Jorge Lorenzo spent just two seasons at Ducati and I need more than a year to understand the Desmosedici, in fact when he did it and started winning races, the house of Borgo Panigale had already made the decision to do without him and change him for Danilo Petrucci in one of the most grotesque maneuvers in MotoGP history.
Despite his fleeting pace, the Balearic left an important legacy in the history of data with the red bike that, today, has become the great dominator of the championship.
There are not a few riders who have been put on the handlebars of a Ducati having acknowledged studying their data or their position on the machine, the last being Jorge Martín, the young Pramac team rookie.
The latest to admit it is Pecco Bagnaia , a double race winner after his impressive wins, in just one week, at Motorland and Misano.
Although all the Bologna brand riders seem to be going fast this year, Pecco makes a slight difference which is in his ability to brake a bit harder.
“It’s something I’ve worked a lot on, because in my first year in MotoGP I suffered a lot under braking,” Bagnaia explained on Sunday afternoon, after winning the San Marino Grand Prix .
“In the last part of the 2019 season I focused on that aspect and working hard on it”, added Bagnaia , who after two years at Pramac this season makes his debut as an official factory rider.
“Already in 2020 I took a step forward in that area, but I also worked a lot with a street bike on this track in Misano, to learn how to control the front tire better. The good thing about our Panigale (Ducati’s sporty street bike) is that in terms of riding style and tires it can help us, because the tires we use are Michelin endurance tires, and the construction is very similar.” in reference to those who ride the MotoGP.
“So the behavior of the Panigale at the front is similar to that of the Desmosecidi,” the runner added.
“I have been working a lot with those tires and the street bike, and I have also worked a lot with the data from Jorge Lorenzo ”, the Balearic rider who had to change his smooth and cornering style from Yamaha , to become one of the best brakers on the grid in his second year at Ducati.
“I have improved in the last part of the braking, now I do it much stronger, as much as I can, and I think that allows me to make a difference at the entrance of the turn”, said the Torino rider .
“The good thing about the Ducati is that it is very stable, so in the fast corners we can enter with a lot of speed without the bike moving much. I feel very good in the fast corners, in all the circuits”.
“As a driver I have really great sensations with the front end, but that has been from this year. Before I suffered a little more, but this year the confidence I have with the front of the bike is incredible”, he assessed.
After a lackluster start to the season, Pecco opted to go back to basics and focus on set-up.
“We didn’t change anything on the bike, the setup is very similar to last year,” he said.
“But the feeling has grown a lot and I’ve improved the way I handle the front tyre, so the feeling is great and it helps me get into the fast corners like this,” referring to Misano’s succession of fast corners, the 11 , 12 and 13, where the Italian made the difference over Fabio Quartararo to keep the Yamaha at bay.
Podio: ganador Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
