The Desmosedici GP09 represents...
The Desmosedici GP09 represents a big step for Ducati Corse, in that the familiar chromoly steel tube trellis frame has been replaced with a complete carbon fiber unit. The previous generation GP08 racebike boasted a carbon fiber swingarm, but the GP09 represents the first modern MotoGP machine to use the ultralightweight material for the complete chassis.
Stoner and Hayden agree that the problem with the carbon fiber-framed GP9, as it was with the GP8, is in the swingarm. The evidence was on view in 2008, with the rear of the bike shaking viciously on exit.
"Filipo [Preziosi, the genius behind the Desmosedici] was saying sometimes mine is even worse on the data," Hayden said. "It's something the team and me and everybody there's trying to understand. They don't exactly know where it's from, if it's too stiff, too flexy or what. That's the thing, with the Ducati they have to be sure, Filipo has to be sure. They're not a big huge company with all these engineers that they can just try two or three different things. When they make a step, they have to be sure." And the only thing they were sure of was that both Hayden and Stoner were struggling on corner exit.
"A lot of pumping," Hayden said. "It's quite aggressive. I guess the chassis and the engine together kind of bind up on the exit and it's quite loose." Added Stoner, "At this stage the rear end of the bike is the main part of the bike we need to solve, but the pumping Nicky is complaining about is nothing compared to what the GP8 did." Stoner said that this is what they fixed with the GP8 at a post-Catalunya test last year. "It was just drivability, the bike was becoming too loose and we couldn't get the power down properly. Basically, we just had to solve that so this is just an evolution of what we were using; no traction control, just a more rideable engine off the bottom and this is what will help us a lot this season, especially in the tight corners."
Another myth Stoner exploded is that the team shows up with a machine that's ready to win. Though he denies it, that certainly seems to be the case. It wasn't uncommon for Stoner to be the faster rider in every session, starting with Friday morning practice.
Although the team wanted him...
Although the team wanted him to attend the post-season tests to be an observer, Stoner doesn't feel that Hayden really needs any help from his end. "Nicky knows how to ride and how to race; he doesn't need any help from me," said the '07 MotoGP world champion.
"I think my team does a bloody good job of making as best guess they can of what they think the track is and what data we've had previously," he said. "And then it looks like we're a lot faster and we're basically ready to win, but we're not. A perfect example was Valencia. We were struggling so much right up 'til the last...just before I put in qualifying tires. Absolutely panicking. We were running around 14th, 15th position. I reckon the best time I could have done was maybe eighth, ninth position at the time. And we were really in a big panic. But I stayed on race tires longer than everyone else did and I got it sorted. Chucked in the qualifiers; we got on pole. Went back out on race tires to refine that setting, went quicker again and it was like that. Everyone thinks we get on track and the bike is just roses but it's not. We have to work at it and get it to where we do before the race day."