FEATURE
JORGE LORENZO'S BIG ADVENTURE
P88
DESMO DAYS: A SWITCHBACK STORY
The architect of the Ducati Desmosedici from its debut in
2003 was a charismatic engineer named Filippo Preziosi.
Wheelchair-bound after an off-road accident, Preziosi's
machine had achieved 31 GP victories and that 2007
Stoner championship. He was highly respected.
In keeping with Ducati's exclusive desmodromic valve
gear, however, he liked to follow his own path. While
rival engineers were working with long aluminum chassis
beams and swingarms, developing controlled flexibility,
Preziosi instead chose a scanty carbon-fiber mini-chassis/
airbox combined. I asked him whether this material, famed
from its stiffness, was not an unexpected choice. "The ma-
terial is not important. You can control the degree of flex in
any material," he said.
The riders and the results did not agree. Nor did new
owners Audi. One year after their take-over—during which
desperation had driven Ducati to build an aluminium frame
for Rossi—Preziosi was moved from the racing department.
In his place came German Bernhard Gobmeier, but this
turned out to be a caretaker role, with little change in team
fortunes.
Behind the scenes, a coup was being planned. Gigi
Dall'Igna had achieved great things with two-strokes for
Aprilia in 125 and 250. With the advent of Moto2 in 2011,
he was moved over to Aprilia's World Superbike program,
where he enjoyed more success, including the title with
