It looks like the recent turmoil in the MotoGP class has turned out pretty good results for Ducati Corse, as the team is finally making noticeable progress in performance and rider self-esteem. With former Aprilia development mastermind Gigi Dall’Igna at the helm, the Borgo Panigale racing crew entered a new era, as the new boss was clearly up to make things work again.
Still, the road ahead is long and will not be an easy one, but the first steps on it proved successful, as the 2014 Desmosedici prototype does indeed perform better than the previous one. Now, truth be told, Ducati played a rather risky card, but you know what they say: fate favors the bold.
It was clear for Dall’Igna that Ducati had no business fighting Honda and Yamaha in the Factory class, so making a move to the Open one was the obviously wiser choice to make. The final decision was only made after prolonged testing and hesitations, with Ducati initially opting for the Factory entry, and then switching for the Open option, and ending up in an even better position than everyone most likely dared to hope, and all thanks to Dorna’s own hesitations and lack of sufficient vision.
Ducati is now allowed to use pretty much all its Factory technology, except the ECU software, which is provided by Magnetti Marelli. But if you read this autoevolution editorial, you’ll learn that the Marelli software is in fact based on the Ducati factory one, so it’s not at all a drawback for the Reparto Corse. Even more, the 4 Ducati riders can enjoy a non-frozen engine which the engineers can develop throughout the season, 12 engines to last the season, 24 liters of fuel and unrestricted testing for everything.
Oh, and there will be some restrictions and “penalties” if Ducati starts “winning too much”, but Gigi Dall’Igna is too smart to fall for that, at least until he knows he was a bike which can really do battle with the rest of the Factory machines. Until then, we’re most likely in to seeing the way Ducati becomes better and better, with Dall’Igna and his team working on building the Desmosedici Borgo Panigale has been dreaming about since Casey Stoner hanged his red leathers.
The pre-season tests and the kick-off round in Qatar showed the first pieces of evidence, as the gap between the Ducati bikes and the leading ones halved and all riders being overall faster than they’ve been lately. This includes Andrea Iannone, have showed that their machines can really do better. With a good start, Iannone made it from the 11th in the5th position and managed to finish in the 10th place after his spill and becoming the last in the pack.
"Everyone was surprised by the progress of the Desmosedici , including me ! I noticed right away at Sepang , the bike had changed, we started on the right foot . The credit goes all to one person: Gigi Dall'Igna . He is the miracle of Ducati. We must thank him, and I am happy to work with him," Iannone adds.
Via gp-inside
It was clear for Dall’Igna that Ducati had no business fighting Honda and Yamaha in the Factory class, so making a move to the Open one was the obviously wiser choice to make. The final decision was only made after prolonged testing and hesitations, with Ducati initially opting for the Factory entry, and then switching for the Open option, and ending up in an even better position than everyone most likely dared to hope, and all thanks to Dorna’s own hesitations and lack of sufficient vision.
Ducati is now allowed to use pretty much all its Factory technology, except the ECU software, which is provided by Magnetti Marelli. But if you read this autoevolution editorial, you’ll learn that the Marelli software is in fact based on the Ducati factory one, so it’s not at all a drawback for the Reparto Corse. Even more, the 4 Ducati riders can enjoy a non-frozen engine which the engineers can develop throughout the season, 12 engines to last the season, 24 liters of fuel and unrestricted testing for everything.
Oh, and there will be some restrictions and “penalties” if Ducati starts “winning too much”, but Gigi Dall’Igna is too smart to fall for that, at least until he knows he was a bike which can really do battle with the rest of the Factory machines. Until then, we’re most likely in to seeing the way Ducati becomes better and better, with Dall’Igna and his team working on building the Desmosedici Borgo Panigale has been dreaming about since Casey Stoner hanged his red leathers.
The pre-season tests and the kick-off round in Qatar showed the first pieces of evidence, as the gap between the Ducati bikes and the leading ones halved and all riders being overall faster than they’ve been lately. This includes Andrea Iannone, have showed that their machines can really do better. With a good start, Iannone made it from the 11th in the5th position and managed to finish in the 10th place after his spill and becoming the last in the pack.
"Everyone was surprised by the progress of the Desmosedici , including me ! I noticed right away at Sepang , the bike had changed, we started on the right foot . The credit goes all to one person: Gigi Dall'Igna . He is the miracle of Ducati. We must thank him, and I am happy to work with him," Iannone adds.
Via gp-inside
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