The 2021 MotoGP drivers’ championship might go to Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, but Ducati took the constructors, team and independent team titles. With Ducati on the podium for the first time at the last race in Valencia, Spain in 2021, the team will be envied by the MotoGP neighborhood in the 2022 season.
Of course, success on the track is always welcome for CEO Claudio Domenicali, but the Ducati boss also has to consider how all the MotoGP technology carries over to his production models.
“Really, there is no regret, I am totally happy with the way we (the season) ended,” Domenicali told Italian media company Gazetta. “For a company like us, the most important goal is to develop technologies for use in road models. And I don’t think we’ve ever been able to build a motorcycle like this year, I’m talking about the Panigale, so close to racing. “
While keeping an eye on the company’s performance in both MotoGP and the consumer market, Domenicali understands the direct link between the Desmosedici GP prototype and road superbikes.
“I think Gigi fully interpreted Ducati’s way of racing,” noted Domenicali. “We were the first to give wings in MotoGP and on a production motorcycle. We love to get involved from a technical and technological point of view to deliver emotions that are exceptional both from the guide’s point of view and the beauty of the design. And racing is our progressive laboratory. “
Ducati’s successes in 2021 were not confined to the road racing circuit, however. The company from Bologna presented its latest medium-duty adventure bike, DesertX, in December 2021. In memory of the Lucky Strike Cagiva teams of the 90s, the new ADV masters technical terrain with a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel. However, the DesertX does not fit into the current Dakar rating.
“We would very much like to get involved in sporting competitions away from the asphalt,” adds Domenicali. “We’re already thinking about where we can take the DesertX. Ducati and competitions are unique. The DesertX is something completely new for us because it has been completely put out of the way. “
Ducati not only got itself dirty in 2021, but also backed clean energy with its new electric motorcycle project. In 2023 the brand will be the sole supplier of the MotoE World Cup. As part of the Audi Group, Ducati also enjoys significant support from the parent company.
“A lot. In Salzgitter there is a battery competence center of the Volkswagen Group, at Audi there is local competence,” concluded Domenicali.
No, Ducati hasn’t conquered the first MotoGP rider’s crown since Casey Stoner completed the feat in 2007. On the other hand, Ducati’s MotoGP achievements, exciting new consumer products and involvement in MotoE make the brand a winner in 2021.