Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna speaks his mind on “no winglet” aerodynamics, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, and Ducati’s 2016 season.

Gigi Dall’Igna seemed quite satisfied with the Desmosedici GP’s performance in 2016. The General Manager for Ducati Corse had a tremendous responsibility thrust onto his shoulders when he made the move from rival Italian manufacturer Aprilia back in 2013. The Ducati MotoGP effort was floundering, and company brass were depending on the man responsible for much of Aprilia’s racing success to turn the Borgo Panigale factory’s fortunes around.

Instead of turning the whole racing department upside down and starting from scratch, Dall’Igna began a measured program of improving both the Desmosedici and its development. In 2014, it was a matter of using the current material and personnel, and understanding its strengths and weaknesses. In 2015, with the GP15 incorporating some new ideas, Dall’Igna was hoping for podium finishes with possibly a victory if everything fell into place; he got his first wish. In 2016, he felt that Ducati needed a victory to show everything was on the right path…and he got his wish—twice.

Thus Dall’Igna appeared relaxed as he talked to the media about Ducati’s 2016 season, and what lay ahead for 2017.

“So we’ve arrived at the end of another season,” remarked the Italian to start off the meeting. “I’m quite happy with the technical improvement that we’ve had during this season. We were at or near the front in a lot of the races, and especially in comparison with the previous year, our results were much better. For sure our position in the championship ranking doesn’t reflect my opinion of the real performance of our bike and the riders, but this is a part of the game. Our first target was to be close to our competitor on the most part of the races, and we did this. Another target was to win some races, and we won twice during this season. We also had some pole positions and the race records, meaning we were competitive in those races.”

That said, Dall’Igna is aware that there is still definite room for improvement with the Desmosedici GP. “I think that our main problem is the turning of the bike in the middle of the corner. For sure we have to improve the chassis in that area, and we have some ideas. We tried to implement these ideas in the new bike and hopefully we’ll see if these ideas work.”

When asked if perhaps the new Michelin spec tires are partially to blame for the cornering issues and possibly causing an extension of the cornering problems that plagued the GP15, Dall’Igna flatly rejected that premise. “No. Everybody is on the same tires so the problem is with the chassis,” admitted the Italian. “The problems that we have at the moment are completely different from the problem that we had some years ago. For sure we are real close to our competitors so we have to improve like always, but it’s not a big problem like in the past.”

The big question on everyone’s mind was the winglet ban for 2017. Ducati started the winglet craze in MotoGP, and are widely thought to have benefitted the most from the aerodynamic advantages. That Ducati was the trailblazer for this technical breakthrough of sorts was not lost on Dall’Igna.

“Everybody followed us on the aerodynamic point of view, for sure I’m really proud of that,” said Dall’Igna, before he couldn’t resist a dig at the GP Commission for its ban on the winglets. “During the Valencia weekend, (Andrea) Iannone touched another rider with the winglet (on video), and so we showed everybody once again that the winglet doesn’t create any problem for the safety of the riders. But that’s it, the rules are the rules, and we have to follow them, and we have to develop the bike in the direction that the rules want.”

Dall’Igna then revealed that the development of MotoGP aerodynamics certainly hasn’t stopped in the Ducati Corse halls. “So for next year we have to completely change the aerodynamics of the bike. For sure we are not ready at the moment with the new aerodynamics, so in the next two days we’ll test with a fairing with the winglets because we have to make a comparison of the chassis. This is our main target and so to be sure that we don’t make the wrong decision, we need to test the bike with a configuration that we know.”

“The aerodynamics are very important, but not as important as they are for cars for many reasons. The force that you can create with the aerodynamics (with bikes) is real small, so with the proper setup you can compensate for the winglet behavior. For sure the winglet is something that can help you, and I’m sure that the bike with the winglet is faster than a bike without winglet but the difference is really small. So it’s not a real big problem for us to develop the bike without winglets.”

Speaking of development, Dall’Igna was asked about former MotoGP champion Casey Stoner’s role with Ducati’s MotoGP effort. “I’m really happy that Casey joined us in 2016. He was real important because he gave us some extra data and ideas to develop the bike. I’m proud to work with him,” said Dall’Igna. Nonetheless, the Ducati Corse general manager expressed a desire for Stoner to contribute more time to the project. “I hope that next year he will make more time for us. So more tests, and work more closely with me and our technical department; just to be able to bring each other’s experience together, and work with him to develop the bike and speed up the process.”

Of course, that leads to the next big subject: Jorge Lorenzo’s move to Ducati, which everyone will be watching closely in 2017. Many are asking if Dall’Igna will be designing the new Desmosedici around Lorenzo’s high-corner-speed riding style, but the Italian prefers to wait until the three-time MotoGP champion rides it first before making any changes…a logical process.

“For sure Jorge has a different riding style compared with all the other riders in MotoGP at the moment,” admits Dall’Igna. “So for sure his setup has to be different than the others. We have some ideas because I know him very well but that was a long time ago and in a different class. So some things could change, and I prefer to wait until the first test with him before we make any decision regarding the development that we have to do for him.”

When asked whether the bike will need to change or Lorenzo will need to change in order to utilize the full potential, Dall’Igna was pragmatic. “Both,” he replied. “I think that Jorge is a clever guy and he understands that the bike you have to use starting (with the test) is completely different than the bike that you used for many years in MotoGP. So for sure he has to learn the bike first of all, and to try to adapt his riding style to the strong points that the bike has. But in the reverse, for sure we have to give him the best possible bike; that means that we have to understand first of all what he needs to go fast, and second, to try to give him this. So we have to cooperate together to reach the target.”

“For sure the engine can have some influence on the rider’s exit on the bike. I’m quite curious to hear what will be the opinion of Jorge in our ranges. For sure from the performance point of view I’m quite confident that he won’t have any problems. But we will discuss for sure tomorrow all the parts that can be improved to help him go fast.”

Source: sportrider.com