MotoGP: These are the secrets of Ducati, the only brand that presents battle to the Japanese powers at the beginning of the World Cup

In the last three years, the Ducati have been intractable in the MotoGP World Cup. Not surprisingly, they have been the mounts of the champions of the last three editions, Pecco Bagnaia (in 2022 and 2023, with the official team) and Jorge Martín (2024, with the satellite team, the Pramac). Nothing invites you to think that the brand that has also dominated the last four teams by teams, with Pramac himself as a leader in 2023, will lose that hierarchy.

In this new season, Ducati’s mechanical strength joins the talent of his pilots: Bagnaia and Marc Márquez. The Catalan, who adds eight titles, six of them in MotoGP, one in 125cc and one on Moto2, burns in desire to prove his worth. Now, with a really competitive motorcycle, he is the great rival to beat in a World Cup that starts This weekend in Thailand. Yesterday, on the Buriram circuit, all the grid pilots were presented.

The competitive advantage that Ducati has achieved has its own name: the engineer Dall’Igna teeth. He assures Carlos Checaformer pilot of the World Motorcycling and Superbikes, with extensive experience with the Japanese Honda and Yamaha and in Ducati itself and who is currently a commentator of the Motorcycling World Cup for Dazn. “Gigi Dall’igna always establishes the difference,” he emphasizes. «Now, it is the best. Nobody knew who the Honda, or Yamaha engineer was, and now there is more talk about that. The paradigm has changed. Currently, Motorcycling is a more technological sport, where the pilot will always have something to say, But with less influence than in the past, ”explains the former Barcelona pilot.

«Bringing a motorcycle to the limit is less fun today, everything has been dehumanized a little and I think that the motorcycle depends much more on technological elements than on the sensations of the pilots, than they can assimilate or intuit and, from there, apply one mode of driving or another. Before, you intervene morenow, technologies supply you in some aspects, but you must also be more attentive and more applied, ”says Checa.

One hundred victories

Years ago, Japanese brands were the great dominators and in this campaign they fight to recover their old laurels. Ducati is the only non -Japanese brand capable of winning a MotoGP World Cup and reaching the milestone of 100 victories in this categoryhalf of them have achieved them in the period from 2020 to 2024. Among its brightest pilots they have figured Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso, Loris CapirosiMarc Márquez, Jorge Martín y Pecco Bagnaia.

The Ducati company was founded in 1926 in Bologna by the engineer Antonio Cavalieri Ducati, Carlo Crespi And three of his children, but it was not until 1952 when they designed their first motorcycle.

«Before, the European teams were not up, the technologies were others and, at the time Ducati entered the championship, everything was a bit, with new aerodynamic systems or with the theme of the lowestwhich is the Height Device Ride. The pilot’s action window has been reduced and, in addition, Ducati has been able to interpret its tires very well. Has found that technical balance to function better than others», Says Czech.

The former Spanish pilot also provides added value: «Ducati has a work system such as the other European factories, but has a way to manage things more at the sports level, Much more agile, much faster. The Japanese, while they continue in that old system of meetings, analysis and, when they make decisions, it’s too late ». Czech also believes that Yamaha and Honda (the two Japanese powers) are already taking the necessary steps to evolve.

«No one thought that Ducati was going to be able to make a motorcycle that would go down in acceleration, put some ailerons and be able to find some advantages in the aerodynamic part. That is what has radically changed the way of understanding and making competition motorcycles. And the great architect of this has been Dall’Egna. Because we, for example, aerodynamically, in Yamaha, in 2002, We have already tried some ailerons at the frontto see if we had a little more stability in the braking or we had a little more support in the front wheel, which is what we were missing. Surely, the person who put that did with good intention, but not with effectiveness or taking out the performance they have now, ”he says. “Gigi is the most trained person for that, he is able to get an idea out of the hat and work in an area that had never worked before, achieving with her an advantage and making everyone else go to tow,” he says.

Shorter distances

Czech believes that with Dovizioso they could have won more than one championship, but then they were in front of Marc Márquez, who made the difference a lot. Then Gigi Dall’igna was a step further and her engineers interpreted the dynamics. In addition, Márquez had a motorcycle, La Honda, who stayed inferior to the rest. The distances are shortened, but remain far from disappearing, because according to this specialist, Rivals are getting closer to Ducati. “Until Marc Márquez himself, who was a pilot capable of winning with a motorcycle that was not the best, has had to concentrate to look for a Ducati,” says Carlos Checa, who sees Cervera’s pilot as the great candidate for the first place in the podium, because if in the past he was able to impose himself without enjoying the best motorcycles, he should now overcome less difficulties.

Also adventure that his main adversaries will be his brother Àxlex And Pecco, but warns that he must learn to handle a very powerful motorcycle well, because there is the risk of falls, as has happened to Jorge Martín, which has caused leave for the first Grand Prix, which starts this Saturday (9.00 hours, Dazn) in the Thai circuit of Buriram with the race to the Sprint. On Sunday, at the same time, the first test will be played.