Randy will be at the start in Malaysia on the 14th aboard the new Ducati Panigale V4 R from the ERC Endurance Team. This German team is now officially supported by the Italian manufacturer in the FIM EWC World Championship.
According to Paolo ciabatti, the Sports Director of Ducati Corse, “The ERC Endurance Team is supported by Ducati with the presence of Ducati Corse engineers specializing in electronics in each race. The machines follow the technical specifications of the World Superbike and have been prepared at the Ducati Corse workshop by the ERC team mechanics with the support of our engineers. »
To Uwe Reinhardt, ERC Endurance team manager, “The Ducati factory developed parts in record time and a special Endurance development cell, which works closely with the Superbike team, was created. »
Randy, what do you expect support from Ducati, whose Panigale V4 R has not yet raced in endurance?
“What is certain is that this bike performs well, as we saw with Álvaro Bautista on its handlebars in the Superbike World Championship. This is a bike that I tried in the racing version during a track day. It pushes really hard and I was surprised by how easy and smooth the engine was at low revs. The power and top speed are impressive. »
“I did around ten laps with standard tires and unadjusted suspensions, but I was still surprised by this bike which reminded me a little of the characteristics of a MotoGP machine from around ten years ago. of years. For a production bike, it really impressed me. »
“For the 8 Hours, I think it will be a high-performance bike, but unfortunately we shouldn't dream because we will only have Wednesday to tune it and be as efficient as possible. From Thursday, we will attack the qualifications. »
“There will be quite a few engineers with us, which will save us time because they are used to making it work. Then, it's an 8 hour race, the bike is new and the team has never ridden in these conditions. So you have to expect small problems. But I am going into this project knowingly. »
“What I liked was the machine, as well as a motivated team who knew how to surround themselves with competent people to make it work. Because it's not enough to buy motorcycles of this type if you don't have anyone competent or capable of making this type of machine efficient. There the sporty and technical package looks good. Afterwards, you will have to have a little success. »
What do you think of the choice of Louis Rossi and Ondřej Ježek as teammates?
“These two drivers were already under contract with the team, so it is rather me who joins the team. With my teammates, we will do the best job possible. We know that in endurance, even if we have the best crew on paper, it is not necessarily the one who wins. »
“We are three different drivers with different ways of riding. We will see how we can best adapt to this machine. We are going to make sure that all three of us are as efficient as possible in a short period of time. »
You had already ridden in endurance with SRC Kawasaki and Honda Endurance Racing. Why do you change teams more often than, for example, Vincent Philippe who has been at SERT for almost twenty years?
“I arrived at Kawasaki at the Bol d’Or in 2016, then I stayed in 2017 and 2018. I would say that sportingly it went well. Afterwards we decided that it was better to go our separate ways. I still spent two good years there. We had good results, and even if we didn't win we came close to victory in quite a few races. »
“Then the Honda track was available. It suited me well because I had raced the Suzuka 8 Hours twice for Honda with FCC and MuSASHi, and even if the European version of this bike is different from its Japanese counterpart, I knew that there was a way to do something. We also saw it at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where we were well placed to play for victory, as well as in Germany where we were on the podium. Overall, during the three European races that I did with them, we were in the fight for either victory or the podium. »
“So for a bike that people considered not good with Dunlops that weren't going well, frankly I had three good races. Overall, with my teammates and the team, it went well. There was a desire to continue after Suzuka, when suddenly unfortunately the team went out of business. »
“So from there I found myself without handlebars for the Bol d'Or, nor for the rest of the season. I was disappointed not to participate in the Bol d'Or because I love this track and I'm quite fast there. Suddenly, nothing and nothing…”
“A fortnight ago, there was this opportunity on the Ducati. I weighed the pros and cons. As I simply want to ride, there were more pros than cons and I decided to embark on the adventure. As I tell you again, this program interests me because there is a desire. It's not “we buy the bikes and put them on the track to see what happens.” The team is a customer supported by Ducati. Either he took the bike with the engineers, or there was nothing. »
“For me it's good because the people at Ducati don't want to see their machine stopped at the side of the track. There, the people from the team will be accompanied by people from the factory, and that's rather interesting. Everything comes together to make it positive, and above all I love the Sepang track. »
Exactly, do you think that the Ducati is a good choice for Sepang, facing for example the Yamaha of Franco Morbidelli, Hafizh Syahrin and Michael van der Mark?
“The Yamaha has the perfect package because it has the Bridgestones. In Sepang, the Bridgestones are better than the Pirellis, especially after a half-hour stint. On the other hand, the Yamaha is finished, they are going there with the bike which is already tuned. »
“For us, I think our bike will have great potential if we manage to tune it well. I was impressed by the power of the engine. It is clear and clear that the Yamaha does not have this engine. Afterwards, it's a machine that behaves a bit like a MotoGP, which is pretty good for me, and then we'll see. The goal there is to race consistently and get the best possible position. »
“Of course in qualifying if I can get a great lap, I won't deprive myself of it, especially since the qualifying Pirelli is pretty good, compared to Dunlop which doesn't have a qualifying tire and to Bridgestone which is a little less good. »
“If the Ducati is in pole position at Sepang, even if we are fifth in the race, that will get people talking. I want to contribute to the development of motorcycling. I have developed a lot of MotoGP and on that I think I am capable of helping them from Wednesday, and giving them good information without needing fifteen laps to understand what is happening. »
The Ducati Panigale V4 R of the ERC Endurance Team
Randy de Puniet on his last Ducati, in 2011 at Pramac
Video: Randy de Puniet on the MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO.Honda #636 | Suzuka 8 Hours 2018
Photos © ERC Endurance, motogp.com / Dorna
