Leaving the Sepang MotoGP test track, all eyes were on Ducati. Partly that’s probably because they’ve brought another technical innovation that’s set to upset rival producers and capture the imaginations of fans and the media. We’re all talking about Ducati’s front-stroke height gauge.
That enthusiasm is supported by the fact that there are two Ducatis in the top three behind Sepang, and three Ducatis in the top six.
Take away the Aprilias (who got an extra day of riding and testing during the deceleration test), and there are three Ducatis in the top four. Everything looks ominous.
Entering the Mandalika test, we expected that Ducati’s dominance would continue. Luca Marini’s second-fastest time of day setting on the Mooney VR46 Desmosedici GP22 reinforced that idea.
However, by the end of the three-day test, the idea that 2022 would be Ducati’s year was much less clear than it had been a week earlier.
Ducatis remain competitive. But looking closely at the speed, the bikes seem a bit different from the speed of the Hondas, the Fabio Quartararo and the Suzukis.
Pecco Bagnaia puts that down to doing middle road races rather than soft rears, so times are hard to compare.
“Today it is difficult to say anything about who is the fastest, because today the worst tire is medium, but they will not be soft for the race weekend,” said the Ducati factory driver.
“So just me, [Luca] Marini, and [Marco] Bezzecchi is trying out a race simulation with a vehicle. And it was really hard to do more laps, because the road was slippery and I slipped a lot. The soft one is definitely better, and all the others are using the soft one. So looking at my speed when I use the soft car, it’s very close to the fastest racers.”
It is difficult to verify Bagnaia’s claims that only he, Bezzecchi, and Marini use the medium rear. Tires used are not published on the official timesheets, as opposed to regular races over the weekend. And the tires in the test were not color-coded used in races over the weekend.
It is customary for Michelin technicians to let drivers know what other drivers are using. But outside of garages, that information is widely shared.
Truth or challenge?
Bagnaia says he is one of only three riders to run long distances on medium tyres.
But then Fabio Quartararo told us, “Today, we decided with the team to use the vehicle to simulate the race, because they said the software wouldn’t be here for the race. But really it’s a simulation race nightmare, I’ve never had such a bad feeling with the rear tire.”
It could have been a nightmare, but Quartararo made 7 laps under 1’33, and 3 more 1’33.0 laps. Bagnaia, by contrast, can’t run under 1’33.2 seconds, and his pace is closer to 1’33.5.
It’s not uncommon for riders to be completely inaccurate in their comments to the media, and it looks like Pecco Bagnaia or Fabio Quartararo are fooling us, or that Bagnaia really doesn’t know about the tires Quartararo has worn. used to simulate his race. But what is clear is that, although the Ducati is fast, it is not as dominant as we thought it to be at Sepang.
Feedback from Ducati riders has been positive, but they are also hedging their bets. “Ready? No, but when are we ready?” Jack Miller said. “Race is race, it’s completely different. I feel as ready as possible.”
Pecco Bagnaia’s view is similar. “We did an incredible job on this test. We have prepared the bike to race well in Qatar. Our speed and consistency were fine. We decided to do the race simulation with medium tyres, it’s not the best option but we are very stable on speed, so this is good. ”
“We are working a lot and we still need to work more. But with only five days of testing, you need to try everything in less time than usual. But it’s fine like this. In the end, we found a compromise that I like, so I think in Qatar we will start well.”
Desmosedici GP22 clearly has potential. The chassis is relatively unchanged, but the car has a new engine, with more power and a different power distribution.
The vehicle’s engine notes are changed from last year, showing a revised firing interval, which would be tied to a change in engine characteristics.
The other big change is the crank set and the aerodynamics package. Although visually similar, the wings are larger and the side shells have been reshaped.
The crank is thinner, sharper, and much flatter, something that changes both the frontal area of the bike and the effect on downforce, but also the degree to which it resists a change of direction. It’s now more nimble and easier to swing from side to side, which is a huge improvement.
Lower = Faster
Then there’s the front ride height gauge. First explained here, The system uses a pneumatic cylinder to compress the fork before cornering. That lowers the front along with the rear, reducing the bike’s center of gravity.
Notably, it also leaves the car in the same state, instead of stroking the tail / upward, so the aero package will be more effective.
For bikes without a front stroke height gauge, dropping the rear will change the wing angle of attack, reducing the downforce generated. This is especially a disadvantage at corner exits, where the benefit of the wing – more downforce to reduce the wheel – is most important.
The problem is, of course, here’s another can of worms that Ducati has opened.
Although the implementation is relatively small, it will once again require all factories to spend a lot of money to design, test and perfect their version of the front stroke height gauge, only to end up at the same point.
That’s something the other five factories are very reluctant to do, and so the possibility of a ban is being considered.
Legal authority
However, it is not as simple as it seems. All changes to the specification can be adopted only with the consent of the MSMA. In other words, all six MotoGP manufacturers must agree to this. For obvious reasons, consensus could not be reached.
The other route to a ban is the one used to ban free-standing wings, rather than closed aviation appendages. The Grand Prix Commission can ban a technology if it is deemed a safety risk. However, they will have to make the case that the front ride height gauge is more dangerous than the rear ride height gauge. That seems like a difficult question.
However, whether Ducati will have a front-stroke height gauge for them to use in Qatar, or at any races this year, remains to be seen. Otherwise, that would complicate the bike setup, which has all been done with front gear so far this year.
If there’s one weak point for Ducati, this is it. The bike is fast, powerful, revving and better than last year. But it also remains fraught around the edges: major changes take more time to work out.
This is where Ducati has five GP22s on the grid, with more data, of course, meaning it’s easier to sort out what works and what doesn’t. But it looks like Ducati has more work to do.
Is the dominance that sport watchers attribute to Ducati guaranteed? I guess it’s still a bit early to tell. The bike has the potential to be the best machine on the grid.
But for now, GP21 is better, as it has been ironed out all wrinkles. If Ducati can figure out a setting that works quickly, that will be really tough for its rivals.
And with Pecco Bagnaia ending so strong last year, it would make sense for a stupid gambler to bet on the Italian team going to be better off in 2022.
Photo: Ducati
