MotoGP 2016 - Ducati: Highs and lows

Ducati’s return to the sharp-end of the MotoGP field has been a long and tedious process. Casey Stoner’s departure at the end of 2010 heralded a barren period for the team, and not even Valentino Rossi and Jeremy Burgess could find success with the difficult Desmosedici.

Indeed, it wasn’t until 2014 when Ducati began to make headway. The arrival of General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna got the Borgo Panigale race department in gear, and the expansion into the open class with the Avintia team would prove to be a master-stroke.

2015 saw Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone tally up eight podium finishes between them, though that promised first victory since Phillip Island 2010 still eluded them. With the switch to unified software coming into play for 2016, the package based on the one used by the open class in 2015, not only was the playing field levelled but Ducati also had valuable data from Avintia to use to their advantage.

The GP15 may not have delivered the success Ducati were hoping for, but the Desmosedici GP certainly hinted towards a potential title tilt in Qatar. Andrea Dovizioso kept a pesky Marc Marquez at bay for second, whilst Andrea Iannone showed race-winning pace before chucking his motorcycle at the scenery.

The Italian marque’s championship challenge began and ended under the floodlights, however, as the next five races proved disastrous. On course for a double rostrum in Argentina that would have seen Ducati take the lead in the teams’ standings and put Dovizioso one point off of the lead, Iannone hit the self-destruct button at the penultimate corner and wiped the pair out in a desperate attempt at passing his teammate.

Having only taken three points from a race he should have taken 20, Dovizioso’s woeful luck continued into the United States. The Italian was taken out by Dani Pedrosa’s errant RC213V at Turn 1 whilst running in third, Dovizioso lucky to walk away unscathed. Iannone inherited the position and remained there for the rest of the afternoon, redeeming himself but only by a small amount.

A water pump failure forced Dovi to park up early next time out at Jerez, with Iannone a disappointing seventh after making a poor start from a lowly 11^th on the grid. Two weeks later, both riders fell off whilst fighting for the podium in separate incidents at Le Mans. After six rounds, the Ducati duo had amassed just 47 points between them, the same amount Tech 3’s Pol Espargaro had scored in sixth place. Dovizioso was now 65 points adrift of standings leader Marquez, this gap opening up further to 98 with a fifth, seventh and non-finish in the next three races.

Iannone’s future at Ducati, by mid-season, had been decided and the cord was being cut. The crashes in Qatar, Argentina and France whilst fighting at the sharp-end, and his clumsy accident with Lorenzo in Barcelona had sealed the deal for him. There was an offer of redemption, however, a chance to right some of his wrongs and leave Bologna a hero.

The return of the Austrian Grand Prix and the Red Bull Ring marked Ducati’s best chance at ending their six-year wait. All weekend, the GP16 was demonic, leaving all in its wake. It was almost a guarantee that a Ducati would win this race, it was just unclear who. Iannone qualified on pole, but a rib injury was eating away at him, and his track record in 2016 cast doubt as to whether he could do the job or not.

However, Iannone’s maniacal side may have been making the headlines, but when presented with the most golden of golden opportunities the Italian became a completely new rider. Opting, bravely, for the softer tyre, Iannone hit the front as early as he could and proceeded to control the pace, keeping enough in reserve to safeguard his lead. It was an inspired decision and a masterful ride to end Ducati’s dry spell and silence all critics.

Iannone’s season flew off the rails after his maiden victory, though. A delaminating front tyre at Brno saw him plummet down the order to eighth, whilst an arm-pump-related crash at Silverstone, something brought about by the heavy GP16, cost him another rostrum. A fast fall at Misano ruled him out until Sepang, and on his comeback he failed to finish. But the Italian departed in fine fashion, putting in a determined performance in Valencia to round out his time at Ducati with one final podium.

Dovizioso’s run to the finale was one also fraught with inconsistency, though his win in the wet of Malaysia validated the Borgo Panigale squad’s decision to retain him over Iannone for the 2017 season.

Much like London buses, Ducati waited a long time for a victory to arrive and had two came along at once. But they got nowhere near the world championship in 2016, woeful luck and daft errors the reason. Despite this, the Italian manufacturer head into the off-season with a smug smile on their face, as for 2017 the final piece of the puzzle arrives.

Jorge Lorenzo, riding a bike part-developed by Casey Stoner, could well be the combination Ducati need to reclaim the world title they so brilliantly won back in 2007. The heavy Desmosedici’s of old will have to evolve into something more suited to the metronomic Spaniard, but in turn he too will have develop himself around the Bologna bullet.