# Influence of the Road Model on the Optimal Maneuver of a Racing Motorcycle
## 1 Introduction
The track reconstructed in [21] was also used in [19], where the single rigid body dynamic model of the NASCAR car was presented. The computed optimal maneuver was compared with calculation results from an industrial simulation tool and telemetry data recorded under race conditions. The optimal maneuver on a 3D road was also investigated in [17; 18], where the road model presented in [13] was adopted. The Whipple bicycle model has been used in the former, while the full dynamic multibody model of a sport motorcycle has been used in the latter. In [17], the optimal maneuver on the Mugello and Barcelona-Catalunya 3D racetracks is presented and compared with 2D simulation results and experimental data recorded by the on-board data acquisition system. In addition, the influence of road geometry on vehicle movement was discussed. In [18], the Mugello racetrack was considered. The source of the elevation data used in the track reconstruction procedure was not specified. The three-dimensional free-trajectory QSS simulation has been presented in [22], together with the generalized vehicle model and the associated g-g-g diagram. The optimal maneuvers of a Formula 1 car and a MotoGP motorcycle on the Mugello and Barcelona-Catalunya racetracks have been analyzed and compared with simulations on a 2D road. The track geometry was taken from [17]. In [23], a similar approach as in [22] was presented. In addition, an optimal planning approach was presented, which finds a new time-optimal solution when the vehicle has to deviate from the original race line due to track conditions, for example, obstacle avoidance or overtaking maneuvers. The Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway were considered. The source of the elevation data was not specified. The three-dimensional fixed-trajectory approach has been presented in [38], with numerical examples provided for a car and a motorcycle. In the presented work, the MLTS results are compared with experimental data from an on-board data acquisition system. A comparison of the simulation results with experimental data can be found in [6; 8; 15; 17; 19; 24]. In [6], optimal gear ratios were searched. The calculated optimal maneuver for the Superbike motorcycle was compared with the telemetry data recorded on the Mugello and Adria racetracks. In [8], the optimal position of the vehicle's center of gravity was studied on dry and wet roads. A 125 cc motorcycle was used and the simulation results were compared with experimental data recorded at the Valencia circuit. The free-trajectory QSS simulation was validated with the measured data in [24], where the lightweight minibike was considered. The experimental data were also used in [15], where the qualifying lap in GP2 car at Barcelona-Catalunya circuit was compared with an optimal maneuver computed using the multibody car model. A comprehensive review on road models for vehicular control is presented in [39], where the evolution of road models in MLTSs and comparative analysis between them are presented. However, none of the available literature addresses the importance of the elevation input data used in the 3D road identification, which can greatly influence the computed road model and the related optimal maneuver. This work focuses on the use of the elevation datasets that are available in the public domain, which makes them attractive for practical applications. The field of motorcycle racing is an example of such a need. Two high- and low-resolution digital elevation models are used to derive the elevation of the track edges of the real track and the ribbon approach is used to numerically reconstruct the road. The differences between the computed road models are highlighted and the simulation results are compared in detail with the data recorded under race conditions.