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MotoGP, Dall'Igna: The new fairing? Quite a dilemma

"We are working on it". On Moto3: "The priority is MotoGP". Lorenzo in the garage: "It seems normal to me, he is a type of rider different from the others"

MotoGP: Dall'Igna: The new fairing? Quite a dilemma

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The problems with the Sepang track, already pointed out during the GP in October, have not been corrected: the asphalt continues to take too long to dry out. Gigi Dall’Igna makes no secret of the truth: “For now, these tests have been a waste of time more than anything else. We have been able to work for an hour in two days.

Stoner, who has been on the track very little, agrees: “I don’t know how much sense it makes to come test here. Today it was very hot and yet the track was wet on a lot of corners. It takes too long to dry out. It’s as if a sheet of water stays on the asphalt and when the temperatures rise the situation gets worse.

Work is therefore progressing in slow motion, partly because only the test riders are lapping. All the Manufacturers are there, from Yamaha to Honda, from Aprilia to Suzuki to KTM, and the Japanese manufacturers even brought the endurance version of their SBK machines in preparation for the Suzuka 8 Hours.

Despite the fact that the action on the track is not frenetic, there is plenty of reason for interest, especially in the Ducati garage, where the new tail fairing has arrived to peak curiosity.

It is nothing definitive. It is simply a part that we are testing. They also wanted to do a comparison with the old one with Pirro, but we did not have time”, commented Dall’Igna.

There is, however, plenty of curiosity about what it hides…
It simply has a different shape than in the past and we moved the exhaust a few centimetres to the side, nothing drastic.

Is there something inside it? Some patents even popped up on the Internet for a variable geometry exhaust…
Ducati has a lot of patents filed, but that one is not designed for racing. After all, you can see the exhaust yourselves. Anyway, it is not empty.

The fairings, on the other hand, are still the 2016 ones. Why?
For this season, deciding on the definitive fairing is definitely quite a dilemma because only one evolutionary step will be permitted during the year. The reason we are waiting is that we need more time to complete it. We are working specifically on the aerodynamics.”

Is it possible to have two types of fairings – one for the fast tracks and one for the slow ones?
Certainly.

Ciabatti pointed out that removing the winglets has increased costs…
When there is a change to the rules, it definitely takes more money to develop the bikes. We are working hard to adapt ours to the new regulations.

Is there any news in terms of engine and frame?
The engine is more or less the one we had tested in Valencia, whereas we have a new frame that gives us more possibilities that we want to explore.

What type of work are you doing over these days?
Casey is focusing on the chassis architecture, whereas Michele is projected more into the future, testing new solutions. It is a different job than even what Lorenzo and Dovizioso will do in the coming days.

Speaking of Jorge, this morning we saw him in the garages…
It seems normal to me that he should be here.”

It is a bit unusual to see a factory rider following the testers’ work…
Jorge is a different type of rider and he wants to understand what is needed.”

There have also been rumours of Stoner as a possible coach for Lorenzo. Have you spoken about it?
Yes, but it will be impossible. However, I would like to specify that he would not have been Jorge’s coach, but the coach for all the Ducati riders.

The fans still dream of seeing him racing again…
For him he has turned that page. If he should ask us for it, we would be happy to give him the opportunity, but it won’t happen.

What will his commitment as a tester be this year?
It’s hard to say at the moment. It depends on our needs. I think we can hypothesise 3 or 4 tests for him.

Another thing that keeps coming up is Ducati’s entrance in Moto3. Will that be in the near future?
I am convinced that it would be better for Ducati to be in that category, but we need to take things step by step. First we’ll think about MotoGP and once that is completely sorted, we’ll think about Moto3.

Will we also see the Desmo on the small single-cylinders or is it pointless given the limitations?
We will be able to use it and, in any case, Ducati has a lot of experience making that type of powerplant.

Have you ever thought about Moto2, on the other hand?
No. It is not a category that we can think about at the moment.

Photo © Marco Guidetti

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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