Earlier this week, the MotoGP Court of Appeal confirmed Andrea Dovizioso as winner of the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix by rejecting a protest made against Ducati's swingarm spoiler by Honda𒈔, Suzuki, Ap🐬rilia and KTM.

The four manufacturers had protested the machines of Dovizioso, team-mate Danilo Petrucci and Pramac's💝 Jack Mill🐷er on the grounds that the spoiler was 'primarily an aerodynamic device and therefore not compliant with the MotoGP technical regulations'.

Ducati, which had already received the green light from Technical Director Danny Aldridge, insisted the device was designed to cool the rear tyrওe.

The protesting manufacturers claimed their goal was not to strip Dovizioso of victory but to clar🃏ify the rules regarding what is and isn't allowed, in an area of the bike oဣutside of the 'Aero Body' fairing regulations.

But the Court not only confirmed the race results as final, but also rejected a request to ban the device from future use. Yamaha, which created a similar spray defector for wet races last season, 𒅌was the only MotoGP manufacturer noꦛt involved in the protest.

On the eve of this weekend's Argentine round, Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna✃ - accompanied by sporting director Paolo Ciab꧟atti - gave his first comments since the Court of Appeal victory.

7 degrees cooler, 300 grams of downforce

Ducati had been cleared to use the device on the basis that its purpose was as a 'tyre cooler'. As reported, that was backed up by 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:evide𝓰nce from MegaRide at the Court of Appeal, but on Thursday Dall’Igna mad🍌e some figures public.

"It works to pu♋t some air on the rear tyre and the results of our tests, at the Qatar test before the race, is🦂 that we can reduce the temperature of the tyre by about 7 degrees on average," he said.

"This is, in Ducati's opinion. for ♔sure an important result in terms of the performance of t🅺he bike."

But the wing-style shape of the device meant Ducati's rivals were sure it created ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚdownforce and was 'primarily an aerodynamic device '.

Dall’Igna conceded that the device had a 'secondary' aerodynamic effect, as would be the case for any part ex🍌posed to the airflow, which he listed as a meagre 300 grams of downforce at 180km/h (however the MotoGP top speed record is 356.5km/h, and downfo🔯rce from the device would increase accordingly).

"Also the water spoiler that Yamaha used at the end of last year had this secondary effect for sure. In our case, I think that we c😼an tell you that we have more or less 3-4 Newtons at 180 km/h, 300 grams more-or-🔯less."

Because the purpose was cooling and the downforce effect so🌌 minimal, Ducati hadn't even done any wind tunnel testing for the part.

"Honestly sp๊eaking, we didn't do any wind tunnel testing with the system, because our target was not the [down]force of the devic⛄e. It was only the thermal effect on the rear tyre.

"ꦏSo we produced our results in terms of tests, during the Qatar tests, with the proper test on the race bike, and our simulations in terms of coefficient of heat exchange with the rear tyre."

While the device had previously been tried by Pramac's Jack Miller and team-mate Danilo Petrucci, Dovizioso didn't fit😼 the 'cooler' until warm-up in Qatar. Why?

"In reali🗹ty, it's also related to the durability of the system. Because we have not a lot of experience with this sys🌊tem, because we started to use it only during the Qatar test.

"So we wanted to be sure that we didn't have any kind of problems on Dovizioso's bike before taking the decision to use it with him. Because it was clear since the Qatar test that the result which we achieved with these parts was good in terms of cooling t𓃲he rear tyre."

Cooling of the tyre is also far less important in qualifying compared to the race, but extra downforce (if that had been the main purpose of the part) would be welcome in any ses𒐪sion.

Ducati copied Yamaha

It had been Yamaha's 2018 spray defle꧙ctor that had inspired Ducati's tyre cooler, which Dall’Igna in turn ex🗹pects will now appear on other machines.

"Ducati had this idea copying Yamaha. Because Yamaha used a system like this in Valencia and maybe also before in some practices, but for sure during the Valencia race. So Ducati had this idea to watch what another of ourౠ competitors are doing. So I think that the others will copy us [now]."

Aprilia h𝕴ad been one of the key architects of the protest after claiming its own plans for a similar swingarm device were turned down.

"Honestly speaki💫ng, I'm not sure that they presented something to the Techni🐓cal Director," Dall’Igna said. "I think that they only sent an email to the Technical Director in order to understand if they have to homologate the water deflector like Yamaha was using in Valencia. But I didn't see any parts.

"But you have to🦩 speak with Aprilia and with the Technical Director about that. I read something during the hearing, so🧸 I have my idea, but I cannot tell you everything, because it's not on the paper of the hearing."

Dovizioso would have been disqualified

Dall’Igna challenged the assertion that Dovizioso could have kept his victory had Ducati lost the Appeal, as its four rivals💫 suggested.

"If the protest was accepted in Qatar, the disqualification of Dovizioso and Petrucci would be sure," he said. "Because t🍒he result of a protest is disqualification of any riders that used a bike that did not conform with the rules."

Instead, the Court's verdict proved that Ducati had "read and interpreted the rules in the proper way. This is not only the Technical Director's point of view, but also the Court of Appeal's point of view that had the possibility to read nꦐot only our documents but also the documents of our competitors."

The fact that Ducati had to reveal its tyre cooling knowledge to its competitors during the Appeal clea🅰rly irked Dall’Igna: "I think this is for sure not fair and not the best way to do thi♏ngs in motorsport".

'The Wild West without the Sherriff'

If Ducati had lost the Appeal, not only would Dovizioso have b⭕een stripped of victory but, in Dall’Igna's view, it would hဣave had major repercussions for MotoGP since the decision of the Technical Director could be overturned.

It was for that reason that 🎐Dall’🔴Igna said that he had spoken of possibly protesting the Honda fairing.

"This was just provocative, to show what could be the scenario if this appeal was not rejec꧑ted," he said. "Because if we have one Technical Director that is the only judge about the technical things of the bike and if we kill this we have simply no rules. It's like the Wild West without the Sherriff!"

1% on aerodynamics, Court case equals 5 days in wind tunnel

The Italian, who has transformed Ducati's fortunes from five winless seasඣons following the departure of Casey Stoner to finishing title runner-up for the past two seasons with Dovizioso, also took on the much-trumpeted phrase that aero🍷dynamics is a bottomless money pit.

"Ducati Corse spends only 1% of our budget for the aerodynamics. So if we cut something there it is ridiculo𓂃us in comparison to the other cosꦓts of MotoGP," he said.

"We spe♋nt, for the lawyer and everything at the Court of Appeal, s🤪omething equivalent to five days in the wind tunnel. In 2018 we developed our fairing, our MotoGP bike with ten days in the wind tunnel.

"So 50% of the aerodyn💞amic wind tunnel budget is gone only for the Court of Appeal."

Dall’𒈔Igna also believes the fee for i﷽ssuing a protest and appeal should be higher.

"I think that the cost of the App𒈔eal is too cheap. €1300 for the appeal, and €600 for the protest. So I think it's nothing if you compare it to the total cost of the Court of Appeal."

An olive branch to the MSMA

But Dall’Igna offerജed an olive branc🦹h to those that protested his device and called for all six manufacturers to work together to produce clearer rules, where needed, within the MSMA.

"We at Ducati believe that now we have to close this chapter and look forward to try to be more close with our competitors, with the other manufacturers in the MSMA, to develop as much as possible this championship and - if it's possible - to clarify or🔯 change any rules that are not properly written or can be better written. We are always open to discu🌠ss with our competitors regarding that."

But thಌere seems no simple solution in terms of clarifying rules that depend on 'primary' and 'secondary' effects to determine legality.

'This is our job'

The swingarm device is 🧸just one of several new innovations Ducati has developed recently, alongside a torque bar mounted to the rear brake, rear seat aerodynamics and a holeshot device.

"I'm here to develop the bike, and Ducati is here to develop the bike and to improve their knowledge in vehic𝓡le dynamics, engine, electronics and aerodynamics. So we have to develop. This is our job,✅ each race," Dall’Igna said.

F꧒ree practice starts in 🐲Argentina on Friday morning.