Two numbers stand out for Gigi Dall’Igna in MotoGP 2024
"We have done something truly special and incredible"
Two numbers stand out for Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna during the factory’s record-breaking 2024 MotoGP campaign.
But it’s not the 19 out of 20 GP wins, or that Ducati won its third MotoGP title in a row, sweeping the top four positions in the riders’ standings.
"We have done something truly special and incredible. I struggle to read and believe the numbers we have achieved,” Motorsport.com quotes Dall’Igna as saying at its Campioni in Festa event in Bologna.
“I would like to mention two.
"The ‘14’, which are the times in which Ducati monopolised the podium. I remember the emotion when we swept the entire top 3 for the first time under my management (Valencia 2021), doing it 14 times out of 20 races truly demonstrates our strength.
"The other number that I am particularly pleased to remember is [all] ‘8’ Ducati riders finishing ahead of everyone else in the Sprint in Thailand.
"This means that all our bikes beat the competition. It is an incredible number and I can only thank once again everyone who contributed to this project, from the people at home, to the teams and riders who helped us achieve these results.”
The only smudge in the factory team’s season was that reigning double champion Francesco Bagnaia was beaten to the crown by Pramac’s Jorge Martin, who is leaving for Aprilia next season.
Dall’Igna said it highlighted Ducati’s sporting values: "Ducati this year has shown all the sportsmanship of the brand, letting the riders fight for the championship without team games, help or trying to penalise their teams, customers and riders.”
Marc Marquez, a three-time Grand Prix winner for Gresini this year, will join Bagnaia at the Ducati Lenovo squad in 2025.
"When you see a champion riding your bike it's always a strong emotion," Dall’Igna said of eight-time world champion Marquez's first test in red at Barcelona last month.
"They [Bagnaia and Marquez] are both great champions and this is the thing they are most similar on. They both have a lot of experience. They are both very determined, but on the other hand, this is the spirit of the champion.
"From the point of view of difference, probably one is a bit more of a braker and the other goes a bit more in the middle of the curve, but in any case, they are two riders who know what it takes to win a world championship".
