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Is the GP15 the real deal ?

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DavidSim

Joined Apr 2015
299 Posts | 287+
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I am looking forward to the COTA race to see if the GP15 is the real deal or a flash in the pan (now that Ducati has some new restrictions imposed on them due to their better results).

I am hoping the GP15 is truly a contender this year, and that both Suzuki and Aprilia come up to speed over the next year or two and really make things interesting.

Before the season started I thought that MM would have another cake walk, now I am not so sure.
 
DavidSim said:
I am looking forward to the COTA race to see if the GP15 is the real deal or a flash in the pan (now that Ducati has some new restrictions imposed on them due to their better results).

I am hoping the GP15 is truly a contender this year, and that both Suzuki and Aprilia come up to speed over the next year or two and really make things interesting.

Before the season started I thought that MM would have another cake walk, now I am not so sure.
Click to expand...

MM will not have it as easy as last season perhaps, but he'll win because he's better than everyone else by a considerable margin....

Yes, GP15 is real IMO but like the other machines, there are tracks that cater to different bikes strengths. No different than previous years. The Ducati will be good at some places and not so good at others. The only guys who seem capable of winning no matter are Stoner and Marquez. MM will win this years championship unless he gets injured. Ducati will improve even more. 2016 may be their year.
 
MigsAngel said:
Let's get rid of all their concessions and then we can see where they fully stand...
Click to expand...

Which concession did they need in Qatar? They've said repeatedly that the fuel allowance is not needed. They do not race the soft tire they're afforded although they've used it for Quali. The only meaningful allowance that I can think of was the ability to develop the engine during the 2014 season.

The fact of the matter is that MotoGP was boring in not competitive. It was also rigged in favor of the largest manufacturers IMO. Ducati makes about 40,000 motorcycles/year. No cars, no scooters, no piano's. I believe they have some structural disadvantages and were near pulling the plug on GP unless they were able to return to form. The ONLY reason Ducati can race is because Philip Morris pays the bills. Absent that massive sponsorship, they'd not be able to run the series. Their sponsor was not going to continue financing a 10th place machine.

I'm sure Krop can provide some additional info here but I think looking at this thing objectively, keeping Ducati around by allowing them to improve the package is in the long term interest of MotoGP and it's fans. If they produce wins, they'll give up some of these perks. Clearly Ducati wanted to win in Qatar. That leads me to believe that they're confident enough in their bike to forgo the perks.
 
the concessions have been great and truly worked for Ducati and once they lose the soft tyre all things will be equal and next year the engine freeze . all seems to be working and can anyone see them honestly winning the championship.

I just cant see it they have come out of the box fast with the GP15 but it will have bugs that will show themselves and cause them headaches that can not be cured on a race weekend ....
 
MigsAngel said:
Let's get rid of all their concessions and then we can see where they fully stand...
Click to expand...

2 wheeled panzer commander said:
the concessions have been great and truly worked for Ducati and once they lose the soft tyre all things will be equal and next year the engine freeze .
Click to expand...

Gigi is no slouch in development, and all indications are that Ducati has been developing to the bike to factory spec, and using only the open rules as much as required for rapid development, not for racing. Back in Qatar many in the paddock were dismissing their early fast laps as nothing special because they were using the soft open tires. Then it turned out that they weren't; Krop even trolled through pics of the sessions and couldn't find a single one with the Ducati on the softs, meaning that the bike was legitimately as fast as the other factory bikes.

Is the GP15 for real? A fight to the line for the win, and 2 out of three podiums in the dry would say yes.
 
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"Lorenzo would be an important player for Ducati (and behind Audi has the economic strength to carry out the operation without Phillip Morris)"

From GPOne.
 
Once the soft tyre qualifying tyres, the extra 2 litres of fuel, and extra engines are gone then we are back to level playing field....

Ducati can waste more fuel for power since they still get an extra 2 litres per race than the Yamaha and Honda.....yes they lost 2 after Qatar, but they are still have 22 vs 20 for the factory....

The soft tyre just give them a better Q position than they might get without it.....give MM, JLo or Rossi the soft tyre and lets see how much faster and further ahead in time they can qualify...

Extra engines means they can run much much harder and not care since they have those engines to blow through.....the factory guys have to have their engines run for much longer series of races and so their software must be doing its job to protect the engine life ...

Once Ducati is back to even playing then we know it is for real....in my opinion....dont get me wrong i am a fan, and i am glad they are doing well.....and they are much further ahead than the last few years but are they fully back?....not sure yet....
 
gui22a said:
"Lorenzo would be an important player for Ducati (and behind Audi has the economic strength to carry out the operation without Phillip Morris)"

From GPOne.
Click to expand...

Audi can afford the Ducati MotoGP operation clearly, but the important question is would they if PH dropped it's sponsorship? Neither of those companies want to throw good money at bad. I don't think Audi has some kind of special appreciation for owning Ducati. I think they do it because somewhere somehow it makes financial sense for them. I still don't know why Audi bought Ducati. Odd pairing frankly even though I clearly like both.
Yzv7a1q.jpg


I don't think they'd waste money on a losing GP effort for very long.
 
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budoist said:
Gigi is no slouch in development, and all indications are that Ducati has been developing to the bike to factory spec, and using only the open rules as much as required for rapid development, not for racing. Back in Qatar many in the paddock were dismissing their early fast laps as nothing special because they were using the soft open tires. Then it turned out that they weren't; Krop even trolled through pics of the sessions and couldn't find a single one with the Ducati on the softs, meaning that the bike was legitimately as fast as the other factory bikes.

Is the GP15 for real? A fight to the line for the win, and 2 out of three podiums in the dry would say yes.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. The GP15 has been designed to remain competitive under factory rules (not the current ones though... rather those of 2016!). :)
 
levigarrett said:
Audi can afford the Ducati MotoGP operation clearly, but the important question is would they if PH dropped it's sponsorship?
Click to expand...

Yes, they told just after the buyout they will race whatever happens. That meant, no cigarette .......s needed.

levigarrett said:
Neither of those companies want to throw good money at bad. I don't think Audi has some kind of special appreciation for owning Ducati. I think they do it because somewhere somehow it makes financial sense for them. I still don't know why Audi bought Ducati. Odd pairing frankly even though I clearly like both.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

They bought Ducati because BMW have both bikes and cars. Audi wanted to have a complete line up to compete with them.
 
After the second COTA FP I would have to say I am impressed with the Ducati riders again, and my goodness look at that Suzuki right up there.

Good stuff !!!
 
BTW LeviGarrett,

my wife and I just returned last Sunday from a two week vacation in California (started in LA, drove up the coast to SF, then flew back home).

Had a great time, we both picked San Luis Obispo as the ideal place to live (based on a combination of economics and weather that suited us).

The only downers were the wide spreads in gas prices (we saw from $ 2.79 to $ 5.03 per gallon), and the homeless in downtown SF near where we stayed (Opal on Van Ness).

You folks have a good thing going on in California.
 
gui22a said:
Yes, they told just after the buyout they will race whatever happens. That meant, no cigarette .......s needed.



:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

They bought Ducati because BMW have both bikes and cars. Audi wanted to have a complete line up to compete with them.
Click to expand...

So audi bought ducati out of spite? Stroke of financial genius there.....
 
levigarrett said:
Audi can afford the Ducati MotoGP operation clearly, but the important question is would they if PH dropped it's sponsorship? Neither of those companies want to throw good money at bad. I don't think Audi has some kind of special appreciation for owning Ducati. I think they do it because somewhere somehow it makes financial sense for them. I still don't know why Audi bought Ducati. Odd pairing frankly even though I clearly like both.
Yzv7a1q.jpg


I don't think they'd waste money on a losing GP effort for very long.
Click to expand...

Actually there is, in the person of the President of the Supervisory Board of the Group. Ferdinand Piech has been a long time Ducati enthusiast (he has a lifelong passion for motorbikes and his first motorcycle was a Ducati) and he was, they say, the man behind the decision to acquire Ducati. Of course there are also many other good reasons, but this is the "special appreciation" part...

Congratulations for your garage! :)
 

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