You are here

MotoGP, Think Different: Dall'Igna prepares a Ducati surprise for Mugello

It won't be a 'Supermotore', not allowed by the current regulations. Suspicion is placed on aerodynamics. But it will be difficult, against today's Honda, to repeat the 2018 double win.

MotoGP: Think Different: Dall'Igna prepares a Ducati surprise for Mugello

Share


Think Different: Dall'Igna prepares a Ducati surprise for Mugello. It won't be a "Supermotor", which is not allowed by current regulations. Suspicions are pinned on aerodynamics. But, against today's Honda, it'll be difficult to repeat a double win like in 2018.

Ducati's double whammy at Mugello last year is a distant memory. And not only because it was Jorge Lorenzo - who then doubled up in Barcelona - to triumph on the Tuscan track.

What was once a safe hunting ground for Ducati - circuits with long straights - no longer guarantees a sure victory. And Dovizioso's success this year confirms this: in Losail, at the end of a long sprint won over Marquez by just 23/1000 of a second.

A trifle, if you think of the turn in Losail that leads to a straight, which is much farther from the finish than the Bucine is at Mugello.

Maybe this is why in our interview last week with Paolo Ciabatti  promised a surprise for the Italian Grand Prix. Yes, but what?

If, in fact, Ducati was used to the ups and downs in Scarperia in the past - what Ducati riders liked to call the "Supermotor" - this is no longer possible today because of the freeze on engine development. As we all know, except for Aprilia and KTM, the winning MotoGP teams are limited to 7 pre-sealed engines at the start of the championship.

So, no more extra horsepower. Then where's the surprise? It's easy to think of aerodynamics, but even this sector, which was so exploited by Ducati, suffered a setback after the controversy over the notorious spoon in Qatar. We know that both the FIM and Dorna seem to agree to stop or slow down research in this sector.

Yet, Ducati's Sports Director was clear: "We cannot be completely satisfied with a second place at Le Mans, but we are already totally concentrated on Mugello. Historically, there has always been something new in our bikes for this Grand Prix."

Therefore, "Think different", following the slogan that became famous with Steve Jobs' Apple in the 1990s.

People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Dovizioso, winner of the Italian Grand Prix in 2017, presents himself this year at the start of the home race with just 8 points behind Marc Marquez, already at 3 victories, probably psyched and relaxed after the test at Misano with the Audi RS5 pre-DTM.

"We want to put our riders in the best possible position for Mugello this year too ," Ciabatti stated and added, "On a track where we won the last two races and where everyone expects something more from us. All right, the World Championship will certainly not be decided at Mugello, but this home race is obviously particularly important for us."

And it certainly is. Slowing down the flight of Honda's world champion is crucial to keep the hope of the title alive. Mugello and Barcelona are the circuits where Magic Marc needs to be stopped. He who, last year, after the error at Mugello and second place at Montmelò, won both at Assen and at Sachsenring, the two Grand Prixs that followed before returning to the fast tracks of Brno and Red Bull Ring, which will provide the Desmosedici with another chance to recover.

Even if, this year, the margins of superiority at maximum speed for the GP19 are not as evident as in previous years.

"Honda has taken a big step forward," acknowledged Ciabatti. "We are not as superior as in past years."

So in what area will Gigi Dall'Igna's development be concentrated?

Can we expect the brilliant Venetian engineer to pull another ace out of his sleeve in Mugello?

Ciabatti's words seem to lean towards a "yes".

 

Translated by Leila Myftija
__

Related articles