MotoGP Blog

Ducati have so much right about their MotoGP efforts. They have a championship-winning bike, they are at the front of the technology wars in terms of electronics, fuel management, traction control, and have made a success of the desmodronic valve actuation system. This year even the frame of the GP9 is revolutionary - a tiny carbon-fibre airbox doubling as the frame to which the headstock is bolted, and a new carbon-fibre swing-arm providing just the right amount of flexibility and strength.

How is it then, that only Casey Stoner can ride it? In 2008, Stoner was routinely on the front row and podium, fighting the Yamahas and Hondas for the win. Melandri had a very different experience. Trailing most of the field and occasionally the satellite Ducatis, Marco had the season from hell, well documented in the press and on this blog, he was unable to gel with the bike on any level. Now in 2009, with Hayden in the saddle of the factory Ducati, a similar story is playing out. Hayden and the satellites are in the bottom half of the results table each race weekend, while Stoner fights it out with Lorenzo, Rossi and Pedrosa for the championship lead.

A number of factors contribute to Stoner’s success on the Ducati above and beyond his prodigious talent. These same factors make it difficult for other riders to emulate his success. The factors are: Stoner’s style of riding, the Bridgestone rubber on the Ducati, and the clever on-board electronics.

Stoner’s Style
Casey is used to a bike moving about underneath him. His very early races were dirt-tracking in Western Australia in a similar manner to other notable Aussie racers. Coming through the UK and Spanish national 125cc race scene, he was picked up by Puig and joing the MotoGP circus in the 125cc class. His small, wiry frame suited the small bikes and his determination and focus saw him advance through the classes, despite a reputation for being unable to handle worn tyres and for crashing, often from podium positions in the race. A raw and untempered talent, his crashes were almost always as a result of pushing the front when in a battle with other riders. Casey leans a lot on the front tyre, braking later and harder then most. Often his corner entry will involve him approaching the apex, still braking and leaning the bike in. Crucially, on the exit to corners, he’s happy to open the throttle early and let the back end sort itself out. His style suits the Bridgestone front, and the properties of this tyre has helped to quell his reputation of being a crasher and allowed him to develop awesome consistency.

The Bridgestone Front
Bridgestone brought a different approach to tyre manufacture to the MotoGP party, tacking the problem of providing grip and durability from an entirely different perspective than the incumbent Michelin. The French company’s focus was very much on compound and the adaptation of this compound to the particular bike, rider, tarmac and conditions the tyre was being made for. Construction was a secondary concern, and after all, Michelin had the luxury of being able to fly-in tyres to European races, after making them the day before. Bridgestone, out of Japan, did not have the luxury of this, and so needed a different solution. This was to work with the construction as well as the compound to find the best compromise that would work well over a wide range of conditions. Whereas Michelin we focused on tuning the tyre to each rider, bike and track, Bridgestone worked on making the best tyre with the widest range possible. Compound was important, yes, but also how to get as much of that compound in touch with the tarmac in corners. The development of the deforming Bridgestone front was key in the Ducati success, and suited Stoner perfectly. He could now lean on the tyre when braking as hard as he liked, and it would keep him upright. Note, in 2006 on the LCR Honda “Crasher” Stoner was running Michelins.

Ducati Electronics
The MotoGP teams are engaged in an all-out electronics war, developing systems to manage the power and fuel efficiency of their engines, so that not a horsepower or drop of fuel is wasted. One of the most advanced is the system on the Ducati which uses a complex array of gyroscopes and sensors to judge lean angle, gear, throttle position and velocity to control how much power and wheelspin to allow. These aids allow Casey to be opening the throttle before he reaches the apex of the corner. The bike will sort itself out and allow him to open the throttle further, sooner than riders on other manufacturer’s machines. While still in corner exit, cranked over, he can open up the throttle and be sure the rear end will sort itself out, with just enough spin and slip. This is the phase of the corner where we see the Ducati buck and kick like a thoroughbred. Stoner alone is comfortable with the bike behaving like this.

Melandri? Hayden?
So why could Melandri not make it work, and why is Hayden still struggling to get to grips with the machine? Melandri is a pure 125 - 250 - MotoGP racer from the European school. He rides smoothly, maintains high corner speed, generally keeping the wheels in line. He’s pretty traditional in his cornering approach, and does not push the front. The idea of braking deep into the corner before immediately getting back on the throttle prior to the apex would simply be wrong for him - his instinct would suggest he needs to get around the corner and be standing the bike upright before he can increase the throttle in a dramatic way. Also, he gave up early in 2008, talking himself into failure. On the Kawasaki, he is back in familiar territory, with his smooth, in-line style paying dividends again.

Hayden might at first look to be better suited to the Ducati. Also a dirt-tracker, Hayden excelled in the 990-era, power-sliding and smoking his way around the circuits. Loose on the exit is how Nicky likes it. His issue is more with trusting the front end and the Bridgestone tyre to the extent Stoner does. Also, the early throttle action will be alien to him, and again he needs to develop trust in the electronics and in the bike that it will not highside him. This trust will be hard for him to gain given his start to the 2009 season.

What can Ducati do? It looks like not much other than wait for their riders to get their heads around the revolutionary machine they have buit. It takes time for a rider to trust a motorcycle, and even longer to change a riding style to suit, always with the threat of a highside and broken bones an instant later. The best thing that Ducati can do is offer help and support to their riders, and give them time. Meanwhile, keep Casey happy and fighting for the win.