“Goodbye to Bagnaia? Incredible emotions with him – said the general director of Ducati Corse on the stage at Eataly -, but I had to think about the good of the team”
Gigi Dall’Igna star on the stage that belonged to Bruce Springsteen and Charles Aznavour. At the Smeraldo in Milan, which has become Eataly for almost 15 years, the general director of Ducati Corse spoke about MotoGP with the administrator of the Eataly group, Andrea Cipolloni, his sponsor and very expert enthusiast. And also in his own pressing way with questions. So as to stimulate a whole series of reflections and even some beautiful revelations. Dall’Igna spoke about the evolution of the figure of the pilot. About how the boys have changed in all these years since he has been in the World Cup. “They’re better educated, healthier. They’re normal people. They’re not superheroes or superstars, and it’s really nice to work with them.” Compared to the past, they are surrounded by increasingly present family members: fathers, sisters, brothers who have become part of the teams. Constant presence but not so invasive that according to Ducati’s great chief engineer it doesn’t create too many problems. “Precisely for what was said before, in MotoGP the maturity of the riders is such that the presence of parents, siblings, friends no longer has much weight. It doesn’t influence them.”
concessions
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The passage on concessions is particularly interesting. That is, on the rule that, especially in recent years, had allowed the teams further back in the standings to catch up thanks to greater opportunities to develop the bike through updates and hours of testing. Chances that have reduced Ducati’s dominance, allowing its rivals, Aprilia first and foremost as it is the most skilled of all, to catch up on the technology and therefore performance front. As the current championship is amply demonstrating. “It’s the difference between entertainment and sport,” Dall’Igna said clearly. “It’s obvious that concessions if it were pure sport wouldn’t even be conceivable: it’s not that Duplantis competes with a shorter pole than the others because he always wins. That’s sport, we live in a reality that isn’t just about sport. It’s a reality that is also partly entertainment. But it’s true that ours is such an expensive sport that some compromise has to be accepted. It all depends on where you put the balance, the line of definition between sport and entertainment. I’m fine with it going a little towards the direction of entertainment, but I would like it to it remained mainly a sport. Let those who deserve it win. Because it’s simply right that I agree that if the world where I live glitters a little more, it’s obvious that I’m better off too.”
Liberty Media
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Consequentially, we move on to talk about Liberty Media, the new owners of the MotoGP. “I expect Liberty Media to make the World Championship shine more than it has done in recent years, based on the wonderful work it has done with Formula 1. Also because our basic spectacle is superior to that of Formula 1. MotoGP has much less need for artifices to increase its spectacular appearance. Obviously we must take cues from everyone, including Formula 1, but without distorting ourselves: MotoGP must remain on a human scale. Something will have to be done to make the championship more beautiful and more enjoyable. paddock. But we must remain MotoGP. I personally continually take inspiration from everyone, even from other sporting fields and not. But I have never copied anyone.” Also interesting are the reflections on the fact that the other teams are growing with technicians taken from Ducati. Cipolloni also wanted to know about the human side, about relationships after separations. “Each person is a different story – said Dall’Igna – there are people who maintain a correct relationship, others a little less. The fact that there are many ex-Ducatis who hold top roles in other MotoGP realities is the result of our work and our organisation. I continue to think that the most important thing is to grow the culture, the culture of the motorbike within the paddock. That technicians raised by us are having success elsewhere is the flip side of the coin of our good organisation”.
Ducati organisation
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On the other hand, the head of the Borgo Panigale sports structure was keen to underline one aspect: “We are the only manufacturer that has never drawn from other racing departments. We have always replaced those who left with someone who worked for us, normally with young people. And this certainly makes us proud”. From there the transition to organization, then. “I never make decisions alone. I don’t want something to be done in a certain way because I said so. I always ask my collaborators to tell me if they would do something, anything, differently. Then, of course, I make the final decision, because someone needs to take responsibility. But everything is the result of what comes out of the meetings. I’m certainly not one of those who think that meetings are a waste of time. In fact, I tend to have people who are not directly involved participate in the meetings in the topic being discussed, precisely to try to have as many different points of view as possible”.
pilots chapter
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And obviously we couldn’t help but talk about pilots. Cipolloni just needed to name them. Andrea Dovizioso: “We did some wonderful things together with him. I have so many good memories with him. Even though at the end of our relationship the relationship was a little cracked and working together was no longer as beautiful as it had been before. But for me it’s nicer to remember the beautiful moments.” Jorge Lorenzo: “A very special person who I have had the pleasure of knowing since I was a child. He is the only rider I have brought with me in 125, 250 and then also in MotoGP. I don’t think there is another who I have managed in all the categories, in all aspects of the MotoGP. He is an incredible rider. Even as a child, at 14 years old, he did extraordinary things. Things that I have only seen him do, especially in the minor categories. Seeing some of his lines on the computer, some of his telemetries, it was like admiring the Mona Lisa.” Pecco Bagnaia: “With Pecco I shared the best moment of MotoGP, the victory of the 2022 World Championship. A moment of incredible joy for which I am still emotional now, and for which I thank him. It was fantastic. Then here too… in life a manager has to make professional choices that on a human level he would not make. But unfortunately we are managers: the rider is respected because he is a person, but another 200 people work with me and I have responsibility for all 200. So when choices are made, they must be made for the good of everyone, and these choices are not always welcome. I have to think of the good of the 200 people rather than the good of the individual, and sometimes the two things contradict each other.” Marc Marquez: “I remember him from the 125, even though I wasn’t involved in that championship that he was doing with Derbi, I was in Superbike. The most important project of the group at that time was in Superbike. But I immediately realized, as soon as he arrived, that he had exceptional numbers. As long as I had him as an ‘enemy’ in the following years I always saw in him someone who managed to do things that were unapproachable for everyone else. Then, when I had him back with me, I must say that I discovered a fantastic person. He is a person who makes you emotional and who makes the whole work group emotional. He knows how to motivate everyone and who never points the finger at anyone. He also apologizes when necessary. He is a person from whom there is a lot to learn.” Pedro Acosta: “He’s a rival… He’s one of the most important rivals we have at the moment. You see the champions as children, that’s when they arouse emotions in you, and Pedro objectively is someone who already excited a lot of people when he was in Moto3. And I have to say that even now he’s doing wonderful things.” Next year he will do them for him, for Ducati. Everyone knows it, but Dall’Igna can’t say it yet.
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