Ducati: Lease price limit means lower spec machinery

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A 1m Euro (£830,000) cap on the cost of leasing a MotoGP bike in the future will make it impossible for Ducati to deliver the same high level of technology featured on its existing customer bikes.

To ensure MotoGP is more affordable in the future for independent teams like Tech 3, Gresini, LCR and potential new entries, factories could be forced to charge no more than 1m Euros for their bikes under radical proposals currently under discussion.

But Ducati boss Filippo Preziosi said it would be impossible to lease a current GP12 for that price and he told MCN: “That bike with all the technology, no we couldn’t lease for that price. It is necessary to be very clear about what the fee includes. 

Does it mean just the bike or the bike plus all the engines or does it include all the spare parts for maintenance? And there is crash damage parts. For these reasons you have to be clear what would be supplied for 1m Euros.”

All factories are nervous that sweeping rule changes like a controlled ECU or 16,000rpm rev limit will deny them of a key reason why they race in the first place.

Technology development is a fundamental aspect of MotoGP for the factories and Ducati and Honda have already said that too much dumbing down of the rules could see them quit.

But restrictions like a controlled ECU are being discussed by the factories, as Dorna seeks to lower costs and bridge the gap between factory prototypes and new CRT machinery.

Preziosi added: “Ducati joined MotoGP because of the chance to develop technology and the Panigale would never have been born without the experience of MotoGP. If you freeze everything you lose the interest of the companies but if you allow everything then our company is too small to compete when you need 100m Euros.

"There has to be a compromise. Things like a single ECU is interesting from a cost side and for having more balanced performance between the bikes. On the other side you lose a lot of interest because all the strategies developed in MotoGP are available for production bikes.

"We are trying to make a compromise between cost and the interest of the championship. Having no rev limit and free electronics are two really important items but we also have to keep the costs under control. Each choice will mean everybody will have to compromise.

"Our idea is to keep our product at a certain level so we are open to lease the bike. It is important to understand what the satellite teams are asking for. If they want a factory spec then it is factory costs. If they are happy with a different spec, maybe last year’s bike, it could be less expensive.”

Dorna bosses will meet Ducati, Honda and Yamaha management during the forthcoming IRTA test in Jerez to thrash out firm proposals to implement new rules for 2013.

source: MCN

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Ducati Test Team wraps up in Jerez

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The Ducati Test Team finished a three-day test Wednesday at Spain’s Circuito de Jerez. Activities were led by Filippo Preziosi, who followed the work schedule carried out by official test rider Franco Battaini.

Thanks to the mild and favorable weather conditions, Ducati engineers were able to perform tests on setup and electronics, and to gather important information.

Battaini was also joined by the two riders from Ducati’s satellite teams, Cardion AB MotoRacing’s Karel Abraham and Pramac Racing’s Hector Barbera. Each spent a day alternating with the Italian aboard the GP12 SAT, the former riding on Tuesday, February 21, and the latter participating today.

"We were lucky because we had three days with very good weather conditions," Filippo Preziosi said, "and that enabled us to do quite a bit of work. With Franco (Battaini), we continued with the test program that was planned for the Test Team over the winter, trying some aspects of the electronics that we’ll keep working on with the factory riders at Sepang. I think we found out some interesting things that we’ll soon confirm with Vale and Nicky in Malaysia, where we’ll also continue working with the bike’s setup. Because we had the track available here at Jerez, we also offered our satellite-team riders the opportunity to lap and to work on their respective setups."

source: MotoGP Official

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Preziosi explains satellite GP12 strategy

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Ducati Corse general manager Filippo Preziosi has explained the technical status of the satellite Ducati riders for the start of the 2012 MotoGP season.

In addition to the factory GP12s of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, two satellite Desmosedicis will also be on the grid this year - one for Hector Barbera (Pramac) and the other for Karel Abraham (Cardion AB). 

Satellite Ducati riders have had a tough time in recent seasons, but Barbera left last week's opening test of 2012, at Sepang, in an impressive sixth place. The Spaniard was also the top satellite rider and only 0.1sec slower than Rossi.

But Barbera and Abraham (twelfth fastest, 1.3sec behind Barbera) do not presently have the same version of GP12 as the factory team. 

Instead they are using the previous 'Valencia' bike - so-called because it was debuted by Rossi at November's post-race test. This has been developed in parallel to the 'all-new' GP12, which made its debut at Sepang. Both types of bike have a full aluminium twin-spar frame.

“We have developed the Valencia bike for the satellite teams, based on the same analysis and results from that test. So we have brought some special parts [to Sepang] for the satellite bikes,” said Preziosi. “Hector is very happy about his new bike and is the top satellite rider.

“The electronics are already the same [as the factory bikes],” Preziosi added. “All the engineers can make different electronic choices. Which they think is better for their rider. But the system is the same.”

Looking ahead to the start of the racing season, Preziosi explained that proven mechanical parts will be made available from the factory team, should Pramac and Cardion AB want them.

“Our strategy is to develop new things for the factory team and when it is proven that the reliability is good and development is quite stable then we will offer them to the satellite teams,” he said.

“It depends on time, money and performance if they decide [they want them]. But I think that Hector is quite happy with his bike and there is further potential with that bike, before thinking about changing it.”

Ducati supported four satellite MotoGP riders in 2011, the best of whom was Barbera, who finished eleventh in the championship for the Aspar Team. Aspar has switched to Aprilia CRT bikes for 2012.

by Peter McLaren from crash.net

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Ducati: the "Phoenix" is ready to fly

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After their third and final day of "secret" testing at Jerez, Ducati has broken the silence with a brief press release. 

"The Ducati Test Team, directed by Technical Director Filippo Preziosi, has completed three days of testing on the Spanish circuit of Jerez de La Frontera, with Carlos Checa and Franco Battaini followed by in the pit garage by Team Manager, Vittoriano Guareschi."

"The two riders completed a “shake-down” of the GP12, which will be tested in two weeks by the official riders, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden."

"During the three days, in which weather conditions were cold but fortunately dry, the work program was completed without any problems enabling the team to complete all checks in preparation to start the winter tests in Sepang, Malaysia from 31 January until 2 February 2012."

Not surprisingly these few lines don't reveal very much, as they have clearly made an effort to be as vague as possible. 

So the mystery of the GP12 lives on, forcing us to wait a few more weeks before we receive the initial feedback on Filippo Preziosi's latest creation. At least it now seems clear that Ducati intend to call the bike the GP12, even if it's something of a misnomer; while the name 'GPZero' was essentially invented by the press, the number of changes made to the 2012 bike mean it could easily be called the GP12.3, or even the GP13, if that number weren't considered unlucky.

A name we do agree with is "Operation Phoenix," something Alex Brigs first mentioned on twitter.  In a little over ten days we'll know if the new Desmosedici can rise from the flames and learn to fly again.

One final note: at the conclusion of the test session, Carlos Checa returned to his familiar 1198 SBK, saying on twitter: "the bike felt good, but with an extra 6Kg it's harder to ride."

source: GPOne

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Ducati completes GP12 MotoGP shakedown

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Ducati has released a short statement following the completion of this week's private test session at Jerez, which marked the track debut of the '90% new' Desmosedici GP12 MotoGP machine.

The statement read: 

“The Ducati Test Team, directed by Technical Director Filippo Preziosi, has completed three days of testing on the Spanish circuit of Jerez de La Frontera, with Carlos Checa and Franco Battaini followed [from] the pit garage by Team Manager, Vittoriano Guareschi.

“The two riders completed a “shake-down” of the GP12, which will be tested in two weeks by the official riders, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden.

“During the three days, in which weather conditions were cold but fortunately dry, the work program was completed without any problems enabling the team to complete all checks in preparation to start the winter tests in Sepang, Malaysia from 31 January until 2 February 2012.”

Writing on his official Twitter page @CarlosCheca7, reigning World Superbike champion Checa added: "Finish test with GP. Today also riding my ducati 1198 recovering good feelings (not easy with +6 kg ) & getting ready for this new season."

No pictures were released by Ducati, although Preziosi has warned that from the outside the 'new' GP12 looks very similar to the previous version, used by Rossi at the Valencia post-race test in November. 

That bike is also due to be available for the Ducati grand prix riders at Sepang.

source: crash.net

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Preziosi: "90 percent of the bike is new"

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The Ducati Corse General Manger previewed details of the new Desmosedici GP12 in a press conference at Wrooom on Wednesday.

The annual Wrooom event in Madonna di Campiglio held its traditional press conference on Ducati’s new MotoGP bike on Wednesday, wherein Ducati Corse boss Filippo Preziosi previewed the technical details of the 2012 Ducati Desmosecici that Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will ride this season.

Preziosi announced that the GP12 is a complete redesign of bike tested by Rossi in Valencia, but warned that it will look deceivingly similar. It will still sport an aluminum perimetric frame and carbon swingarm, but they are new editions and the only components that actually remain the same are parts of the front (forks and steering components). He assured that the rest of the bike is completely redesigned, stating: "Ninety percent of the parts are brand new."

He continued: "We significantly changed the distribution of weight and the bike dimensions to be in the middle of the adjustment range." This suggests that a greater range of adjustments will be able to be made according to rider preference and track condition.

He also offered that with new chassis, the engine position will be able to be adjusted more, though declined to provide details regarding changes to the V angle (the angle between the two banks of the four cylinders) of the GP12 engine, which Ducati has traditionally run at a larger angle than their competitors using a V-four configuration.

Preziosi explained that it usually takes two years—from the initial design to the first race—to have a completely refined race machine "but we are accelerating the process with forced steps. It’s a courageous decision, but not impossible." He went on to say that the design process is complete and that Hayden and Rossi’s mechanics are currently at the factory in Bologna assembling the new bikes.

"The rider makes a difference," said Preziosi on the subject of how much of bike development depends on the rider. "Though we didn't contract Valentino as a rider thinking that he'd solve our problems, but to give us information, as he has won on several different bikes."

Preziosi confirmed that Franco Battani and Carlos Checa will ride the GP12 in a private test at Jerez next week, and concluded the press event stating that Rossi and Hayden will have both the bike tested in Valencia and the brand new GP12 at the Sepang Test in three weeks.

source: motogp official

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Rossi: Short-term 'inconclusive', long-term 'hope'

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After 14 rounds of the 2011 MotoGP season, Valentino Rossi has admitted that he and Ducati are yet to find a conclusive way forward for the Desmosedici project.

Ducati finished first (Casey Stoner) and third (Nicky Hayden) at Aragon last year, but the best Desmosedici (of Hayden) was seventh and 34-seconds from Stoner's victorious Honda in Sunday's race.

Rossi finished tenth after starting the race in pit lane, with a ten-second penalty. That was the result of using a seventh engine this season, made necessary by a series of chassis changes introduced to try and transform the GP11 project.

The latest of those changes, which debuted with Rossi at Aragon, was the switch from carbon fibre to aluminium for the front (airbox) section. But speaking after the race, Rossi sounded far from confident that it will offer the breakthrough in front-end feel.

"We're still not where we should be," said Rossi, who finished in the top six in all but one of the first eight races of this year, but only twice in the six races since. 

"We're working on several fronts, with short-term solutions that haven't been conclusive, and others that are longer-term and that I still hope can bring more substantial improvements. We'll see what they think at the factory. 

"For now, we're still pretty far, and given that time is our biggest enemy, we'll continue also working on development during the races.” 

The 'longer-term' solutions are rumoured to involve making the Ducati more like the Japanese MotoGP bikes Rossi and his mechanics are so familiar with, by using a full twin-spar aluminium frame, with the engine carried inside rather than as a 'stressed member'.

"We work together with Ducati and we try, but at this moment we don't fix a lot," Rossi told MotoGP.com.

The rate of development at Ducati is also arguably confusing matters, with three different tyres of bike now on the MotoGP grid. The satellite Ducati riders are still using the original GP11, Hayden the modified GP11.1 (also all carbon fibre) while Rossi has now switched to the 'aluminium' bike.

"Nicky and his team are also trying extremely hard to gather as much information as possible on his GP11.1 which, despite not having the updated front chassis part like Valentino's, is still a new bike with a lot of margin for improvement with regards to its setup," said team manager Vittoriano Guareschi.

Rossi and Hayden are sixth and seventh in the world championship with four rounds to go. Each has taken one podium - Hayden at round two, Rossi at round four.

source: crash

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Ducati not consistent enough, admits technical boss

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Ducati technical guru Filippo Preziosi has admitted one of his main future targets is to deliver a bike capable of running a more consistent pace to Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden.

Rossi will evaluate an aluminium frame in Mugello later this week on the GP12 1000cc machine as the Bologna factory desperately tries to close the gap to rivals Honda and Yamaha.

But Preziosi said the focus for future development was to roll out a bike that could maintain consistently fast lap times.

Preziosi said: "In the Indy warm-up Nicky did a lap 0.3s from first and that was a good sign because it means the bike can do it. But the problem is that it was just one lap and the other lap was 1.2s slower, so it means that we have to work in order to give something to our rider that allows them to push the bike to the limit every lap.

"If the limit is 100 per cent then you have to stay at 99.9 because if you’re at 99 you’re one per cent lower and that is one second. So we have to build something that allows the rider to be consistently and safely closer to the limit. Maybe the main problem of our bike is not the limit but it is to give the rider the right feedback."

source: MCN

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Ducati boss: Rossi is a ‘lion in a cage’

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Ducati's engineering expert Filippo Preziosi reckons Valentino Rossi is like a lion trapped in a cage and he warned the Italian's rivals to expect a much more competitive threat once the Bologna factory has improved its Desmosedici machine.

Rossi hasn't posed any serious threat to the podium on a consistent basis all season and after 13 rounds off a tough debut season with Ducati, he's only scored one top three finish in Le Mans.

Preziosi made the lion in a cage reference in Misano last weekend when he was asked whether Ducati was pressing Dorna to increase the winter testing schedule to help Rossi close the gap on Honda rival Casey Stoner and former Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

He said: "The other companies have asked to reduce the tests just for Valentino. We don’t think the crucial point is the number of days. The crucial point is to interpret the information that comes from our riders in the right way, design the right part and test properly the parts and then the last thing is to have the right rider and we have it. They know how dangerous he is because the lion is in the cage. When we open the cage it will be very dangerous."

source: MCN

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Filippo Preziosi: "I'd like to try to Stoner on the Ducati 2012"

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"The assumption we made is that the problem is the flexibility of the frame, but is not the fault of the choice of carbon. Anyway, that road we took after the comments from Stoner and Melandri, on the fact that the frame of aluminum tubes were not sufficiently rigid. Casey when she tried that carbon had been very strong and I think it's human to adopt a solution when your pilot is strong "

The engineer Filippo Preziosi said so at the BBC, and without adding too many notions about the solutions to be adopted in the 2012 motorcycle, candidly admits that he made ​​some mistakes in evaluating the structural rigidity, but justified by the feedback they have given pilots in testing the new monocoque seen for the first time the Ducati Desmosedici GP9.

"I'd like to absurd even to try the new bike Casey to see what I say. In any case, it will test the chassis 2012 in the race " . With this sentence to the limit between the output unhappy and just a simple thought to be taken seriously, the father of all the talk ends D16. Valentino Rossi , however, seems more absolutist and comments with a phrase worthy of a thriller: "To test Valencia we have a clear idea of what to do. We are working, but I wait two years, then ... "

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Ducati boss hints at frame change but V-four engine stays

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Ducati's MotoGP godfather Filippo Preziosi has hinted the Bologna design team may well be looking at alternative frame configurations for the next year's GP12 MotoGP bike but is resolute the V-four engine configuration will stay.

There has been much paddock chatter that the only way for Ducati to fix the front end grip problems experienced by Valentino Rossi is to bin the current engine-as-a-stressed-member setup and go to a traditional ally perimeter frame used by the Japanese manufacturers. 

"We are exploring different (frame) solutions. I don't think material is the point but for sure shape, stiffness and distribution of the stiffness through the length are concepts that we want to explore in order to build up good knowledge so this is something we will do," he said, speaking to bikesportnews.com

"Every time you put something new on the track, you have to compare with existing solutions, this is nothing new or special to compare what we did in the past. When we put in the monocoque frame we ask Casey whether he prefer the old model or the new. We are doing some other modifications for stiffness but not necessarily to do with the frame."

When asked about a switch away from the current V-four engine configuration, Preziosi said there was no point as the only time you would need that is if the front cylinder head was to touch the front tyre, which it doesn't.

"At the moment, we have never reached a configuration where the engine is the limit. Typically, one limit could be when you are trying to put more weight on the front and you touch the front wheel with the cylinder head cover but we are away from that limit so we can modify the weight distribution without any constraints coming from the engine. We are in the middle of the adjustment," he said.

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