since apologized, claiming the engineer acted independently and not under direct orders.

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