In Qatar, it became official that the Ducati factory was alone against all the others, namely five other brands: Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki but also the Europeans KTM and Aprilia. In question, this evolution of the level corrector now also influences the front of the motorcycle. The competition can no longer bear having to follow this path, the men of Borgo Panigale have drawn up the budget, the speed, the safety and the uselessness for the motorcycles on the market which are all elements constituting a file aimed at banning of the device by the Grand Prix Commission. The counter-attack comes via sports director Paolo Ciabatti who responds point by point and even a little more by opening a few files...
Public chat GP One, Paolo ciabatti went to the front against the five other manufacturers involved in MotoGP to deal the blow after a revolt against the technical choices of the red tunics. The sports director believes that “ l'histoire se répète » once again in MotoGP when he notes that Ducati has been left alone to defend an innovation that all its rivals oppose, a situation that we " do not like » in Borgo Panigale.
« We believe that the reaction of the rest of the factories to prohibit a technical solution to another company that operates within the framework of the regulations is not correct. It seems to me that what happened in 2016 with the fins is repeated, then with the deflector in 2019, in general with all the new features that Ducati was the first to introduce ", Explain Ciabatta.
He recalls that his factory “ invented the system to lower the motorcycle at the start and everyone copied it, as well as the device that lowers the motorcycle during races. I think the reasons they gave are fallacious ». Ciabatta claims not to understand one of the arguments presented by other factories to exclude the use of this technology: “ they say this system cannot be used in production motorcycles, and I would like to say that all our competitors use pneumatic valves which will never be used in production engines. The same can be said for carbon brakes. These are both very expensive solutions, so I don't think there's any need to argue about cost ».
“I wish others wouldn’t come and watch how Ducati spends its money”
In addition to alluding to safety reasons on the track, Honda, Yamaha, KTM, Aprilia and Suzuki see no point in investing more money in these systems at a time when the economy of the entire paddock is uncertain. not his best moment. Ducati reminds that each factory can freely manage its economy: “ I think that everyone, within the framework of their budget, should be free to make their own decisions, both in the technical field and in ensuring in a certain way the commitment of their expenses. There are teams that spend a lot of money on their drivers, and that just makes me smile ».
Ciabatta throws a dart at its main rivals in MotoGP, reminding them that perhaps they should invest less money in the millionaire salaries of their riders and allocate a larger budget to the development of their prototypes: “ we have a budget and we use it to have competitive and winning drivers, and also to do the development we need, nothing more. Other factories have decided to spend more money on their drivers, it's a decision I don't criticize. But I wish others wouldn't come and watch how Ducati spends its money ».
The sporting director of Ducati Corse hopes that “ common sense and fair play » will return to the heart of the MSMA, and insists on the fact that “ if something is authorized by regulation, and there are no safety reasons to consider prohibiting it, it should be authorized » despite the fact that currently, “ five factories want to ban it from 2023, and only we want to keep it. We will have to wait for the decision of the Grand Prix Commission ". Who, for the moment, keeps it under wraps…
