The winless Ducati “in my heart” as Marc Marquez delivers Dall’Igna's 100th MotoGP victory
Ducati has won 100 MotoGP races under Gigi Dall’Igna, but the bike "in my heart more than the others" didn't take a victory.
Marc Marquez handed Gigi Dall’Igna his 100th MotoGP victory with Ducati in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.
Yet the Ducati closest to Dall’Igna’s heart is a bike that never actually won a race.
After joining Ducati from Aprilia at the end of 2013, Dall’Igna’s changes helped the struggling Desmosedici return to the podium during the 2014 season.
The GP15 was then the first Ducati developed entirely under Dall’Igna’s technical leadership.
Although it never won, the GP15 finished runner-up five times among nine podium appearances for Andrea Dovizioso, Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci during 2015.
"In my heart more than all the others"
“Honestly, the 2015 machine was the most important, because with that machine we made a real step,” Dall’Igna said after reaching a century of wins at Motegi on Sunday.
“And it was not easy, there was a lot of pressure at that time. So I think that that bike, that machine, stays in my heart more than all the others.
“Even if the first rider's championship is of course another important bike for me.”
Iannone took the first of Dall’Igna’s MotoGP wins in 2016: "I remember it with the best memories," Dall’Igna said.
However, it took until 2022 for Pecco Bagnaia to be crowned as Ducati’s first champion since Casey Stoner. Ducati has won the MotoGP riders’ title every season since.
“For sure it's a golden era for us! Because we get great results! I think it's really difficult to do better than this,” Dall’Igna said.
However, Ducati is now locked in a close fight with Aprilia for the final 1000cc/Michelin MotoGP crown, with Marquez two points behind Jorge Martin heading into Mandalika next weekend.
“Marc was simply extraordinary, and in these last races he's doing everything right, so congratulations to him and the whole team,” Dall’Igna said of his Motegi win.
Bagnaia, whose 31 Ducati MotoGP victories are more than any other rider has contributed to Dall’Igna’s century, finished eighth in Japan.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
