The collision in the Sprint Race in Indonesia, which caused a tibia and ankle fracture for the Frenchman, with controversy over the absence of sanctions from the Race Direction, re-proposes the theme of the ‘dangling’ leg under braking: pros and cons of a technique used first by Valentino and now widespread
08 March 2023
– Milan
The incident between Alex Lowes and Loris Baz in the Superbike Sprint Race at Mandalika once again raised the question of the riders’ “out leg” in braking. A racing incident according to Race Direction: no penalty for Lowes which hit the French pilot causing him the fracture of the fibula and ankle of the right leg, as well as the rupture of a ligament. “There was an accident when I tried to overtake him in braking – Lowes said -. I hit him in the leg because he put it out when I had already planned to overtake and I couldn’t avoid it. It’s It was such a shame. I can only say, Loris, get well soon!” And Loris Baz welcomes the outstretched hand, forgiving the impetuous opponent. Danilo Petrucci, very critical of the decisions of the Stewart Panel, has a completely different opinion: “The Sprint Sbk Race is like bumper cars, I don’t understand certain drivers, especially Lowes – says the Terni -. What he did is unacceptable. He broke his leg to Baz and me he destroyed the exhaust and the tail on the first lap. I can understand that he made a mistake and that he didn’t do it on purpose, but Lowes should have been penalized. I went towards race direction and as an excuse they told me that Baz put leg out. This thing doesn’t make the slightest sense, what does it mean? I can understand that, as someone says, this is Superbike, but if you make a mistake you have to be penalised”.
how the leg comes out in braking
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Accidents like this aren’t the first time they’ve happened, not just in Superbike. What is the “outside leg” in braking? Why is it used by pilots? Is it just a show for the public, a trick to intimidate your opponent and take away space in head-to-head when entering corners, or a refined technique to brake later and keep the bike in balance? In the early ’50s and ’60s there were already riders who pulled their leg out when braking with negative consequences: either you slowed down too much or you ended up on the ground. But they were motorcycles and circuits of a completely different type. This curved input “pendulum leg” is one invention Of Valentino Rossi used for the first time in the Spanish GP at Jerez in 2005. After a tough and spectacular melee with Sete Gibernau, the rider from Pesaro slips inside his opponent, still leading in the last corner of the last lap. Contact seems inevitable. Neither of them close the throttle first. Rossi, in full boarding, takes off the inside left leg of the platform, we don’t know if to try to avoid a fall or to play it all. The fact is that Valentino closes the trajectory, dragging the fairing of the Honda of the Spaniard (photo below) who, with no more space on the track, is forced to the outside. So Rossi flies right to pass first under the checkered flag while the crowd explodes in the grandstands and in front of TVs all over the world.
what’s the use of the dangling leg
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Thus was born “The Doctor Dangle”, the dangling leg. Nothing is improvised, it is said that Valentino had already tried that technique several times “alone” in cross and off-road tests. From that moment, not without perplexity and controversy, the dangling leg that detaches from the bike under braking and remains suspended before each bend becomes the last act in the evolution of the rider’s style. In braking, all the weight of the bike and rider goes on the front, detach the leg from the footrest and the leg further down, lowering the center of gravity: this improves stability under braking and performance in braking. Furthermore, in this way the rider’s body slides further back, because by detaching the leg one has a more rearward position on the bike, allowing more weight to be loaded on the rear tire, increasing braking stability and overall efficiency. The pilots say that, thus, in those moments in which the “G” force is discharged on the arms, they feel safer. Braking with the leg dangling therefore offers greater air resistance, shortens the braking distance and takes weight off the arms providing assistance during the race. Fringe benefits? In racing, every thousandth can make the difference. Nothing is done by chance. It’s always been like this.
old-fashioned fashion and swatches
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If for many enthusiasts this “leg out” is just a move dictated by desperation and stylistically unwatchable, today it has become the norm in racing, not just in MotoGP. But is it really useful for breaking away later and gaining time by closing space to the opponents or is it the last piece of a table-designed show? It has always been good for Rossi because: “It gave me the right sensations”. Returning to the technical explanation, today this expedient is used by everyone, even if there are exceptions and valuable ones. Just think of champions like Max Biaggi and Jorge Lorenzo, who maintained their clean “old time” style, and also of Marc Marquez: the Spaniard first resisted and then he too followed the trend, even if only in part because the The use of the knee and elbow on the ground with bend angles close to 70° have opened new frontiers. It could just be the reigning champion, Pecco Bagnaia, if not exactly closing the “fashion” of the leg outside, at least limiting it. The Ducati world champion has a composed style, he takes off decisively but cleanly, with the bike turning along the distance with great linearity. Translated and forcing the concept a little, we can say that Pecco doesn’t disdain the use of the dangling leg in the hardest braking sections, but by focusing on entry linearity and cornering to have more thrust on exit, he doesn’t exasperate him. Today motorcycling has made style into a technical and showy element, just look at the elbow dragging the ground, and everything is fine if a (regular) move contributes to the result. Because in racing, only one rule always applies: whoever wins is right.
March 08, 2023 – 3:43 pm
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