Ahead of the start of official MotoGP pre-season testing, rumours are rife that Ducati may have made another big step forward with the design of its 2020 machine. At the November tests at Valencia and Jerez, Ducati rolled out a prototype Desmosedici GP20 that the Italian marque said was not definitive, arguing that it did not want to give its competitors any ideas about the innovations it is planning for the new season.
Its position fuelled rumours that the engineers in Borgo Panigale are preparing the odd ‘surprise’ on what is potentially a revolutionary new bike. The machines that appeared at the Ducati team presentation in Bologna on January 23 were ’19 versions with updated parts that had already appeared in the November tests, but they were not the ’20 incarnation of the Desmosedici.
The Italian factory’s famous racing department has always been known for being innovative when it comes to updating its MotoGP bike – especially in recent years. The aerodynamic ‘wings’ were the most obvious addition, but not the only one. Last year Ducati introduced a ‘holeshot’ system that allowed the riders to briefly drop the suspension at the start, before the setting reverted to its normal height in the first braking zone. So far, no other factory has copied it, although it does seem that Yamaha will do so in 2020, whilst work continues in Borgo Panigale to further refine the original.
