Jorge Lorenzo at Ducati will be one of the bets that we will follow this season in MotoGP. A challenge for both parties who have given themselves the means to come together. So much so that the world title can only be a logical objective. But it's not all that they got married with great fanfare. Now we still need to be ready for life as a couple. And the answer will be in how to drive the GP17.
The challenge is known: adapting to a Desmosedici with a strong character after having experienced the docility of a Yamaha. All this while we ourselves have a very particular driving style, also taken as a model by the newcomers in the category that are zarco, Folger, or Kidneys. A trio who made no secret of wanting to take the Mallorcan as a reference.
But will this fluid style suit a Ducati that likes a physical challenge? So much Iannone which Dovizioso showed that braking late was a good recipe for pushing the Italian to its limits. An involvement which has also worn out the organizations, if we judge by the state of exhaustion of the Borgo Panigale pilots in certain meetings last year.
As soon as Por Fuera arrived with the reds, the master of the place Gigi Dall'Igna promised that his new recruit would not have to change his technique, since the objective to be achieved in the design of the GP17 is a more serene behavior at the top point. What if these goals are not completely achieved? The five-time World Champion is not too fussy about the subject.
The latter in fact recalls that he has already experienced a similar situation in his career. And he did very well. He explains about crash.net : " here we are back in the days of the 250cc » he announces, referring to his situation in 2006: “ I had then ridden two different motorcycles. The Honda and the Aprilia. With the Honda I had to adapt by braking later and taking less speed in curves. Exactly the opposite of the Aprilia ».
« I think with the Ducati it will be the same situation. It has a different type of engine with much more power and more stability on the straights. Maybe if we still work on this stability we will be able to brake like with the Yamaha. But as far as I am concerned, I will keep more or less the same technique: precision, concentration, smoothness and speed in curves. ».
It will be recalled that the 2017 regulations castrated the Ducati of its fins. Which revealed a more physical and less safe motorcycle according to the first tests carried out. During private tests of Sepang, we saw a Desmosedici equipped with a box at the rear and a revised and corrected exhaust, not to mention solid wheels. Official testing will begin in Malaysia on January 30.
