Giorgio. There are two of them who call it that. Giampiero Sacchi, who gave him his debut on a Derbi 125 at Jerez in 2002, on his 15th birthday (“ The boy is a phenomenon ", he swore). And Gigi Dall'Igna, who then quickly developed in Aprilia's racing department under the leadership of Jan Witteveen. Giorgio was written on the boy's ID card from Mallorca, but Dorna, who already saw in him the future of Iberian motorcycling, convinced the parents Lorenzo, father Chico and mother Maria, to change his name. Since then, this kid who stood on the podium licking a Chupa Chups in homage to his sponsor, has become for everyone Jorge.
With Dall'Igna, Lorenzo won 2 World Championships in 250 cc with Aprilia. Between the two the agreement has always been deep and so, when the engineer from Veneto left Aprilia for Ducati, many thought that sooner or later he would come on board.
For Jorge, “ Gigi is an exceptional engineer. He wants to win and has the attitude of a winner. We have that in common.” It was also Dall'Igna who brought wings to MotoGP, fueling the aerodynamic battle in the premier category. “ If you want to win, you have to do something better than your opponents. If you are a little behind the competition, your disadvantages increase.
“On the other hand, if you are a first mover [like Gigi], then you will have the experience advantage over the adversary with the new technology. Success is the result of good work. Everything he creates is a consequence of his winning mentality », underlines the Majorcan.
How is it different from Yamaha engineers? “ I think Gigi's will to win is greater, but it is certain that he has not yet won the MotoGP World Championship with Ducati, that is why he is very motivated.
“We are in the same position, being a winner is in our nature. That’s why it’s a very good combination,” explains Lorenzo. “Now we have to find the right way to get the most out of it ».
All this reminds us of an interview with Gigi, carried out in April 2016 by Paolo Ianieri on behalf of La Gazzetta dello Sport, of which here are some extracts:
Engineer Dall'Igna, was it easier to design the Desmosedici or to convince Lorenzo?
“Honestly, with Giorgio everything was immediately clear: it was not a complicated negotiation, there were details and considerations to reason about, but finding harmony was easy.”
Did you know Jorge when he was almost a child?
“We met at Derbi and there has always been harmony and mutual esteem between us. From a boy, he became a man, but the esteem is the same and that allowed us to act quickly.”
Who took the first step?
“We always talked to each other, I don’t know if it was me looking for him or vice versa, the relationship between us was never interrupted, even beyond work.”
Did you hesitate?
“It's always complicated to open one door and close another, this was also the case for me with the Aprilia. I imagine that Giorgio has excellent relations with many people at Yamaha and that he had a deep reflection, not only practical but also sentimental. Personal ties make things more difficult.”
Is he the right rider for Ducati?
“I always said I didn’t want excuses. I don't want to think that I don't have any riders, now I have two that I think are good, potential champions, but it is true that Iannone has never been champion, Dovizioso was in 125 but never again after that. I want a rider to be World Champion in MotoGP without there being the slightest excuse from me or from Ducati. »
Photos © Ducati, and La Gazzetta dello Sport (© RCS MediaGroup SpA) for the Aprilia era photo
Sources: speedweek and La Gazzetta dello Sport
