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The constantly growing engine power of modern racing motorcycles makes it possible to increase their performance, i.e. to reduce the lap time. The aim of this work is to investigate the relationships between the motorcycle characteristics and its performance by means of the optimal manoeuvre method. This is a powerful technique that essentially, simulates a perfect driver and calculates the minimum lap time for a given motorcycle in a given circuit. Several simulations were carried out on a test circuit, which includes a part of the real Mugello racetrack. Results show that as the engine power increases the lap time decreases and it tends to a limit value. Moreover, for a given engine power, one can find a particular position of the center of mass that leads to the best performance; performances can be improved by adjusting the wheelbase too. Furthermore, best performance can be only reached if the rider chooses the right trajectory for any different vehicle.

The design of suspension systems for heavy-duty vehicles covers a specific field of automotive industry. The proposed work focuses on the design development of a front controllable suspension for an agricultural tractor capable to satisfy the system requirements under different operating conditions. The design of the control algorithms is based on the developed multibody model of the actual tractor, including the pitch motion of the sprung mass, the anti-dive effects during braking and forward-reverse maneuvers and the non-linear dynamics of the actuation system. For an advanced analysis, a novel thermo-hydraulic model of the hydraulic system has been implemented. Several semi-active damping controls are analyzed for the specific case study.