DUCATI TECH: IS SPEED ENOUGH?

Speed isn’t an issue, but turning in to corners is. Can Ducati overcome their weakness?

Ducati have been Honda’s main rival over the past few seasons but whatever clever tricks they’ve played with their Desmosedici they’ve not been able to beat the Honda mounted Marc Marquez on a regular basis. The Desmosedici is ridiculously quick in a straight line – it was fastest at 15 of last year’s 19 races – reaching 221mph at Mugello – but the bike won’t go through corners fast enough. When Jorge Lorenzo rode for Ducati in 2018 he said they would win every race if they fixed their mid-corner problems. So what’s the problem? Not even chief engineer Gigi Dall’Igna knows, otherwise he would’ve found the answer. The Desmosedici GP20 features a slightly revised frame, with different centre of mass and different flex ratios. Riders say it allows them to get the bike turned through corners quicker – but not quick enough. In recent seasons Ducati’s lead rider has been Andrea Dovizioso, who was runnerup to Márquez in 2017, 2018 and 2019; but this year Ducati have a new hope on the grid: Jack Miller. The young Australian races a GP20 just like Dovi’s and Danilo Petrucci’s, and this season he will get more technical support than ever from the factory. This means more engineers working to fix his problems and better electronics strategies for race-long performance. Like the other five factories, Ducati are also working hard to adapt their bike to Michelin’s stronger construction rear slick. In general, riders from all factories like the new tyre, but both Dovizioso and Miller have had some issues with the tyre, which their electronics engineers are working to fix before the first race.

CHASSIS

It’s no surprise that Ducati struggle with their aluminium-beam chassis. They first used this type of frame in 2012, while Aprilia, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha started in the 1980s. Thus Ducati are still learning about flex and twist points, without an entire generation of data.

HOLESHOT

Ducati first used a holeshot device (borrowed from motocross) in 2018. The system jams the front suspension to reduce wheelies but it’s a bit tricky – at last year’s British GP Miller’s stayed engaged through the first few corners.

AERO KIT

No one loves MotoGP aerodynamics technology more than Ducati Corse chief engineer Gigi Dall’Igna. The Italian’s favourite trick is to keep Ducati’s new aero secret until the eve of the first race, in the hope of taking their rivals by surprise.

TOP SPEED

Every year Honda try to match the Desmosedici on top speed and every year Ducati squeezes more power out of their engine. That means the GP20 will probably once again break the all-time top-speed record during the Italian GP.

GEOMETRY ADJUSTER

Ducati’s new geometry adjuster compresses the rear shock hydraulically via a handlebar-mounted switch. This lowers the bike to reduce wheelies and increase acceleration.