One of the main pieces of news to come out of the 2013 Ducati/Ferrari Wrooom Press Ski Meeting was the assertion that Ducati will be sticking with their Desmodromic system for the time being and they seemingly have no plans to try and change to anything else. Ducati have been following in the footsteps of their Japanese counterparts (Yamaha and Honda) recently by manufacturing and using a twin-spar aluminium frame in their MotoGP prototypes however the general manager of Ducati Corse (the official racing department of the Italian bike manufacturers) Bernhard Gobmeier has publically stated that the valve system will continue to be used on Ducati bikes. Indeed, the German - who was formerly the Motorsports Director at BMW and who has only been in the role at Ducati since the start of the year - further distanced Ducati from their rivals by stating that their bikes will not be tailor made for any one rider in mind and that, instead, they will focus on building and creating bikes that everyone can use on the circuit. Gobmeir had been brought into Ducati to replace the outgoing Filippo Preziosi who was largely blamed for the disastrous period that Valentino Rossi spent at the Italian company. However, Gobmeir has stated that Preziosi still has a role to play when it comes to Ducati Corse and admitted that he will draw on the experience of the 45 year old to help Ducati move forward. Preziosi was moved over to production away from the racing department however Gobmeir was at pains to stress that the will maintain a good working relationship and that the channels of communication will remain open to ensure that Ducati has the best possible chance of success in 2013. Furthermore, the Bavarian born manager spoke of his own plans for the coming season with Ducati. While he has dismissed reports that he is set to radically change the way things are done at the company, he has admitted that some things need to be smoother in their operation. Even though Audi, who are now owners of Ducati after a $1.12 billion purchase last year, have no real motorcycling technology or experience that they can significantly improve the Italian outfit with, Gobmeir asserts that they have a role to play. The testing, manufacturing and engineering facilities that the German company will bring to Ducati will only be of benefit according to Gobmeir and he has admitted that any new technology will be thoroughly tested and screened before it is allowed to be used on the track; something that has not always happened with Ducati in recent times. Indeed, evolution rather than revolution seemed to be the buzz phrase from his press conference. Gobmeir admits that there is not a miraculous formula for success at this level and, given Ducati's poor showing in recent years, getting firmly back to winning ways is going to be a tough task however if everyone and everything is working in tandem - from the bikes to the technicians - then success should not be far away he argued. This was further echoed by new addition Andrea Dovizioso who has replaced Rossi and will be taking his place beside Nicky Hayden for the 2013 season. The former Yamaha racer who won the 125cc World Championship in 2004 stressed patience for Ducati fans and argued that success can be brought but in a medium to long term time scale and thus, the plans should reflect this. The Ducati/Ferrari Wrooom Press Ski Meeting brought some interesting results if not radical change but rather a more defined approach of where the team is heading for this year and beyond. However, there seems to be more of a coherentness surrounding the Ducati team this time around and with everything working together, good communication and (as Gobmeir himself stressed) a little bit of luck then there is no reason as to why 2013 cannot be a good year for the Italians.
Reading between the lines there speaks a man who comes from a motor racing background and does not seem to understand that a lot of the performance of a racing motorcycle is down to the 'feel' that a rider gets from the bike, no amount of bench testing can provide that.
Lets hope the engineering expertise that Audi bring to Ducati doesn't include the guy that designs their oil pumps.
I'm in two minds about the Audi takeover of Ducati. On one hand their financial future is secure which should please all Ducatisti. On the other hand, however, Ducati have done pretty well on their own in the past, even when they were in a precarious financial state. I just hope Audi don't try to turn Ducati Corse into a soulless Japanese clone. Ducati manufacture pretty unique motorcycles and I hope it stays that way.
They do apparently have a history of leaving as much alone as possible, so it should be good. Audi ownership means very little for their long term security though. Nothing to say they wont sell in the future.
