Ducati, reigning champions both among riders and manufacturers, has become the MotoGP benchmark in terms of bike design thanks to the braking efficiency of the Desmosedici GP and the power of its engine, something that rival brands they tried to copy.
Aleix Espargaro was sixth fastest in last weekend’s Sepang pre-season test, which saw Ducati riders lead all three days, and he believes the Italian marque is still the best in these two areas.
“Two things: they still have the best engine,” said the Spaniard when asked about the Ducati, even though his Aprilia teammate Maverick Vinales took third overall in winter testing.
“They’re not that far anymore, but they still have the best engine. And they’re very strong with braking the bike. It’s crazy how well their bike brakes,” he said. “The feeling I have with the Aprilia is that we stop the bike with the front tire only, while when the Ducati brakes it seems that both suspensions go down and they use the rear tire a lot to stop the bike”.
“We analyzed the videos a lot. I tried different settings to load the rear more under braking and it really worked, that’s why I did my fastest lap,” he nodded. “But it’s not enough. I hope we can close the gap.”
Aleix also spoke about the Ducati riding style, which has become the standard in MotoGP and which was pioneered by Andrea Dovizioso in the middle of the last decade.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: MotoGP
While in the past the key to a fast lap was corner entry, Ducati’s philosophy of fast entry and exit has changed the way riders brake their bikes.
The Spaniard, who claims he is now the fastest rider in the corners, added: “I’ve told Romano (Albesiano, technical director) many times that I love the Aprilia’s riding style.”
“For me we have the best chassis ever. I have the videos, we have a guy who takes care of the data making videos on the track: there is no other rider faster than me in the middle of the corners,” said the Catalan. “But it’s not that important anymore. In the past it was, but now the Ducati can stop the bike in an instant and then get out just as quickly.”
“The first rider to do so was Dovizioso, five or six years ago. It was a nightmare for Marc Marquez to overtake him, Marc lost many races and Ducati continued to leverage this,” explained Espargaro.
“It’s crazy how they can stop the bike and then accelerate. So we’re working on it, trying to put more weight on the rear, trying to modify the torque curve of the engine. But we’re still on the high seas,” said the ‘Aprilia.
Aleix Espargaró says that the 2023 RS-GP has improved in many areas compared to its ancestor, but he doesn’t believe that the package he had at his disposal in the Sepang tests is enough to fight for victories in the first rounds of the season.
“The bike is slightly better in many small details: the aerodynamics, the frame is a little lighter, the bike turns a little more thanks to the aerodynamics, the engine is slightly faster. So in all respects it is a little better, but I’m not sure it’s enough.”
“But they tell me the race engine will be a little better, they’re already on the test bench and they say it works well,” he concluded.
#MotoGP #perfect #bike #teams