Moto GP Feature - Ducati and Bridgestone's Winning Formula
10/12/2006
With three race wins and third overall in the championship, Marlboro Ducati was Bridgestone’s top team of 2006, and Loris Capirossi the top rider.
It was the factory Ducati team’s second season with Bridgestone, and the combination of machine improvements with continual tyre development was clearly demonstrated in the success.
Christhian Pupulin, race engineer to the rider, as well as team Technical Co-ordinator, reflected on the season, and how the partnership made such significant progress over two years.
Did you have to make changes to the machine, when you switched from Michelin to Bridgestone for the 2005 season?
We worked mainly on the chassis, for the different dimensions and profile, which brings a difference in the gearing.
We did not make many engine changes. This year, the Ducati engine is as powerful as Honda or Yamaha, not more powerful. We started with very good potential in 2003, but then Honda and Yamaha reacted very powerfully, and now I think their engine level is very similar. We make good top speed still, but that is because we have better aerodynamics.
Were there any electronic changes?
It seems that Bridgestone tyres work well with a lower level of spin. Michelin can make their tyres to spin with less durability problems. Bridgestone tyres work well with lower levels of spin – and on a high-grip circuit.
To control wheelspin, we use a different anti-spin control with different settings. But it is difficult to compare, because at the same time as the tyre change we also completely changed the strategy of the anti-spin system.
What about the change in feel for the rider?
I think the step from Michelin to Bridgestone is more simple than the opposite. Bridgestone has a huge advantage from the front tyre, which is more important for the feeling of the rider. At different tracks, sometimes our Bridgestones have more potential than Michelin, sometimes less potential. But our front tyre is good at every track.
How closely to the race engineers and the tyres engineers work together?
There is a very strong relationship between Ducati and Bridgestone. We have a lot of data that we give to Bridgestone at every race. We don’t have any secrets.
So at the moment they make the tyre for every our request. This is very important. For example, Loris might say that we need more edge grip, and then Bridgestone makes a different profile, to solve the problem.
Does the Ducati use different tyres from the other Bridgestone teams, Suzuki and Kawasaki?
For a lot of the races, we can choose from the bigger profile tyre, when Kawasaki and Suzuki are using the smaller one. It seems they are not able to fix the bike to use the extra grip of the big tyre.
What about next year’s 800cc machines. Will they need different tyres?
For the moment, we are able to use nearly the same tyres, but probably we need one step softer compound. Especially on the rear, but maybe also the front. The weight is the same, but there is not as much torque to make the tyre spin on the exit of the corner. It seems the area of the 800 will be more corner speed.
With the same weight and tyres, why did the 990 not have the same high corner speed?
It’s a different way to make the corner. You can request to the rider to make the same line with two different bikes, but with one bike it is comfortable to do this and with the other, no. The rider automatically makes the turn in the way that the bike wants.
What other changes do you expect?
With the 1000cc bike, we were going bigger and bigger with the rear tyre. Now I think we may stop this type of development.
Were you surprised that the 800cc machine can lap at more or less the same time as the 990?
From calculations, we expected to go half-second slower. But probably some parts of the new bike are better than the old, so we have reduced this gap.