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In the world of motorsport, where every gram and every fraction of a second counts, carbon fibre seemed irreplaceable. Yet a quiet, "green" revolution is taking place on the race tracks. Swiss innovator Bcomp is joining forces with Italian composite manufacturer Tras (known for supplying parts to Moto2 and MotoGP) to bring natural fibres to the track.
Why would racing engineers swap proven carbon for flax? The answer is purely technical: it is about vibration damping and safety.
Tras is a veteran in the production of advanced components for the automotive and motorcycle industries. Their decision to use Bcomp technology is not driven by fashion but by the search for a competitive edge.
Two flagship Bcomp solutions were used in the new fairing and structural part designs:
ampliTex™ – a technical flax fibre fabric.
powerRibs™ – a three-dimensional reinforcement grid inspired by the vein structure of leaves, which dramatically increases the stiffness of a part with minimal added mass.
In a racing car the driver is strapped into a safety cage. On a motorcycle the rider's body is an integral part of the machine's aerodynamics and balance.
Carbon is extremely stiff but damps vibration poorly. All the vibration from the engine and the road surface is transmitted to the rider's hands and body, leading to faster fatigue (so-called arm pump). Flax composites have a natural ability to damp vibration up to 250% better (per Bcomp research, ampliTex flax vs. carbon fibre comparison, data from the ampliTex technical data sheet) than carbon fibre.
For the rider this means less fatigue at the end of the race and a more precise feel for the machine.
Anyone who has seen a crash on the track knows what happens to carbon fibre fairings – they explode into thousands of razor-sharp fragments. This is a hazard for the tyres of other motorcycles and for the riders themselves.
Parts made with ampliTex™ technology behave differently. Thanks to the ductility of flax, a part breaks on impact but does not shatter ( ductile fracture behavior). The fairing stays in one piece, which is much safer in a crash situation.
The Bcomp and Tras collaboration proves that sustainable materials in motorsport are not just about ecology and carbon footprint. It is real materials engineering that solves the problems carbon fibre has struggled with for years – vibration and brittleness.
Will flax displace carbon from MotoGP? Perhaps not entirely yet, but in parts such as fairings, mudguards and covers its advantage is becoming undeniable.
All photographs used in this article are the property of Bcomp Ltd. and Tras Auto & Moto and have been used for information purposes only.
Link to the original article: https://www.bcomp.com/news/bcomp-tras-bio-based-technologies-motorcycle-racing/
