Miguel Oliveira reveals key details about new BMW WorldSBK fairing

BMW’s new WorldSBK fairing, revealed during practice at the Hungarian Round, has been explained in some detail by Miguel Oliveira.

It was only Oliveira, and not his teammate Danilo Petrucci, who used the updated fairing on Friday at Balaton. The fairing features two strakes towards the rear which are designed to pull air backwards and down. 

Looking at images it seems the strakes are directing air towards the rear tyre, but it seems the purpose of the strakes is increasing mid-corner performance, inferring from comments made by Oliveira after practice on Friday which indicated that the strakes have a similar purpose to the downwash ducts seen in MotoGP since 2021 and which appeared on Ducati’s Panigale V4 R in World Superbike this season.

“The idea is to try to get the best out of our package with what we can do,” Miguel Oliveira said, speaking to WorldSBK.com after FP2 at Balaton.

“For here at Balaton Park, it’s quite a specific track so you don’t spend so much time leaning the bike in the corners and that’s probably where we believe this fairing can have a big effect. For Balaton, it’s difficult to identify exactly. 

“We haven’t done a back-to-back check, but we’re pretty sure we can assess this new part in the near future when we’ve gathered more experience with different track layouts.”

“A Friday split in two”

Oliveira ended up as one of the few non-Ducati riders in the top-10 along with the Bimotas of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani. The Portuguese was ninth in the end in FP2 after what he described as a “split” day in Hungary.

“It was a Friday split in two,” he said.

“We identified a lot of things to improve during the morning and we changed a bit the bike for the afternoon and I felt immediately better. 

“But still, when I get to a Friday on a new track with my bike it’s always a big work to do ahead of us, a lot of changes just to get me comfortable – and we are not quite there to get the maximum potential. 

“So, I would say it was a positive day but still with a lot of margin to improve. Tomorrow, we will try to do it, of course. 

“We clearly identified where we are losing time, and that’s important, for sure, and we are pretty much with a good idea of what to do to improve those issues.”

Oliveira explained that Balaton’s many chicanes is where he feels he is losing out.

“Every chicane it’s kind of a problem,” he said. “I’m getting into the chicanes not exactly as I want and I’m not getting the best out of the bike over there. 

“The rest of the track it’s quite okay – braking, corners where you need to flow a little bit more I feel not too bad. But the chicanes are killing a little bit the lap time and that’s exactly where we need to find.

“There are three of them which are important, from sector three there are two and then the last sector, another chicane. 

“So that’s where we need to really put our focus into tomorrow, trying to optimise what is already good and be as fast as possible.”