As now every year, representatives of the six manufacturers involved in MotoGP are invited to a press conference to answer questions from journalists.
After Barcelona where Honda with Takeo Yokoyama (HRC Technical Manager), Suzuki with Ken Kawauchi (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Aprilia with Paolo Bonora (Aprilia Racing) have already spoken out, it was the turn of Yamaha, Ducati and KTM to do so in Aragón.
Today, we report without any formatting the words of David Barana (Technical Director of Ducati Corse) broadcast by teleconference on the official website MotoGP.com at the start of the Teruel Grand Prix.
What do you think of the development of the Desmosedici 2020?
« At the moment we are quite happy with the development we have made, starting of course as usual since the middle of last year. We have made a very good step forward in terms of our engine power. We were already in a very good situation power-wise but we were able to get something more out of the engine again, which is very good. We didn't only work on the maximum power but also on its usability in managing the torque, which is another step, because we not only considered the performance in a straight line but also that when exiting corners. In terms of the chassis, we made a big change that we had already tried in Valencia after the race and in Jerez, then during the winter tests in Sepang and Qatar. We also introduced a new swingarm, so we did a lot of work, also in that area. In aerodynamics, we have also introduced evolutions to our aerodynamic package, but as you can see, this is not a major change as the bikes are now reaching a stable situation. Overall, I can say that we work in all areas of motorcycling. Of course there has been a big change regarding the tires and I think that affects the performance a lot this year, but it is a process that sometimes takes a long time to adapt the bike to a new tire specification. »
You may have had inconsistent results at times and some of your pilots may need a day or two before they feel comfortable. Does this concern Ducati, because it is linked to the characteristics of the 2020 bike or does it cause frustration, because it comes from the adjustments made by the teams?
« Of course, I think this year is generally characterized by great volatility. As you can see, we have seen many race winners this season. Of course, if you look at past seasons and take away Marc Márquez's results, you would also have a lot of volatility in the results of recent years. I think the explanations for this volatility are not specific to Ducati because you can also see a lot of ups and downs with other manufacturers and riders as well. Of course, the new tire has very good potential but its behavior is very different from the previous one. Some manufacturers or some bikes adapt better to the new specifications, and there are also some riders who are more in tune with these new characteristics, and are adapting to them or are still trying to adapt to them. »
« Another change is the championship itself. Dorna has done a very good job in reshaping the championship to try to adapt to the current situation, but sometimes we race at different times, with different conditions in terms of weather. This is also one of the reasons which sometimes explain these irregular results. »
What is the share of responsibility for performance between the rider, the team and the bike?
« Compared to the world of motor sports in general, the role of the driver in motorcycle racing is much more important than in other four-wheel disciplines for example, because for obvious reasons, they take a lot of risks every time they go out on the track. They must therefore have total confidence in their bike to attack as much as possible. But for this reason also the technical side, the team and also the bike are very important because it is not only about raising the physical limits of the bike but also about making the bike as comfortable as possible for the rider so that he has total confidence in it to be able to attack without restriction. »
What exactly is the impact of the new Michelin rear tire on Andrea Dovizioso's performance?
« This new tire has more grip, generally speaking, which is good, but it can provide that extra grip in a very different way than the last. Surely, it may not completely fit our motorcycle. It seems to be more beneficial for bikes that perform at cornering speed, and this also depends on the rider's riding style. You are right, Andrea is struggling more with the new tire but we are trying with him to find a solution, to find better settings so that he can better express his abilities when riding the bike. It's a process that takes time but we believe that we can find a better solution in each race, like this one in Aragon since we have the references from the previous weekend, which allows us not to start again from new from scratch but to benefit from previous experience. We hope to take a step forward here. »
Find here the words of Honda with Takeo Yokoyama (HRC Technical Manager), Suzuki with Ken Kawauchi (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Aprilia with Paolo Bonora (Aprilia Racing)…
