When you are practicing motorvelocity, you may find many physical laws operating in the competitors and their motobikes. Do you want to understand how it works?

The riders, who run at high speed, try to keep the speed as higher as posible, even on curves, to win advantage of time over their opponents. However, is is very difficult to keep high speed on curves, considering all forces which acts in this movement. Thought, riders can do that using a technique which envolves tilting their bodies, including the motobikes, as much as posible towards the inside of the curve.

To understand the movement done by riders, we need to explain the concept of angular momentum: any object in rotation has an angular momentum which allows it to keep the rotation the same plan, maintaing its value. If the rider tries to rotate the handlebar of the motobike, which is in straight line movement, the force of angular momentum will try to maintan the momentum and to undo what the rider has done, making him loose the control. But if the rider tilt his motorbike without changing the direction, the conservative force of angular momentum will naturally direct him towards the curve. Another reason to require a so high inclination to complete the curve is related to Newton’s first law, which says that an object in uniform linear motion tend to remain uniform linear motion, causing the so called centrifugal force, which tries to throw the rider out of the curve. Thus, the body and the motobike must be tilted enough so then the conservative force of angular momentum overcomes the centrifugal force.

Why doesn’t the rider fall down, if he is so tilted? That is due to frictional force, with tyres especially developed for this function, which security profile provides friction enough between tyres and asphalt. If this profile is exceeded, the motobike “slips” and the rider falls down.

There are also other forces envolved in this sport! Riders always try to keep their body as closer as posible to the motobike, so they can reduce the air resistance and win aerodymynamics and speed. Only in the brake time, riders must move away the leg and/or the body from the motobike, so they can increase air resistance.

Did you like to learn about how riders make extreme movements? So continue to follow  Azeheb’s blog so you can learn more.