Family celebrations are sometimes an opportunity to empty your bag. The meeting of the Ducatists this weekend near Misano was no exception to this rule, especially since the Borgo Panigale brand was celebrating its 90th anniversary. Until then, we had not heard the reaction of chief engineer Gigi Dall'Igna on the ban imposed on wings by the Grand Prix commission at Assen. On the banks of the Adriatic, the Italian broke the silence.
Wings had been the subject of debate since the start of the season and their existence was sealed shortly before the Dutch Grand Prix. Aerodynamic appendages will no longer be allowed in MotoGP from next year. They are therefore living their last hours. End of story for accessories that Ducati had brought, developed and defended.
It is therefore a disavowal for the reds. Enough to annoy a Gigi Dall'igna who commented on GP One : " At first, our rivals copied us, before changing the regulations. My feeling is that Ducati had a certain lead in the aerodynamic field and that they wanted to penalize us by putting forward the ridiculous argument of safety ».
The general manager of Ducati Corse is therefore furious: “ We will therefore no longer be able to use the fins from next year. But we consider that these fins on the contrary improve safety because they keep the front wheel on the ground. They allow greater control of the motorcycle. In the accidents that have occurred, no pilots have been injured due to the ailerons. Security is an excuse given by those who wanted to punish us ».
And now ? “ I am convinced that despite everything we will have a competitive bike next year. Even without the fins. Victory is our goal and I still believe it is possible even if our rivals are extremely strong. But we are not less competitive either as a factory or with our current drivers. We will never be satisfied until we win a race and then the championship. I promised it and I will do everything to keep my promise ».
Next year, Jorge Lorenzo will join Ducati and a lot is expected of him. Now, with regard to the fins, this ban could only be taken when the representatives of the manufacturers meeting within the MSMA unanimously validated it. Ducati therefore agreed to ban the wings…
