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Ducati's MotoGP pair coy on possible switch to traditional chassis
Both Ducati's MotoGP men Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden have been very shy about talking up (or down) a switch to a more traditional perimeter frame in order to try and eliminate the problem of not being able to get heat into the front tyre of the GP11.1 and GP11 respectively.
Neither the Italian or the American have said a Deltabox copy is definitely being looked into but nor have they categorically stated it isn't. Rossi has stated he has never asked for it but hasn't denied it exists while Hayden pleaded the fifth and wouldn't comment further than saying some stuff is on the drawing board but the way he said it gives rise to further speculation something is on the cards (especially when you look at the above photo).
"I've never asked Ducati for that, and I don't now if it would be the solution. I'm the rider, and the engineers must decide what to do for the future. We don't necessarily need a new chassis to solve our problems, though," said Rossi.
Rossi said from the day he first swung a leg over the GP11 at Valencia he was struggling for grip from both ends. The GP11.1 fixed the rear as it gave him some stability on corner exit but the front, especially when allied to the concrete compound Bridgestones, still remains a mystery on the brakes and when turning in.
At Mugello the team tinkered with the ride height by 20mm and on Sunday at the Sachsering, they altered the weight balance further which Rossi said was better but he still finished ninth behind Nicky Hayden and Alvaro Bautista, which tells you something.
Hayden, meanwhile, was faster in Germany this year than last but finds himself closer to the rear than before, beaten by a Suzuki at a left-handed track which he fully admits he loves. This coming weekend his goes to Laguna Seca and he sounds like he is dreading it: "It's going to be a long flight home…"
But the Kentuckian was more circumspect in his answers about a new chassis than the flat denials Rossi gave:
"There's always stuff on the drawing board, ideas are thrown up. That's one reason why they want me to ride this bike to see if it has any potential or if they need to give up on it. Of course they're looking at a few little things, Deltabox and this and that. We've kicked around some ideas," said Hayden.
Both Ducati's MotoGP men Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden have been very shy about talking up (or down) a switch to a more traditional perimeter frame in order to try and eliminate the problem of not being able to get heat into the front tyre of the GP11.1 and GP11 respectively.
Neither the Italian or the American have said a Deltabox copy is definitely being looked into but nor have they categorically stated it isn't. Rossi has stated he has never asked for it but hasn't denied it exists while Hayden pleaded the fifth and wouldn't comment further than saying some stuff is on the drawing board but the way he said it gives rise to further speculation something is on the cards (especially when you look at the above photo).
"I've never asked Ducati for that, and I don't now if it would be the solution. I'm the rider, and the engineers must decide what to do for the future. We don't necessarily need a new chassis to solve our problems, though," said Rossi.
Rossi said from the day he first swung a leg over the GP11 at Valencia he was struggling for grip from both ends. The GP11.1 fixed the rear as it gave him some stability on corner exit but the front, especially when allied to the concrete compound Bridgestones, still remains a mystery on the brakes and when turning in.
At Mugello the team tinkered with the ride height by 20mm and on Sunday at the Sachsering, they altered the weight balance further which Rossi said was better but he still finished ninth behind Nicky Hayden and Alvaro Bautista, which tells you something.
Hayden, meanwhile, was faster in Germany this year than last but finds himself closer to the rear than before, beaten by a Suzuki at a left-handed track which he fully admits he loves. This coming weekend his goes to Laguna Seca and he sounds like he is dreading it: "It's going to be a long flight home…"
But the Kentuckian was more circumspect in his answers about a new chassis than the flat denials Rossi gave:
"There's always stuff on the drawing board, ideas are thrown up. That's one reason why they want me to ride this bike to see if it has any potential or if they need to give up on it. Of course they're looking at a few little things, Deltabox and this and that. We've kicked around some ideas," said Hayden.
ucati engineer.jpg]
