Gigi Dall’Igna dreams with Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia
The words of Dall'Igna
Ducati Corse General Manager Luigi Dall'Igna spoke on Linkedin after the winter tests: “After Barcelona, Malaysia and Thailand we can certainly feel satisfied with the speed results shown in the test sessions. The’goal we set ourselves, as well as the philosophy to be applied, was clear and shared with our drivers: only what was obviously better in the 2024 version had to be applied right away, from the first race. Instead, the rest will be calmly evaluated, further improved and implemented over the course of the season, which promises to be longer than ever".
"Not è an easy concept to explain, but not all evolutions have only positive aspects. Most, in fact, involve both advantages and disadvantages, and depending on the track or objective conditions, one might outweigh the others. The work to be done during testing è therefore, to judge whether a solution tried on a few tracks and perhaps often in very particular grip conditions can be improved overall, at least on the eight to ten tracks on which the’start of the season".
"As for the engine, it was already clear in Barcelona that, while advantageous in terms of performance and easeà of driving, it revealed more complicated engine brake management. We were therefore already partly prepared to confirm the 2024 version and everything was ready for that choice. The aerodynamic package, on the other hand, è proved to be the most difficult decision. It brought undoubted advantages, especially on a track like Thailand’s Buriram, but it risked bringing disadvantages on tracks with faster corners like Argentina and Qatar".
"We preferred caution, with the intention of testing it again with some updates in the upcoming Jerez test. The swingarm and gearbox, however, passed the test while the new lowerer will still be evaluated during the race weekends. It’ll definitely be a very hard-fought World Championship during which many manufacturers and many riders will have their say, but as always it’ll be the balance and competitiveness’on each track that will make the difference".
