RiderTua.com – Although it is reported that the Ducati GP24 has undergone an overhaul which is much better than the GP23 in terms of performance, the new bike has clearly not been tested. Unlike the Desmosedici GP23 (last year’s version), the Ducati GP24 is a bike in the process of being refined, problems that arise The possibility could actually be greater at the start of the season and it takes time for the manufacturer to perfect it.. Last year the official team also lost and had problems at the start of the season, but was able to retaliate in the middle of the season, will this happen again this year?.. Because of the bike’s performance The latest Ducati (GP24) at COTA was less than satisfactory, considering that this is an official team spec bike. This condition is the first time the Borgo Panigale manufacturer has been defeated by two rival brands, namely Aprilia and KTM.
Ducati GP24 problems at the start of the season
The main problem is “Bad bike vibration”. The Desmosedici has been infected with the dreaded chatter (vibration) symptom since the start of this season because it is not compatible with Michelin’s new slick rear tyre. “We had a lot of vibrations… I almost had a crash in many corners, so with Ducati we need to understand how to improve, because we lost the opportunity to get a better result,” said Jorge Martin after finishing third in the COTA sprint.
The stronger the grip the Ducati has, the worse the vibrations become, so Martin finds it difficult to use the soft rear when sprinting. Surprisingly, both Pramac rider and world champion Pecco Bagnaia also used soft tires in the main race. Where they finally finished fourth and fifth.
Pecco said that the bike was moving a lot on the front and he felt vibrations on the rear, so he could only ride defensively. “It was difficult, but we had to stay calm, understand the situation and try to finish each race in the best position. When the time was right when it comes, we will attack,” said Bagnaia, on Sunday after the race.
Ducati’s dominance is threatened
At COTA, the only Ducati rider on a new bike who so far has not complained about vibrations is Enea Bastianini, who is also the only Ducati rider who has finished on the podium in the last two races. Is it because he uses different bike settings, different racing techniques, or different riding positions? We don’t know, but perhaps there is a clue for Ducati to fix its problems, because if Aprilia and Acosta continue their current pace, Ducati’s dominance in MotoGP will be threatened…
Ducati was also relegated to third in the top speed race at COTA, this is important because COTA is the best dyno in real MotoGP: the back straight takes riders from around 40mp. (60km/h) to over 210mph (350km/h), so it’s a great test of horsepower, torque delivery, anti-wheelie aero, electronics and ride-height hardware.
Enea Bastianini had problems with the brakes and cornering, but at the American GP he was better.. “With the GP24, I couldn’t brake as I wanted, and this is what made it the most difficult for me. The same thing happened in Qatar and Portimao,” he said..
Pecco Bagnaia in Sunday’s race experienced a vibration (chatter).. “My start was good until around the sixth lap everything changed, I experienced a strong vibration (chatter) on the left side. I then couldn’t save the tire on the right side completely. It was also very difficult to cornering the right corner. I could only hold on from the seventh lap.”
Martin on Sunday also experienced a vibration problem. “I felt some vibrations (chatter), maybe 0.1 or 0.2 seconds per lap during the race. It’s not normal, but it’s also not an excuse. We have to solve this vibration problem.”
Meanwhile, Franco Morbidelli is still learning… it’s hard to say whether he is used to the same Ducati package conditions as riders who have been using the Desmosedici for a long time.
