Marinelli: Checa is the difference!

[tye1138]

Quoted from: Marinelli: "Checa is the difference!

Writen By: Claudio Porrozzi

After witnessing so much past success with Ducati Corse in WSBK, last season Ernesto Marinelli had to suffer through the closure of the factory team. The Italian stayed on as technical director for the Bologna manufacturer's production racing effort, however, and now he is playing a part in the extraordinary success of "privateer" Ducati team.

Success that has not come without some controversy, with Max Biaggi recently telling Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport:"Ducati has won a lot this year, and maybe even too much. It doesn't look to me like they are struggling, and they have already won ten more races with a non-factory bike. This doesn't seem normal to me..." The Aprilia rider was not only making reference to the displacement advantage enjoyed by the twins, but also to the tires which seem to work better on the Ducati than any of the four cylinder competition.

"Evidently we are winning because we are doing the best job - Marinelli responds with a smile - Checa has been nearly perfect this year. Looking closely at his wins, you can see that he has never won with an overly big gap to second place. The fact is that Carlos has nothing to envy of former WSBK champions. He hasn't made a mistake, aside from Aragon, and he is extremely professional. He has found an ideal working relationship with the team and especially with the bike, which, thanks to some modifications to suit his riding stylehas turned into the perfect machine for him."

The Italian manager wasn't afraid to address the regulations directly: "If Ducati is winning, then the rules are no good. If the others are winning, then the rules are perfect - Marinelli continued - It's very positive that a world championship wants to allow everyone to compete evenly, but I don't think the limits should be placed on Ducati only. It makes me smile when I hear people say that we have an advantage under acceleration... so what about top speed? The fact is that we have worked using a different project philosophy, concentrating on braking and corner entry, which are our strong points. The others have concentrated on engine output, and this different approach is what has paid off for us."

"The system for leveling out the performance isn't just a technical question, but really a technical-political one. In the past we have accepted the rules because they helped keep things fairly balanced, like when the four-cylinders passed from 750cc to 1000cc, which was also necessary for marketing reasons. The same goes for restrictions that were placed on us, like in 2007 when we asked for a displacement increase because of our production needs. We are talking about finding rules which help keeps things balanced, and don't simply penalize us."

Moving on to an alleged tired advantage, Ernesto had this to say: "With regard to tire consumption, Pirelli can confirm there is nothing unusual about tire wear on our bikes. Plus, with 20 less horsepower than the others, it's obvious we will be easier on the tires... Even in this case we don't have an advantage, as we are only using the same material made available to all of the teams. I think it's absurd to consider that Pirelli would show favoritism to a manufacturer or team: it would be political suicide for them. I'd also like to point out that four-cylinder machines have won 8 of 18 races thus far, and with three different manufacturers."

And finally some talk about Ducati's new 1200cc street bike, which is said to adopt some design concepts from their less than successful MotoGP machine. "It's true that we draw heavily on our experiences in MotoGP - like we do in WSBK and other forms of racing - but we then adapt these advancements to suit the model we are working on. So I think that the difficult moment for the Ducati MotoGP team will not overly influence our new 1200 machine. You will see that when you first find the bike in the dealership, and then take it for a test ride, that all of your doubts will soon vanish..."

[slowwls]

If all of the Ducati's were blowing away the competition, then there might be a case. Guinters and Smrz are basically riding the same bikes as Checa, and we have seen how that is working out. Biatchi is living up to his name. Take away those gear driven cams, and here we are. Just my opinion.

[dburkland]

Originally Posted by slowwls

If all of the Ducati's were blowing away the competition, then there might be a case. Guinters and Smrz are basically riding the same bikes as Checa, and we have seen how that is working out. Biatchi is living up to his name. Take away those gear driven cams, and here we are. Just my opinion.

Good points, Checa is definitely doing a damn good job this year, hope he keeps it up. I'd have more respect for Biaggi if he wasn't such a big cry baby...

[tye1138]

Biaggi and Stoner should get a crybaby suite together.

Naaaa... I kid, I kid.

Checa ain't no joke, he's been riding as long as Biaggi and he was just always on the wrong bike it seems.

Its nice to note that Marinelli discusses Ducati's pro's, entering and mid corner. Their weaknesses; top speed and corner exit. Their biggest benefit; tire life and the simple thing thats always plaguing people, why does the Ducati work some days and not others... well thats because its at least 20 ponies down on the competition, simple as that.

[couchflyer]

Checa is the difference. His effort is why he is doing well. I hate it when the competition say its the bike. That is a diss on Checa.

[Dmitry]

I said it before and I'll say it again, magic #7 Ducati and "old guy" combo makes me smile.

[Matt_P]

Originally Posted by tye1138

Its nice to note that Marinelli discusses Ducati's pro's, entering and mid corner. Their weaknesses; top speed and corner exit

Funny how the exact opposite is true of the Desmosedici It's the worst at entry and midcorner, but its top speed and corner exit are great.

[DucmanST3]

news flash Haga still sucks

[slowwls]

Originally Posted by DucmanST3

news flash Haga still sucks

I wouldn't say that Haga sucks, he just got usurped. I still root for him, even though he rides for that "other" italian bike manufacturer now.

[tye1138]

Originally Posted by Matt_P

Funny how the exact opposite is true of the Desmosedici It's the worst at entry and midcorner, but its top speed and corner exit are great.

Funny ain't it!