MotoGP | Gigi Dall'Igna: “We will work to make 2018 wonderful for all Ducatisti”

MotoGP Presentation of Ducati Gigi Dall'Igna – The General Director of Ducati Corse, Gigi Dall'Igna, the "father" of Ducatis in recent years, was also present at the presentation of the Ducati Desmosedici GP which will participate in the 2018 championship.

There are many technical innovations for the new bike, even if it will mainly be an evolution of the GP17. The strong points of the new bike will be in the frame, which must be able to be more manageable and smooth in the center of the bend, furthermore the engine has been slightly upgraded, it has gained a few more horsepower but at the same time that declared by Dall'Igna, yes an attempt is made to give him a more docile and controllable response.

These are the words of Gigi Dall'Igna: “2017 was a beautiful year for us, we fought for the championship until the last race, it made us emotional and our fans emotional, this is thanks to the men and women of Ducati Corse and the riders. Nowadays there are few tracks that give us difficulty but we need to improve these aspects. We worked on this over the winter and we will try the ideas in tests. New chassis and an engine with a few more horsepower but more drivable. We worked on the aerodynamics which we are still defining. We won't see the definitive aerodynamics in Sepang but in subsequent tests. In 2018 it will not be necessary to always bring new things but we will have to be able to work only on what will bring real advantages. We have grown in all sectors, there are few situations that bother us. Last year we didn't shine in Australia, so we focused on the aspects that slowed us down last year and hopefully we have resolved that."

The engineer then spoke about the two riders, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, who in 2017 managed to fight for the championship until the last race: “Dovizioso took the best Marquez to the last race to compete for the world championship. It's not the first year he's done well, even at the end of 2016 he scored more points than anyone else. He's a solid rider and I think he'll do well again this year. On the other side there is Jorge Lorenzo, who after the initial difficulties has had a growing season. The victory hasn't arrived but it's a matter of time. For his part, I expect him to be able to fight and play as a protagonist. I hope with all my heart that there is an internal fight for the title, it is the dream of every team manager, this problem is welcome"

For next year Ducati's objectives are clear: “The objective will be to fight for the championship, like last year, a very difficult objective, given the teams we have against us. We also have riders who are scary due to their talent and determination. I can't say that we will be the favourites, but I can say that we will work to make 2018 wonderful for all Ducatisti."