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Ducati recently introduced their new team and the Desmosedici GP16, both ready for the 2016 season and aiming high with the goal of finishing in the top positions in all 18 rounds.
So far, Ducati has only been testing the Desmosedici GP16 in black at Sepang and Phillip but Ducati debuted its racing colors in Bologna. The new livery features winglets colored in red and white. While they look like permanent additions, General Director of Ducati Corse Gigi Dall’Igna told Cycle World that they are actually not permanent. Instead, “maybe the configuration of the wings can change during the season according to the characteristics of the track, but we are proud of the uniqueness of our bike.”
The biggest hurdles the Ducati team had to overcome were regulation changes: tyres and electronics. In order to avoid incidents like the one where Loris Baz’s soft Michelin rear tire exploded during testing, racing bikes will now need to be equipped with new tire pressure sensors and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) has enabled the Technical Director and staff to check the tire pressure at any time. As for the electronic change, a new procedure was approved. The Technical Director can now check specific maintenance channels on the internal datalogger along with a precise list of compulsory channels.
Even with these regulation changes, Dall’Igna is still confident that their engine is the strongest this year and declared it as such; “we are superior compared to our competitors. Not only in regard to the power, but also the drivability.”
We’ll just have to wait and see if his confidence produces results in the opening rounds with Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso.
