The major KTM development which Ducati were forced to “eliminate”

Gigi Dall’Igna has admitted that KTM’s start system forced Ducati into a major reaction last year.

Jack Miller and Brad Binder enjoyed a huge step forward from last summer thanks to KTM’s new starting system.

It was a development which came too late to threaten the all-Ducati MotoGP championship fight, but it caught Dall’Igna’s attention.

The engineer extraordinaire told Motorsport he was surprised by it: “Probably yes, so much so that we started to think about a system to improve our starts.

“At that time, the KTMs started better than us, but we reacted to eliminate that disadvantage.”

KTM emerged as a viable threat to Ducati last season and are heavily tipped to maintain that status as the nearest competition when the 2024 MotoGP campaign begins.

The new concessions rules which hold back Ducati the most, and Dall’Igna has already voiced his annoyance that KTM and Aprilia will benefit.

But Ducati are still expected to have the best bike, and their GP24 first took to the track at the postseason Valencia test - but Dall’Igna warns that the factory duo and Pramac pair’s machine will still improve.

“That one was at the beginning of its development,” he said.

“There will be modifications that we will soon see.”

The numerical superiority of the Ducatis, plus the benefit of the Desmosedici, means the Italian manufacturer are the team to beat.

But Dall’Igna is wary of the competition in a year where Honda and Yamaha are determined to bounce back from their terrible showings last season.

“All the brands will try to correct what happened last year,” he said.

Asked which manufacturer would challenge Ducati the most, he said: “I expect them to step up in 2024. I can't give a name at this stage.

“But surely, between the concessions and the level that some of them showed in the final stretch of 2023, we will have it more complicated.”