Usually seated in Francesco Bagnaia's chair during the sessions, Luigi Dall'Igna, the general manager of Ducati Corse, more commonly known as "Gigi", is a happy man: as he himself concludes in his Grand Prix report MotoGP from Japan, its 2024 mission is already accomplished!
Indeed, to date Ducati is already assured once again of the constructors', teams' and especially riders' titles, since Brad Binder, 5th and first non-Ducati, is now 209 points behind Jorge Martin with a maximum of 148 left to collect. This is the point that the man with the white goatee decided to highlight after Japan, while insisting on the fact that only the sport will decide the final winner, and not a new chassis or another technical element, as he explained in a interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Speaking of the Champion’s crown… as they say: whatever the result, for us it will be success! Yes, whatever happens! Mission accomplished : Mathematics tells us that one of our riders will be at the top of the world rankings again. This fills us with pride and prepares us for a great Ducati party, whoever the Champion is. We are ready to enjoy a spectacular finale, which will be exactly that… spectacular! Always under the sign of sportiness, in what must be a distinctive feature for a sport like ours, displaying all its greatness!”
For the rest, the text of the balance sheet of the races in the land of the rising sun is as fiery as the face of Gigi Dall'Igna remains of marble in the box…
« Another magnificent ranking with five Ducati in the first five positions. A perfect weekend especially for Pecco, who scored a double, his fourth this year, by sealing his eighth victory of the season in the long race, as few champions have been able to do in the history of MotoGP. Once again and in the most crucial moments, he was able to masterfully manage the technical and competitive resources at his disposal, optimizing them as best he could. Not only did he reduce the gap in the championship standings, but he also reaffirmed his strength and determination, his psychological resilience in a season finale that promises to be fiery and very exciting. With a fiery start, he immediately imposed himself in a race that he dominated from the first to the last lap, a masterpiece built with intelligence, experience and supreme speed, always keeping his lead over Martin under control.
A Martin who, moreover, is not to be outdone: a monstrous first round, which saw him close in no time to the leaders, anticipating a great comeback that took him to second position, fighting for the lead, only to finally realize that he had to settle fora second place which is nevertheless pure gold. He was able to reduce his losses in an exemplary manner both in the Sprint and in Sunday's race, keeping control of a World Championship that he has led with great tenacity so far; a weekend spent hunting, conditioned "only" by the unfortunate position he occupied on the starting grid.
Marc Marquez got an important podium after a complicated qualification. He managed to repel the attempts of a bastianini who, as usual, was the protagonist of the second half of the race after a somewhat hesitant start that conditioned his entire race. It must be taken into account that these two are fighting for a prestigious third place in the general classification, with a gap that is currently only 2 points.
Come on, Ducati! »
MotoGP Luigi Dall'Igna
MotoGP Luigi Dall'Igna