MotoGP – Ducati MotoGP unveil their 2014 livery at Audi –

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MotoGP Ducati unveil their 2014 livery at Audi

MotoGP - Ducati MotoGP unveil their 2014 livery at Audi -

Breaking with its habits, Ducati did not present the new colors of its official MotoGP at its headquarters in Bologna (Italy) but in Munich (Germany), during an event organized by its new owner, Audi .

Breaking with its habits, Ducati did not present the new colors of its official MotoGP at its headquarters in Bologna (Italy) but in Munich (Germany), during an event organized by its .

Apart from this small geographical "sprain" intended to underline the links uniting the Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the German automobile group VAG, the presentation was similar to previous editions: the 2014 Desmosedici are still predominantly red and white, their drivers ( Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso) are as usual very excited and the leaders of the brand have high hopes for the coming season….

"We are ready for the new MotoGP season and convinced that the enthusiasm, passion and competence of our team, as well as the support of our sponsors, partners and all our tifosi, will allow us to approach it with determination" , assures Claudio Dominicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding (above left in suit and tie): "Cal and Andrea are very talented riders and Luigi Dall’Igna (the new CEO of Ducati Corse, Editor’s note) will be certainly capable of managing the resources at its disposal as well as possible ".

Dall’igna, defector from Aprilia, for his part assured that his appointment as head of the Ducati competition department was "probably the biggest challenge of my career", before presenting his battle plan for the 2014 season, and in particular his choice – very controversial – to engage all Desmosedici .

"The most important thing for now is to continue the development of the bike and the choices we have made will allow us to continue to move forward and progress", explains the Italian leader (2nd from the left above).

"We are satisfied with the lap times in the last tests but also with the consistency of these lap times and the riders’ impressions. Ducati has significantly reduced the gap on its rivals and we are sure that we can continue to move forward during this season".

Lorenzo: "there is a risk of seeing the Open
become the benchmarks of MotoGP "

Without departing from his usual reserve, Dani Pedrosa spoke about Ducati‘s move to the Open category. "I think it’s a year of change for Ducati," said the Honda-Respol official: "their entry in the Factory 2 category may allow them to climb in the rankings, but we cannot predict anything for this year. . We will not know more until the lights go out in Losail "…

Much more explicit, his compatriot Jorge Lorenzo does not hide a certain concern in front of the regulatory adjustments made by the organizer to try to balance the forces between Factory and Open. Changes that directly benefit Ducati, but also Aleix Espargaro whose "almost M1" flies almost as much as the factory motorcycle of the Mallorcan… "Dorna (championship promoter, Editor’s note) gave them big advantages, maybe even a little too much. We have to hope not", declares the vice-world champion: "Honda and Yamaha continue to develop their own electronic components , but there is a risk that the Open will become the benchmarks of MotoGP ".

An analysis all the more relevant since it makes no mystery that it is about Dorna’s objective: to align MotoGP whose development would be technically and economically restricted by a single electronics. And thus manage to finally seduce new manufacturers like BMW and KTM !

Asked about the consequences of Ducati’s passage to the Open and the possible setting up of one, Luigi Dall’Igna does not hide a certain exasperation regarding what he considers to be a regulatory change intended to "reduce the margins for maneuver from Ducati ".

Logical reaction on the part of the Italian brand, but it was foreseeable that the organizer and the other manufacturers would not let Ducati develop its motorcycle as a true factory prototype, while taking advantage of the advantages granted to motorcycles aligned in Open (theoretically less advanced, because they are engaged by private structures) !

"We know that we still have a lot to do to reduce the gap between us and the leaders, but we are convinced that we have made the right decisions and are very optimistic", concludes Paolo Ciabatti, sporting director of Ducati Corse.

To be continued on MNC: stay connected !

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