Confidential Box: From red Ducati to black Aprilia

KILLJOY. From red Ducati to black Aprilia.

The World Cup event in Mugello has always been understood as the Ducati GP. Because of the proximity to its headquarters in Bologna -about 70 km-, because it is its traditional test circuit and because it starred in the glorious days for Italian motorcycling there. Because Ducati won at Mugello with Casey Stoner, with Jorge Lorenzo, with Andrea Dovizioso and with Danilo Petrucci. But at this weekend’s Italian GP, ​​that leading role was mercilessly snatched away by Aprilia. Through a “sibylline” communication plan, the other transalpine brand in the World Cup — clearly a fierce rival — has removed the Ducati name from media headlines. If yesterday at a special press conference they announced the renewal of Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales, today the morning began, publicizing the creation of the satellite team for 2023. At the same time, its test driver Lorenzo Savadori, became the spotlight as he hits the track on a bike with a striking rear wing on his RS-GP. And at FP2 in the afternoon, Aleix Espargaró ended up breaking the Ducati party by closing the day at the top of the standings, leading the nine Ducati runs in this GP. Yes, it’s true that yesterday was only Friday and points were distributed on Sunday, but so far the previously red Ducati has turned into a black, very black Aprilia.

IMPACT 2020: The explosion of MotoGP.

Have you noticed what the announcement of the creation of Aprilia’s future satellite team is hiding? Let’s pull from the famous quote that trees don’t let us see the forest, and take a step back. And we suddenly find ourselves in many situations unimaginable some time ago. Yes, since 2020, the damn year of the pandemic outbreak, MotoGP has entered a process of transformation as an animal turning a butterfly into a worm. Who would have said just a few weeks ago that next year there would be 2 Yamaha and no Suzuki on the grid, and that means with 22 bikes on the grid … only 6 Japanese! Moreover, for decades the top class was a recurring Honda / Yamaha duel, now it’s Ducati or Aprilia. Until 2020, there will be an elite of MotoGP riders sharing achievements. They have one hand: Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Márquez. The win of anyone outside this quartet is “rare”. By 2020, almost everyone has won. That being said, in just two seasons MotoGP has undergone an unimaginable metamorphosis. The question is what will emerge from this change is better than what is there.

100 M x SECOND: How I like Mugello!

After removing the legendary Suzuka from the calendar, Mugello is undoubtedly the hardest circuit on the calendar. A series of chicanes of different shapes, the downward braking, the blinding Arrabiata 2, the finish line so far from the exit of the last corner … No wonder the two drivers with the most wins at Mugello were two drivers shining for their exquisite technique, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Mugello was also guilty at the beginning of this whole story of wings spreading so much ink these days, because it was to prevent the removal of the bikes by changing the elevation at the end of the straight, which some the appendage is tried to keep the front wheel stick to the asphalt. A very brutal fact: MotoGP comes that straight at almost 360 km/h, which means they cover 100 meters in a second !, and the doubt at three-tenths of a second whether braking or not means of travel of 30 meters. No wonder that yesterday so many drivers went straight to braking on the straight. But despite having one of the most radical braking in the entire championship, due to successive chicanes, at Mugello it is more important to have a bike that spins well and has good traction than one that is very good when braking. This saved Fabio Quartararo and his Yamaha, the second slowest bike in 26 to start on Sunday, from burning out on the first day of training.