Editor's note: We are re-reading this article which went somewhat unnoticed, probably because of the holidays...
Questioned by Corriere dello Sport and reported by GPone, Davide Tardozzi, the Sporting Director of Ducati Corse, revealed some very interesting elements concerning the measures taken by Ducat to approach the 2017 season.
Starting with the trip of Casey Stoner (accompanied by Michele Pirro) to Sepang, a short week before the official drivers to test new fairings. Because the ban on ailerons is a point against which the men of Borgo Panigale have always protested, who are now looking for a way to recover this lost support on the front axle, which allowed them to make the most of the power of their engine. during acceleration.
Davide Tardozzi: “We will be in Sepang from January 25 to do comparative tests between the old and new fairings, with Michele Pirro and Casey Stoner. But on the outside you won't see big differences.
And to think that Ducati designed them specifically to improve safety! The fins make the bike more stable on straights and when braking, and they reduce wheelies when accelerating. The fact that everyone copied them proves our point. Even riders who said winglets were of no use now realize how much less stable the bike is under braking. We would like to emphasize that this has reduced security, not increased it.
In Valencia, a fairing was approved. In 2017, only two can be developed, one of which must be approved before the Qatar Grand Prix. During the year, a fairing can be used, but also the 2016 fairing without its fins. Unfortunately, the regulations are not very specific on what can and cannot be done, as Dorna technical director Danny Aldridge will have the final and indisputable decision. After visual inspection, it will say whether it is OK or not.
If necessary, if an upgrade is available for a single bike, Dall'Igna might decide that Petrucci tries it first. »
Cow will the support lost by the ban on ailerons be recovered?
“With mass distribution tests. We also need to find the same traction. We will try to find a compromise, because if the bike was able to accelerate the same way without the fins as with them, the latter would have been useless. »
The championship will start on three tracks that favor Ducati: Losail, Austin and Rio Hondo.
“This means it will also be more difficult to win at these tracks because our rivals will not be caught off guard. On the other hand, the real test bed for us will be the fourth event, at Jerez, because it is a track where we have always struggled a lot.
When a factory signs a three-time world champion (MotoGP), you can't blindfold yourself: the goal is the world title in 2018."
