MOTOGP
2014 SEASON PREVIEW
PREVIEW
P42
race engineer Gigi Dall'Igna.
Dovizioso was faster than rookie
teammate Cal Crutchlow, the Ital-
ian ex-Honda, ex-Yamaha rider
seventh overall and just .8 of a
second down on Marquez's blaz-
ing top time after "my fastest lap
of Sepang, on any bike."
But there is another major un-
certainty, which could hand an
advantage to the Ducati gang. It
comes hand in hand with the lat-
est rule-change, the replacement
of the unloved CRT bikes with so-
called "Open" production racers.
Factory prototypes are more
squeezed than ever this year: still
just five engines but now another
liter less fuel, from 21 to 20. In ad-
dition, engine development is fro-
zen from the first race onwards.
The only payback is the right to
develop their own electronic
software, as long as they use
The surprise of the Sepang test was Aleix
Espargaro (41), who was not only faster than
his more accomplished younger brother Pol
(44) but was faster than everyone except
Marquez, Rossi and Lorenzo.
Cal Crutchlow will be on a
factory Ducati in 2014. So far,
he's learning his way.
