Like his colleagues from the 5 other manufacturers, the technical manager of Ducati, David Barana, was able to take stock in front of the press after the first half-season of 2019.
Here is our translation of his entire remarks.
A new season, a new bike and a new challenge. It must be a bit difficult to accept the defeat of your drivers in the championship at the moment. Do you think this is due to the progress of your opponents or does Ducati still have areas to improve?
David Barana : “as always, the truth is in the middle. It is true that Honda has improved its performance, especially in the area of acceleration, probably thanks to an increase in engine power but we have also seen that they are working a lot in other areas on their bike, on aerodynamics and moving a lot of components, which is a significant and unusual change.”
“For our part, we are second and third, and we also have Jack (Miller) who is doing well, which means that our bike can perform well with different riders. This is proof that our motorcycle is following a robust and consistent development direction. But if we look at Marc (Márquez), the gap is very big, too big. This means that we have to work harder than we are used to, especially in the areas that we know, where there is the most margin to gain, and I am referring to the performance of the bike in the turns ".
Ducati has a reputation for being very creative. How difficult is it right now to continue to innovate in MotoGP to perpetuate this characteristic and gain an advantage over your opponents?
“MotoGP is the pinnacle of motorcycling racing, and so it is by definition a difficult environment. But I would also like to take this opportunity to say that we do not want to be pioneers or be creative at all costs. This is only the result of our approach to development which is always innovative and positive. We first try to use the potential benefit of a simple solution, then we return to drawing. We never say it's impossible or that it's never been done before, and that's why you sometimes see out-of-the-box solutions. But there are also a lot of things that you don’t see that, when added together, can also provide a pretty good advantage.”
Aerodynamics is a big and important part that Ducati is working on. It looks like there will be restrictions next year in this area. What is your point of view on the subject and what benefits do you draw from it for production motorcycles?
“Since 2015, we have been the first to make such important innovations in aerodynamics. So we still believe in this development. Over the years we've seen more and more limitations because of the regulation, but it's a compromise between different parties and different interests, so it is what it is. As you could see, last year we also introduced the wings on the Panigale, developed from MotoGP during the first years when we worked on aerodynamics, and this is therefore proof that we believe in these solutions . We are therefore continuing to develop this area, of course within the limits of current and future regulations.”
After the German Grand Prix, André Dovizioso said a change was necessary for the future, speaking about the bike's genes and specifying that the handling of the front axle needed to be improved in corners. Is it possible and is it necessary?
“Of course, we are aware that cornering performance is the area where we can gain the most. But it's important to remember to continue to improve the areas that make us strong, because if you focus on just one area, you risk losing the advantage you have in others. Getting better cornering performance is therefore a fairly long process. Unfortunately, nowadays it's still a process of trial and error, so it takes quite a long time because you have to do some testing to prove what's really effective, and then move on to the next step. 'next step. It takes a lot of time. This is the reason, because it takes time to reach certain levels.”
You say it takes time to develop the chassis. In the past, hasn't Ducati put too much effort into the engine and neglected the chassis?
" I do not think so. It is certain that at the very beginning of our experience in MotoGP, we had very different solutions from those of our competitors. During this time, it may have been difficult to compare yourself to others because of this vast difference. Since 2013 we have been quite similar in terms of chassis concept and from there we continued to develop the chassis along with the engine. Maybe with the engine we have more experience historically, because the history of engine engineering at Ducati is long. It is probably much easier for us to develop the engine than to develop the chassis, that may be true, but the effort we put into developing the chassis is still the maximum and best we can do. Of course, we could use steel, but our main topic is to catch up (with others), so now and in the future we are putting even more effort in this area.”
You say that you are 2nd and 3rd in the championship. How different would your work be if it weren't for Marc Márquez?
“It's difficult to say because it's not so easy to think that we would be first and second without Marquez, but it would probably be a lot easier than in recent years. We finished second a few times and probably could have won the championship. Maybe, who knows ? For me this is irrelevant: Marquez is here, so we have to fight against him and against Honda, and try to win.”
After the race in Brno, Dovizioso was heard saying he couldn't keep up with Márquez when he started braking harder. Ducatis have always been strong on the engine and stable under braking. Do you think Honda has neutralized your advantage?
“It is certain that, as I said before, they have made a lot of progress in terms of acceleration. But it's probably less clear whether they've also improved in braking, because as we've seen in recent years, performance is a combination of many pieces of data that work well together. We saw ups and downs from different riders and different bikes, because it's difficult to be 100% everywhere. Maybe in Brno our braking advantage was wiped out, but I think it remains one of our strongest areas.”
What do you think of the idea of having an engine upgrade authorized during the year, which is prohibited at the moment?
“For us, we are quite open to discussion regarding this change. I would say that, although it's not obvious, it does have some cost advantages because when you have to freeze development at the start of the season, maybe you're spending a lot of money at that time, having different options before choosing just one and discarding the others. So maybe with intermediate development you can both promote development and save some costs. "It's perhaps not something that would cost more because the development continues anyway during the season for the following year."
In 2020, Michelin will resume the development of its tires. How much does this affect your motorcycle?
“Of course the development of the chassis is always correlated to the characteristics of the tires. We are satisfied with the way Michelin brings developments because although it gives us more work, it is important for us that these introductions are planned well in advance, which gives the manufacturers time to adapt the bike well to the new specifications”.
What do you think about possible changes to the characteristics of MotoGP, such as the number of cylinders or the weight which seems important for a prototype?
“I think the current regulation is a good compromise. A good compromise because it allows the new manufacturer who enters the category to do so without having too high a step to take to start, because for example, with common electronics, it is much easier than in the past: you don't have to completely develop electronics from scratch, compared to others who are 10 years ahead of you. In terms of weight, you're right, the minimum weight could be lower, but that's OK because it's a sort of limitation to prevent overdoing certain searches. Concerning the engines, I think that the current regulations are also a good compromise because the maximum displacement is quite large. It makes the power important but not absolutely important, and it similarly allows new manufacturers coming in to make things, I wouldn't say easy, but not requiring too much time to be at a good level. Maybe not the best, but at a good level to fight with others. So overall, I think it's a good compromise between different interests or different points of view.
Photo credit : MotoGP.com
