Ducati MotoGP riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo today unveiled the Desmosedici GP18 they will ride this season, or at least in the winter tests, at a ceremony at the company’s Bologna factory.
As expected, the GP18 is an evolution of the GP17 with which Dovizioso came within a whisker of winning the 2017 MotoGP world title but Gigi Dall’Inga, General Manager of Ducati’s racing division, says that the new machines will have more power (Ducati claim a vague ‘over 240bhp’) and improved ride ability.
Visually, the 2018 machines sport a new livery, with striking deep grey lines cutting into the traditional red and white colourscheme, although blank spaces on the bikes and riders’ race suits, and the absence of previous sponsor TIM’s logo, suggest that slight adjustments will be made to the livery when the season kicks off in Qatar on March 18.
Indeed the aerodynamics of the GP18 are also likely to be changed at some stage, as Dall’Inga has already suggested that he expects the bike to receive some updates after the winter testing programme. These are unlikely to be implemented for the first race, but should be in place by the first European rounds in May.
