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Category: Ducati

  1. THE DUCATI TEAM READY FOR ANOTHER CHALLENGE IN JEREZ FOR THE GRAND PRIX OF ANDALUSIA

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    Less than a week after the Spanish Grand Prix, which took place last Sunday at Jerez Circuit, the Ducati Team is back once again at the Spanish race track for the second round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship, the Grand Prix of Andalusia.

    Andrea Dovizioso's third place last Sunday (his best result in MotoGP at Jerez) brought to five the third places obtained by Ducati on the Spanish circuit, while the only victory and pole position of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer in Andalusia date back to 2006 and 2003 respectively, both with Loris Capirossi.

    After the podium of the rider from Forlì and the ninth place of Danilo Petrucci, the Italian team is ready to face another challenging weekend, with very similar conditions on the track, and the temperature of the asphalt that could again exceed 50 degrees. Thanks to the data collected last Sunday in the race, Dovizioso is confident that he can improve his performance and is aiming for another important result in the second Grand Prix of the season.

    Danilo Petrucci, who last weekend was the protagonist of a difficult race due to the after-effects of the bad accident suffered in the pre-race tests, returns to the track intending to redeem himself. The rider from Terni, who boasts a fourth place in Jerez in 2018 with the Pramac Racing Team, is confident that he can fight for the top five positions on Sunday.

    Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 3rd (16 points)
    "After such an intense race weekend, I took advantage of these days to continue my rehabilitation after the collarbone surgery. Last Sunday's result was good, and we managed to get positive feedback from the first Grand Prix of the year. We arrive ready at the second race and, above all, knowing better the aspects that we will have to improve to get more speed. It will be important to continue the work in this way, continuing to accumulate the maximum points without making mistakes. Temperatures will once again be very high, and the race will be physically tough. I want to wish Marc, Alex and Cal a speedy recovery. I hope to see them again on the track soon."

    Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 9th (7 points)
    "I can't wait to race again in Jerez. After the last two days of rest, I feel much better: I managed to solve the stomach issues and also my neck muscle is fine. I know we have the potential to fight for the positions that count: Dovizioso, Miller and Bagnaia have shown that, so my goal for this race will be to stay in the top five. Although it is not an ideal track for our bike, I am sure that without physical problems I will be able to improve my performance. I also hope that Marc, Alex and Cal can recover well from their injuries and get back on track very soon."

    The Ducati Team will take to the track on Friday, 24th July for the first free practice session at 9:55 a.m. local time (GMT +2.00)

  2. DUCATI REOPENS THE MUSEUM, COMBINING THE VISIT WITH NEW MOTORCYCLE OR E-BIKE EXPERIENCES

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    • After the temporary closure caused by the health emergency, the Ducati Museum will gradually reopen to the public starting on Saturday 4 July
    • Factory visits are suspended for safety reasons. The new virtual tour of the production lines will be soon available on the Ducati website
    • New and exciting experiences, to be tackled by motorbike or on Ducati’s range of e-bikes, offered to visitors to encourage the discovery of the territory and its cultural, tourist and motoring traditions

    Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 30 June 2020 - On Saturday 4 July, on the same date that Ducati was founded 94 years ago, the Ducati Museum and the Fisica in Moto educational laboratory of the Borgo Panigale factory will reopen their doors to visitors, after the forced stop due to the health emergency.

    The reopening will be gradual. Until 30 September the visit to the Ducati Museum and the educational laboratory will be limited to Saturday and Sunday, with the exception of the weeks from 3 to 9 August and from 17 to 23 August, when visits on weekdays will also be possible.

    A single ticket will be available for visitors at the special price of € 25, which includes admission to the Museum and a guided tour of the Fisica in Moto Laboratory , a truly unique opportunity to discover the history of the Borgo Panigale motorcycle manufacturer and the laws of physics applied to the world of motors. Visits to the factory remain suspended for safety reasons, but a new virtual tour will be soon available on the Ducati.com website which allows visitors to go inside the production lines.

    In line with the safety regulations against the spread of Covid-19, access to the facilities will be allowed for a maximum of 7 people per turn and after booking and purchasing the ticket on the website https://www.ducati.com/ww/en/borgo-panigale-experience. Visits are scheduled every 15 minutes from 9.00 am to 18.00.

    For the entire period of stay within the company area it will be necessary to always keep social distancing of at least 1 metre and it is mandatory to wear a surgical mask . In the event that the visitor does not have one, it will be provided by the Museum staff.

    In order to ensure greater availability for visitors and avoid gatherings, the maximum duration of the visit is one and a half hours (45 minutes at the Museum and 45 minutes at the Fisica in Moto Laboratory).

    New experiences to discover the territory
    It will also be possible to combine a visit to the Ducati Museum and the educational laboratory with the new “experiences” that the Ducati Museum staff offers visitors. These are options, in any case related to the visit of the Museum and of Fisica in Moto, which are divided into two types of proposals that aim to discover the history, tradition and beauty of the Emilia-Romagna area of which Ducati is one of the most representative brands. The proposed itineraries can be done in one day, visiting Bologna riding one of the new Ducati e-bikes, accompanied by E-xplora guides certified by the National MTB Academy. Or by motorbike, divided over several days, independently but with the possibility of following an expressly designed itinerary, renting a Ducati to travel in the beauty of the Apennine landscape or experience the Romagna Riviera, reaching it through alternative roads and routes that can be enjoyed on the bike.

     

  5. Honda and Ducati Bringing the MotoGP Tussle to the Boil

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    The 2018 MotoGP season is drawing ever closer and with just five races to go, the battle between Honda and Ducati looks set to go all the way.

    After Spaniard Marc Márquez took victory on his Honda at the weekends Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix, the gap at the top of the riders championship stretched to 72 points over rival and Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso.

    With just a maximum of 125 points still available for winning the final five races, it means barring an almighty collapse from the 25-year-old Spaniard, that particular championship is all but a done deal.

    However, not so the factory team battle, as old rivals Honda and Ducati are duking it out across the globe’s fastest patches of tarmac in a tense fight for the right to be called the number one manufacturer in bikes.

    As it stands, Ducati trail Honda by just 28-points in the standings as Ducati seek only their second ever MotoGP constructors title whilst Honda are out to bag their 24th title and seventh of the decade so far.

    Much like in MotoGP’s brother Formula One in which the fight between Mercedes and Ferrari dominance is set to go to the wire with Mercedes priced at 1/4 as of Tuesday 25th September with Betway to become champions, it appears the form sides in both series are edging the betting markets and fancied to take the ultimate crown.

    Ducati have been kept in the hunt largely thanks to Italian Andrea Dovizioso who has taken three wins and Jorge Lorenzo who has three of his own.

    Aside from the dominant Marc Márquez, Honda’s next highest championship standing rider is Britain’s Cal Crutchlow who took victory at the seasons second event in Argentina after Dovizioso took victory in the opening race on his Ducati but Crutchlow is on the LCR Honda and not a factory rider meaning his points are null and void.

    From there, a series of retirements for Dovizioso seriously hampered his and Ducati’s chances of the title but thanks to consistent performance from Lorenzo and a series of wins from Italian Dovizioso, the title fight is back on.

    Largely thanks to the retiring Dani Pedrosa who is Marquez’s team mate and has struggled to make an impact all season which has opened the door for Ducati. 

    A tepid start saw the Spaniard finish seventh in the season opener before retiring in his second outing and another seventh at the third race of the season in the USA. In fact, Pedrosa hasn't finished higher than fifth in the entire season. 

    Honda and Ducati Bringing the MotoGP Tussle to the Boil

    A series of 6th, 7th and 8th place finishes may have kept the points flowing steadily, but had the 32-year-old been anywhere near the top of his game, then it is likely the championship would have been all but settled by now.

    Bike Specifications

    One of the best things about MotoGP is its competitiveness and this comes down to the specifications of the competing bikes.

    All engines are 1000cc and naturally aspirated and churn out 260 BHP with a power to weight ratio of 1.51 bhp/kg. The valve train benefits from four-valves per cylinder and are fuelled using unleaded 100 octane.

    All bikes are set to this specification with very few tweaks to performance being able to be made but it is in the tyres and how each bike reacts to the chosen tyres that is often the big difference.

    For example, at the last outing at Aragon, championship leader Marc Márquez opted for the softer tyre which is quicker but does not have quite the same lifespan as say the harder tyre which most of his competitors chose.

    However, after Lorenzo crashed out on the opening lap, Marquez was able to follow Dovizioso for numerous laps and thus save his tyres before late surge saw the four-time World Champion get ahead and thus strike a blow to the Ducati cause.

    Can Ducati Topple Honda?

    Yes, they certainly can but it will require team work from both lead Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo.

    It has been three races now since Lorenzo even so much as picked up a point (including the cancelled British GP due to rain), when he won in Austria. 

    Can Ducati Topple Honda

    A 17th-place finish and a retirement last time out has hurt the factory Ducati team and Honda has taken advantage picking up 36 points last time out to Ducati’s 20.

    Where to Next?

    A series of races in Asia and Australasia all but ends the season with the finale occurring back on Spanish soil.

    The riders head to Thailand next for a race that promises to be a step into the unknown with Ducati well aware that time is fast running out. 

     



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