Ducati turning point identified after Valentino Rossi “failure”

Last year Francesco Bagnaia won Ducati’s first MotoGP championship since Casey Stoner’s in 2007, ending 15 years of hurt.

During those years, the feted Rossi joined forces with Ducati in an experiment which remains notorious for how badly it went.

Paolo Ciabatti, sporting director, charted his own journey through the bleak years to today’s glory: “I was working for Ducati from 1997 to 2007 then I left the company. I went to manage World Superbike for the promoters.

“Then half-way through 2012 two things happened - Audi bought Ducati and they wanted changes in the racing department. 

“And Ducati was in the second year of a quite unsuccessful partnership with Valentino.

“The Ducati-Valentino partnership was something that everybody expected to be a huge success.

“The most successful and iconic Italian rider with the Italian sports motorcycle.

“There was a lot of expectation and unfortunately, for whatever reason, it just didn’t work.

“When I got the call it was in a moment where I said ‘I want this chance in MotoGP’. So I said okay.

I” said ‘I will join next year’ but it was still not clear who would do what.

“Ducati engineers tried so much to change the bike to make it suitable for Valentino’s riding style.

“But when you do that during the season with a lot of pressure? Without getting results? With everyone looking at a failure?

“Basically we were 40 seconds from the winner. It was very difficult.

“A few times in the first season I said ‘why did I do it?’”

In two years Rossi managed just three podiums before heading back to Yamaha.

The engineer who would reverse Ducati’s dwindling fortunes was set to arrive.

“Luckily we managed, thanks to our CEO Claudio Domenicali, to convince Gigi Dall’Igna to consider Ducati and to accept the challenge,” Ciabatti remembered.

“He said yes, he joined the team.

“In 2014 it was still difficult because the bike was designed without Gigi’s guidance. We made a few changes during the season, achieved a few decent results and were on the podium.

“The turning point was working in 2014 to design a brand new bike with a brand new engine.

“This bike, the GP15, was fantastic. We almost won the first grand prix, if it was not for Valentino!”

Ducati, finally with a bike and a rider duo in Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso capable of ending their barren streak, arrived at the season-opener in Qatar in 2015 only to be thwarted by a rejuvenated Rossi.

Dovizioso would finish as runner-up in the championship for three years in a row during Marc Marquez’s heyday, still unable to end Ducati’s run.

Until finally Bagnaia got them over the line last season. Now, a three-man title fight is set to decide the 2023 championships with every contender riding a Dall’Igna inspired Desmosedici.