Paolo Ciabatti (Ducati): “We want to avoid the use of real Superbikes by MotoGP riders”

Before being Sports Director of Ducati Corse, Paolo Ciabatti was first Director of the Ducati Superbike team, at the time, among others, Troy bayliss, from June 1999 to March 2007. Then he temporarily left the Italian manufacturer to become Managing Director of the Superbike World Championship from April 2007 to December 2012, when it was organized by the brothers Maurizio and Paolo Alberto Flammini. He then became MotoGP Project Director at Ducati in January 2013, then Sports Director in January 2014. He therefore has all the skills required to have a global vision of the problem raised by the recent ride by Fabio Quartararo.

Ciabatti began by clarifying that on the one hand Ducati had nothing to do with this story, and on the other hand the FIM could have gone about it differently to announce the news.

“Taking into account that we are not among those affected, I agree that a statement from the FIM must contain names and precise indications, in order to avoid any speculation. »

“In a case like this, it would have been more appropriate and adequate to send a private letter to the teams concerned, in order to give them the opportunity to respond” Ciabatti explained to Paolo Scalera of GPOne.com.

In your opinion, Paolo, what is the spirit of article 11.5.1 ci) ii) of the regulations?

“The fundamental objective is to prevent a MotoGP rider from testing with a real Superbike. »

But what is the difference between a real Superbike and a motorcycle derived from the modified series?

“In practice, the engine should not be as elaborate as that of a Superbike, nor should it have the electronics of a Superbike which, of course, are very different from those of the production bike. »

“This is why our drivers use a standard Panigale, or rather a Panigale V4 S which has a cylinder capacity of 1100 cm3. »

It must be taken into account that during a private test it is difficult to precisely describe the internal components of the engine. Without the possibility of having examined and dismantled it, we do not know the real contents.

" Of course ! The fact is that with the spread of social media, it is the pilots themselves who publish that they do it. »

“It seems to me, for example, that I read that Nakagami himself said that he used the Honda CBR1000 RR-R for his training. »

Thus Takaaki Nakagami explained, with supporting photos (below), that he had ridden a CBR1000RR-R in Motegi in Japan at the end of June, while specifying that it was the “standard” motorcycle:

 

Andrea Dovizioso on the Panigale V4 S he used for the Race of Champions at Misano in 2018

Photos © Ducati