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Ducati Postpones Desmosedici GP15 test for Sepang, in February 2015

Ducati has decided to postpone the official test of the GP15 Desmosedici prototype, speedweek reports. Apparently Gigi Dall’Igna sort of spilled the beans during an interview with the mentioned magazine, and after realizing that, he agreed to shed some more light on the matter. “It makes more sense to test the bike in February at Sepang”, he said. “We want to get the job done in one move, so when we roll out, I’d rather have everything in place on the bike.”
Ducati MotoGP bike passing the finish line at Indianapolis, 2014 1 photo
Photo: Ducati
The first test of the GP15 prototype was initially scheduled for the first official test of the 2015 season, the post-race session in Valencia, in November. Ducati has already tested a new fairing at Indianapolis last weekend, a slimmer one which will make the bike even more aerodynamic, while also being compliant with the new frame the 2015 bike will have and the smaller new 90-degree V4 engine which is currently being developed.

At Indy, Ducati brought an updated version of their 2014 engine, the one which allowed Andrea Iannone to reach speeds of 360km/h (224 mph) at Mugello earlier this summer. Still, it looks like while the 2015 engine will be even better than the current one, the biggest upgrades will come in the chassis department, as Dall’Igna’s mission is to make the bike steer better.

It is not a secret that all Ducati riders must put up a real fight to compensate for their bikes’ understeering. Understeering nullifies all the straight line speed they carry and which make twisty circuits especially difficult for the reds.

We remind you that Ducati brought Gigi Dall’Igna over from Aprilia in late 2013, with the task of setting things in order and make whatever necessary changes to restore competitiveness to the MotoGP racing program. An exceptional organizer, Dall’Igna took almost half a year to understand how Ducati Corse worked and even more important, what did not work, and then restructured the department according to his new plans.

Though still a bit shy, the progress is steady and we can hope that the new Ducati bikes we are about to see in Sepang in February 2015 will show that Dall’Igna’s vision and his team’s efforts were worth the wait.
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