Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia

Alex Zanardi newsletter 2008-04-24

LUPELLA READY FOR THE DEBUT! Dear Friends, we are there! Believe me it wasn't pre-tactics: I haven't showed any photos of the "Lupella" before just because it wasn't ready yet. To be honest a lot of modifications are still to be done but ...

LUPELLA READY FOR THE DEBUT!

Dear Friends, we are there!

Believe me it wasn't pre-tactics: I haven't showed any photos of the "Lupella" before just because it wasn't ready yet. To be honest a lot of modifications are still to be done but Padova's race is very close and, once tightened the last bolts, we will keep it as it is for the time being!

I have to thank the "Wolf" (Lupo in Italian) and Luca Zanella that gave me an important help in the construction of my prototype, as well as Giorgio, Roberto, Paolo, Stefano and all the friends of the "Breda Racing", where various high precision parts of the "Lupella" have been built.

Basically, the idea comes from the need to "pedal" in an asynchronous way, that is, in the same way you do with a bicycle. Those that have already seen a Handbike would have certainly noticed that the handles are assembled side by side and this is to not give to the fork, on which the movement is fixed, disjoint forces that would make the bike advance zigzagging.

The Lupella exploits a bit the same concept of Skateboards, in fact, being without any front steering, it is "hanged" at the rear axle thanks to a hinge. The "oscillation line" is therefore necessarily inclined since it passes through the fulcrum of the front wheel, at the joint on the axle that is at several centimetres from the ground.

This takes the front wheel to turn towards the corner when I bend to its inside, meanwhile, the rear axle spins in the opposite way thanks to the fulcrums geometrically devised to obtain this effect. The bike, therefore, is basically a three steering wheeled one and, unlike classic handbikes, has the advantage to get into corners much faster without losing any stability.

It has not been very easy to start from scratch, nothing like that was available on the market and obviously this first prototype will look ridiculous when we will have a second version ready, but let me say that at the moment I am particularly proud of it, it is our creation and to race with the Lupella next Sunday will be a special emotion for me.

Wish me good luck, I need it!

-credit: alex-zanardi.com

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Series newsletter 2008-04-25
Next article Alex Zanardi newsletter 2008-04-27

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia