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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1099522
IN THE WIND P48 with the rules guideline concentrat- ing only on the primary purpose of any such device, this is beside the point. Dall'Igna said that the idea had come to him in imitation of Yamaha, who last year introduced a "water diffuser" at the bottom rear of their fairing—significantly, Yamaha de- clined to join the mass protest. Ducati's air scoop was first seen at preseason tests and used by race winner Andrea Dovizioso as well as factory teammate Danilo Petrucci and satellite rider Jack Miller at Qatar. It had been approved by techni- cal director Danny Aldridge, who ruled that its primary purpose was to cool the tire. His decision was vindicated by the stewards at Qa- tar, and by the ruling of the Appeal Court, which was released on the Tuesday before the race. But Dall'Igna, who had kept the purpose of the scoop secret, was angered by the protest, not only because there had been the chance that Dovi would be stripped of a hard-fought win, but because he had been obliged to reveal his secrets in full at the appeal hearing. As well as the seven-degree lower tire temperature, data pro- vided by Ducati's simulation ("we did not do any wind-tunnel testing") revealed that there was a second- ary effect of downforce, but so little as to be virtually negligible. It was, said Dall'Igna, "more or less 300 grams at 110 mph." Ducati's evidence included a re- port by academic technicians from MegaRide, a company that works with the factory. A statement from company CEO Claudio Domenicali stated: "It is a shame that to get this result we had to spend our time and money with lawyers and reveal to the competi- tors our understanding about tire cooling. In spite of denials by the protes- tors, whose mantra was that they were merely seeking clarifica- tion, Dall'Igna was convinced that had the appeal been success- ful, Dovizioso would have been disqualified, and likewise Petrucci, who had finished sixth. Now rivals are expected to find their own ways of copying Ducati. Michael Scott Garcia, Holcombe Roll On In European Enduro J osep Garcia and Steve Holcombe were the stars of the March 29-31 weekend in European enduro. Garcia won round two of the Span- ish Enduro Championship, and Steve Holcombe won for the second time in the Italian Enduro Champion- ship. In Spain, García (Red Bull KTM) remains on top of the national championship with another victory. A month after achieving a double win in the open- ing round of the championship in Guadalajara, the Catalan rider, once again, climbed to the top step of the podium, this time in Valverde del Camino, known as "The Cathedral of Enduro." The KTM rider started by setting the best time in Friday's night-time supertest. A performance that also con- tinued on Saturday, dominat- ing from start to finish during a long-lasting day notable for the tough track and the dust from the specials. The following day, on Sunday, Garcia overcame several falls in the early stages of the race, to fight back and make up time and finally win yet another double victory, reinforcing his leadership in the E1 category. In Arma de Taggia, Italy, Holcombe (Beta) scored the overall win in round three of the Italian Champi- onship. It was his second-straight victory. He heads the 2019 championship with 57 points, followed by Alex Salvina (second in the race) with 40 points. CN Josep Garcia won the latest round of the Spanish Enduro Championship. PHOTO: NICKI MARTINEZ