When Jorge Lorenzo signed with Ducati in 2017, many envisioned a partnership destined to dominate MotoGP. On one side, a three-time world champion renowned for his surgically precise riding; on the other, an Italian manufacturer on the rise but still searching for the winning formula. Yet, if we listen to Davide Tardozzi's recollections of that period, the beginnings were extremely difficult.
The Desmosedici seemed to be the antithesis of the Yamaha that Lorenzo had been at the helm for nearly ten years. Results were slow to materialize, and tensions soon arose. In hindsight, Davide Tardozzi However, he believes that this collaboration, despite its apparent failure, has profoundly transformed Ducati.
Podcast Guest Misterhelmet, the director of DucatiLenovoTeam acknowledged without hesitation that Jorge Lorenzo was probably the pilot who had most forced him to question his way of working. Without a doubt, Jorge Lorenzo. At first, we had some disagreements, but we eventually understood each other and reconciled. »
The Italian recalls a delicate period, during which he had to convince the Majorcan that he was now operating in a completely different world. For almost a decade, Lorenzo had shaped his driving around the Yamaha M1Upon arriving at DucatiHe found himself riding a much more demanding motorcycle, with a radically different technical philosophy.
According to TardozziIt took time for him to accept this new reality. In the beginning, It wasn't easy to make him understand that he was with Ducati and no longer with Yamaha.whether it was in the way he handled things, the motorcycle, or what he asked for »
Davide Tardozzi: “ We manufactured twenty-six or twenty-seven different versions of the part located between the rider's legs and the fuel tank »
The first few months were frustrating. Ducati had made a considerable investment to attract the Spaniard, but the Desmosedici was completely unsuited to his riding style. Rather than asking Lorenzo to completely change his way of piloting, Ducati eventually adopted a different approach.
The engineers began working on an often underestimated element: ergonomics. The rider's position on the motorcycle became a top priority. Tardozzhe reveals that Ducati has developed an impressive number of solutions.
« In the first year alone, we manufactured twenty-six or twenty-seven different versions of the part located between the rider's legs and the fuel tank.A series of prototypes designed to offer Lorenzo improved braking stability and greater freedom of movement when entering corners.
According to TardozziJorge Lorenzo was the first rider Ducati to understand the crucial importance of this contact zone between the rider and the motorcycle. The shape of the tank, the seat, and how the body could lean on it directly altered the ability to control the Desmosedici.
« Jorge was the first to understand that the riding position and the shape of the tank could help to better enter the turns"This work went far beyond mere comfort. It directly influenced performance."
All these efforts eventually paid off. Starting with the 2018 Italian Grand Prix, Lorenzo He finally has a motorcycle suited to his needs. The result is immediate. He wins his first victory with Ducati at Mugello before following up a few weeks later with a success in Barcelona, then another victory in Austria.
For the first time, the association Lorenzo-Ducati reveals its full potential. Ironically, it is precisely when the project is finally working that the two parties decide to end their collaboration.
For Davide Tardozzi, the greatest achievement of Jorge Lorenzo perhaps does not lie in his three victories obtained with DucatiIt lies in the technical solutions he helped to develop. Once he designed his tank, everyone adopted the Lorenzo style… even our competitors »
According to the director of DucatiSeveral details introduced at that time are still present today on modern Desmosedici. This proves that the Majorcan breed left a much deeper mark than its statistics suggest.
With only three wins in two seasons, the transition from Jorge Lorenzo in Ducati is often considered a disappointment. Yet, the confidences of Davide Tardozzi invite us to qualify this judgment.
Si Lorenzo He never won the title with the Desmosedici, but he helped to develop the bike in a direction that would later benefit Andrea Dovizioso, Francis Bagnaia and to the entire current generation of pilots Ducati.
Paradoxically, one of the greatest contributions of Jorge Lorenzo The history of MotoGP may not lie in the races it won, but in the technical developments it inspired. A subtle influence, but one still perceptible today on one of the championship's leading machines.
