The Sporting Director of Ducati Corse reacted rather sharply to the Comments from the Team Manager of the Repsol Honda team following the homologation of the 213 RC2020V at the last Qatar GP. Honda, Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki were invited to supply either an assembled engine, a complete engine in parts, or drawings of all parts. KTM and Aprilia were not affected because they benefited from concessions.
Only Honda approved its 2020 machine at Losail with Danny Aldridge, technical manager of the GPs. Ducati returned to its closed factory, while Yamaha and Suzuki returned to their open factory, possibly still working on this year's bike. Puig got angry with Ducati, who had not attacked Honda.
Alberto puig, the Honda team principal, said that they were ready to race in Qatar unlike Ducati, that they have homologated the engine there and that they are therefore the only ones who cannot be involved in a shady affair .
“No one ever thought that anyone wanted to be involved in a shady business, but there was a clear situation to deal with: Europe was in lockdown, and Japan was continuing to work as normal. I don't really want to comment on Puig's words, I think he likes to create unnecessary and sterile controversies, even in a moment like this where good taste would imply a little silence which would be appreciated. »
In the meantime, it has been decided to continue with remote homologation of engines and aerodynamics, is this a satisfactory measure for Ducati?
“Yes, because we were in a situation where the European companies, that is us, KTM and Aprilia, were closed while nothing was stopped in Japan. Regardless of all this, the situation was therefore potentially incorrect. »
Would you have wanted development to stop completely?
“I think the message came through loud and clear that the manufacturers had to submit the engine documentation, and likewise the aerodynamics, to be checked at the start of the season. I would say that what needed to be done has been done, at the moment Europe is the center of the pandemic and objectively European manufacturers are the most penalized. There are a number of things you can't do for development while working remotely. »
“At the moment the most important thing is our health and we are all at home, except for my son who is a doctor and who travels between his house in Turin and the hospital in Aosta. It is clear that we are not used to sitting for so long, we work smart, we have meetings via Skype and we refresh our minds a little. »
The hope is that we will do this again soon. Doing 19 Grands Prix is a utopia, what could be a viable solution?
“At this moment, I think there is no point in thinking about redoing the calendar. We hope that in summer or September there will be the possibility of racing in some countries and then we will use a little creativity and imagination. I believe that Dorna is not thinking of organizing 19 races either, it will be necessary to find a minimum of events which can take place in countries which have an acceptable situation from a health point of view and which want to welcome a few thousand people from all over the world. We will have to rethink the way we run, and we will have to start again in a different way. »
Is there a minimum number of races below which a championship would no longer make sense?
“In an emergency situation like the one we are experiencing at the moment, we must forget certain limits that the Federation had set for itself. All sport has stopped, so we will have to start again when the situation is safe. I think doing a dozen races would already be an excellent result. ".
Many observers wonder what will happen to the drivers and their contracts after this break.
“This is a new situation, unexpected and unwanted by everyone we have to deal with. I think this will lead to a rethinking of the championship, and the economic crisis that everyone is experiencing will also affect investments in racing. As a company we exist thanks to the support of our sponsors and partners, but also thanks to the motorcycles we produce and, at the moment, we are almost all closed and there is not even the slightest possibility, in many parts of the world, to buy a motorcycle. »
“I think it will be a very difficult year for all motorcycle manufacturers and going forward we will have to rethink the costs incurred by racing. Competition is great, fun, exciting and it is the best way to promote your brand, but it must have sustainable costs and it will have to be revamped due to the economic situation we will experience in the coming years. »
Source: GPOne.com
Photos © Ducati
