I have been part of two large merger-acquisitions on either side of the equation and I don't really see Audi making any real impact anytime soon. This season will surely not garner any benefit from it and given the contrasting Italian and German cultures it is not going to be an easy task to truly leverage the engineering and manufacturing resources of Audi anytime soon.
It will be a few years before there is true mutual benefits for the companies. That said, Audi can certainly finance the Ducati racing operations and help from that angle.
Dual injectors would be nice so at least the D16 would be in line with every other serious sporbike on the planet . It should've had them two years ago but ...
I hear what you're saying, but I think it has more to do with how involved Audi wants to get with motorcycle racing. These guys live for racing period. I could see a group af baby engineers in the paddock at any time, and they are large enough to turn out one off parts virtually overnight......
Oh yes , to be blunt , the Germans don't fvck around like the Italians ! I said it from the start -- even though I didn't anticipate this disaster -- that VR was taking a huge gamble by switching to a team for whom high standards are not an obsession like for a Japanese organization . He knew it too when he said that his mentality is more Japanese than Italian .
I don't think the updates will be much, Ducati just haven't moved fast enough this year. Last I heard they were targeting Misano to have or test the rest of the updates.
We've had the FIAT Yamaha team, why not the Audi Ducati team? There have been rumors Ducati wants to create a single satellite team with two riders like Tech3, and it could make sense there.
Granted Audi will be far more organized and methodical with their design and engineering approach and it bodes really well for Ducati in the long term, BUT Ducati still know more about bikes than them. So unless there is someone very clever at Ducati or Audi who can quickly identify where Audi might jump in and help, for example fluid dynamic or finite element or material analysis etc., it will take a while until you can see Audi engineers and technicians participating in the development process effectively.
"For sure we've understood that to make the Ducati turn, you need a bigger effort than what Valentino was used to, physically too, and we didn't expect that. This bike is a lot more physical, the way to make it turn with the required precision is certainly the thing we must focus on at the moment."
- J Burgess
Granted Audi will be far more organized and methodical with their design and engineering approach and it bodes really well for Ducati in the long term, BUT Ducati still know more about bikes than them. So unless there is someone very clever at Ducati or Audi who can quickly identify where Audi might jump in and help, for example fluid dynamic or finite element or material analysis etc., it will take a while until you can see Audi engineers and technicians participating in the development process effectively.
Positive changes to a Racing/engineering department aren't always in the form of technical knowledge. Furusawa for example hadn't even been to a motogp race before he was given the top job there, he was chosen for his leadership and reputation as a fixer at yamaha. He completely changed the way they did things and that same organizational and management skill are what Ducati need.
Positive changes to a Racing/engineering department aren't always in the form of technical knowledge. Furusawa for example hadn't even been to a motogp race before he was given the top job there, he was chosen for his leadership and reputation as a fixer at yamaha. He completely changed the way they did things and that same organizational and management skill are what Ducati need.
Agreed. Not sure if that alone will fix it enough for them to be competitive... My feeling is not only mismanagement of development at this time, but the bike itself has some fundamental technical issues.
I'm a stuck record on this, but get rid of Preziosi and half the battle is won. Ausi brings with it the measurement and analysis techniques that the Germans are so damned good at. This is where Ducati will make slow but steady progress....in the area of refinement. Refinement of throttle control, torque curve and production, mass distribution analysis, chassis flex and all the really tough things that make a competitive bike once the basic parameters are set.
I see the Italians as bringing the ideas, the basic design formula, the new and exciting technologies....and the Germans making ti work properly on the track.
__________________ Old Baldy
Ducati 996 with hot 999 motor
Triumph Tiger 955i
Kawasaki KLR650 OB's Ride Reports
No one called for Ducati to narrow up their 90º V2 during the days when it
fought against Aprilia's 60º V2... so if Ducati is able to crack the 90º V2
code why do we doubt their ability to crack the 90º V4 code???
No one called for Ducati to narrow up their 90º V2 during the days when it
fought against Aprilia's 65º V2... so if Ducati is able to crack the 90º V2
code why do we doubt their ability to crack the 90º V4 code???
Racing revolves around tires and the best way to manage them, strategy. MotoGP is now all about corner speed which means you need an agile bike, short wheel base and high center of gravity, the Ducati couldn't be any further from this, it's long and low. The Ducati was built to be a high horsepower point and shoot bike which was good for the 990 era but the 800s saw the bikes evolving to higher corner speeds and reduced braking zones. You can go compare gp bikes dimensions and balance from the 990 era to now and see that Ducati simply never evolved like the japanese who shrunk their bikes and made them taller. The electronics have really changed the game, it isn't all about the engine and I wouldn't say Ducati cracked some code , didn't Honda kick their ass with a V2.
What I've been hearing is that Ducati have changed the intakes on the bikes to allow for a more balanced bike, they're trying to get more weight onto the front tire and this will let them move the electronics and fuel. They may also have the new injectors if they do seal their next set of engines.
Ducati updates for Laguna Seca
It should've had them two years ago but ...
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