If the car bodies in Formula One races are designed in wind tunnels, with scale models and teams of engineers, in motorcycling added value is represented by craftsmen’s experience. This is shown by the fact that the undisputed top figures in racing rely on specialised companies and their expert craftsmen.

This is the case, for example, with Yamaha and Aprilia, who depend on Cruciata Racing in Montescudaio (Pistoia), a firm that manually modifies frames and fairings, for the racing versions of their models.

At Cruciata they do not use “reverse engineering” systems that employ sophisticated mathematical formulae to improve performance. Each individual aspect is modified by hand. The requirements on the track are endless. For example, the bikes have to be designed so that their tails can be dismantled very quickly by simple actions. For this reason they are almost always composed of just two parts. It is also important to have a mechanism to adjust the height of the seat, in order to best adapt the bike to the various set-ups determined by the type of circuit.

Then there is the sub-fairing, the area that houses the oil tank, among other things. This component covers the lower part of the bike, but this does not make it any less important. Every centimetre of the sub-fairing should be designed so that when the bike is in movement and subject to stress it does not touch either the exhaust pipe – which reaches very high temperatures – or the tarmac.

Cruciata has designed and built moulds for competition fairings since 1973. Today the research and development centre is guided by Massimo Cruciata. The centre works in close contact with the racing departments of the big brands, with whom they have a continuous exchange of suggestions and adaptations. The racing fairing on the Aprilia Rsv4, for example, was developed in collaboration with a division from the Noale racing squad. The intervention also required additional work, since Aprilia changed some of the bike’s parameters during the operation. But this did not faze the motorcycle craftsmen from Montescudaio, who were able to revise the project in a week, re-adapting it to the new specifications.

Cruciata Racing also markets fairings for most of the road bikes on the market today. Recently, for example, it introduced a new aftermarket line of original replica fairings (see picture). These are ABS road fairings, replicas that faithfully reproduce original motorcycle fairings in all their parts. They are very easy to paint and made with the best plastic currently available on the market. In fact, Cruciata Racing, which has always been attentive to riders’ needs, makes its fairings with the best available products on the market, and all models have carbon reinforcements on every attachment to the motorcycle frame.

The firm has also set up an internet site to reach its clientele, which is international. In the online booking area you can ask for information, enquire about availabilities and make bookings. The firm also has retailers in France, Germany, Greece, Sweden and Switzerland.