The Ducati is undoubtedly the best machine on the grid this year and the statistics show that the second best performing motorcycle is… the Ducati. With the 2024 model, the official team and Pramac, accumulated 1122 points, Gresini and VR46, who have the GP23 from last season, scored 656, more than the KTM teams (432 points between them) or of Aprilia (415), and obviously those of the Japanese manufacturers, clearly behind.
This clash between the two versions of the Ducati is clearly in favor of the most recent model, by definition more technically advanced, and which has been able to evolve during the season to take full advantage of the new rear tire, an element which particularly seems to make the difference this year.
During the summer, the GP23 seemed to stall in performance and the most efficient rider on its handlebars, Marc Márquez, regularly spoke of a rear that “pushes” forward, an effect of the less good use of the new tire which disturbs the braking phases. However, the GP23 also has its own strengths.
After his comeback at the Indonesian GP, Pecco Bagnaia described an easier overtaking on Franco Morbidelli, who has the same machine as him and allowed his movements to be better anticipated, than on Marco Bezzecchi, on the track with the bike of the last year. “It was almost impossible to overtake Bezzecchi, with the GP23 they have a little more traction than us and it was hard”specified the double MotoGP champion.
“Since the start of the year, I have been saying that the GP23 has more traction than our bike”detailed Bagnaia at a press conference. “On this kind of circuit, it has more influence on the acceleration because the grip is not very strong at the rear. In this part of the acceleration, the GP23 has a little more. I Not saying it’s a big advantage, but it’s a small difference that can help in certain situations.”
A disadvantage according to Bezzecchi
Marco Bezzecchi confirmed this difference, seeing it rather as a disadvantage for his machine. “That’s true, but entry ‘pull’ is a big problem for us”explained the VR46 rider, who had already described problems in the middle of the curve due to the new construction of the rear tire this year, and still notes this difference in favor of the newer bike.
“[La GP24] is better for stopping and turning, then there is certainly something less in traction but when you have new tires, especially at the front, you can try to stay with them on entry and then on exit you can win something.”
Marco Bezzecchi and Enea Bastianini
Photo de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“On the other hand, when the grip drops at the front, we are destroyed and they are fantastic, so much so that they do not need traction at the rear. They manage to bring speed on entry and passing speed and then they are gentle on the throttle, so in the end they also have more traction. The bike has very good grip.
Bezzecchi sees this element as a “motorcycle characteristic”which has its strengths and weaknesses: “Our bike has more grip on the corner and that’s good but for turning and stopping it’s very bad. So we’re struggling, all the riders of the 2023 Ducati are complaining about the same problem. There are tracks on which I managed to adjust it a little, and others on which I had a little more difficulty, but overall the characteristic is that.”
As for Marc Márquez, he prefers to wait to discover the 2024 model to comment on the differences. “I will answer this question in Valencia, I don’t know. Frankly, I don’t know”assured the Spaniard, considering it normal that the Ducati had evolved in the right direction this year: “Obviously, the perfect bike doesn’t exist. Some bikes are going to be better in some ways and worse in others… The most important thing is to try to find the most balanced bike. If they passed at GP24, that means they found something better.”
For the Japanese GP, Marquez expects a fairly clear difference between the two versions of the bike: “Normally the biggest disadvantage is when the height dimmer is activated, and here we activate it quite a bit.”
With Léna Buffa and Ruben Carballo Rosa
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