Ducati Racing Manager Filippo Preziosi--the most humbling interview in racing. image by dean adams

Filippo Preziosi is undoubtedly both the most humbling and at the same time inspiring man in racing today. Left a severe parapalegic after a motorcycle crash years ago (Preziosi has very little use of even his hands), he has returned in triumph to his position as the technical point man for Ducati racing. Ducati's MotoGP results alone, where the tiny Italian factory is in close combat with both Honda and Yamaha, speak to Preziosi's prowess as a designer and a manager. At one point in the Ducati garage at Imola there was a line of people waiting to talk to or consult with Preziosi--many of them Ducati engineers.

I was granted a few minutes to interview him between consulting sessions and asked hm about both Nick Hayden and the new carbon fiber Ducati MotoGP chassis.

Q. In MotoGP it's been an interesting season for Ducati from a technical standpoint. Especially on Hayden's bike.

A. So there were a lot of problems entering, exiting, acceleration and so on. So that was difficult to find a solution, because usually setup is a compromise between different needs. But working very hard, and I have to say thank you a lot to Nicky, because we experienced this kind of problem even different riders without finding any solution. But Nicky attitude is to never give up, and we start thinking and speaking, and after Mugello race we have a good meeting, and maybe we understand that there are a point exiting from the corner in which the bike was not giving the right feedback to the rider, so the rider cannot push, because he don't know where the limit is. So we concentrate on that, because we think that when we solve this problem, the rider could push, and if the rider push, the tires start working, and the temperature becomes the right temperature, so the tire are working all around the lap.

And the other problems are solved. So we did a good three-day test with Vittoriano Guareschi in Mugello, and we found a reasonable solution for Barcelona race, and in fact, the first practice Friday in Barcelona, Nicky was sixth in dry condition. That was really surprising, and that shows that as soon you deliver a bike that is easier to be useful, the rider is there, waiting for riding as he can. Of course, it needs some time to find enough experience to manage this new setup. But starting from Barcelona, we experienced good results every session, apart Donington in which we did a mistake with electronic setup.

Of course, we are not able at the moment to put Nicky in the condition to fight with the first four riders. But Nicky's really hard, and I'm very worried, because - very disappointed, because Misano race was the best ever condition he was. So - but the race are race, and he experienced the accident with DeAngelis.

Q The carbon fiber frame is new technology in MotoGP. What has been your experience with it, versus what you experienced with the previous trellis-style chassis?

A All right, that is very nice, (that) all the people are very concentrated about the material we are using with the new frame. But to be honest, the difference is in the shape and not the material. And in fact, we did the same frame with aluminum to understand the difference between the two materials, and we found something, but we think that the main idea is the shape of the frame. And we experience the better behavior entering in the corner, a more precise bike. Is better in entering in the corner, and braking stability.

Q Have you ever experienced, in Ducati MotoGP, a riding style like Nicky's? How difficult was it for you to acclimate a set-up to his riding style?

A No difficulties. Maybe the main problem was that he was using a lot of the rear brake, and so we have some reliability problems. But now, setting the right electronics, is not more necessary to push so hard where he is full throttle.

Q They say when you saw Nicky's data for the first time, you thought, "Okay, now we have a rider because he stays on the gas. There is no fear. No giving up".

A Yeah, that's for sure. Even at the beginning of the season, when the bike was difficult to ride, he was very brave. It was amazing ... But is anyway, is not possible to have the lap time, because you have to believe in the bike. But for sure, his courage is more than enough.

Q With Nicky, you changed the electronic system. What did the new system do that the old one did not?

A Giving the rider better feeling about the bike is what we need to do. If you know where the limit is, you can push beyond the limit. If you don't know, you have to keep a safety margin that is too big. This was not possible with the old system.

Q When you first debuted the carbon fiber chassis, you said it was "an experiment". Is it still an experiment, or is this the direction?

A Now it is quite defined. We are working on the swingarm, and now the swingarm is ... I want to test it again, because I'm not sure.

Q So carbon fiber chassis will be used in Ducati MotoGP? You will use that style chassis next year and forever?

A Forever, not for sure. But for sure next year.

Q What have you learned from the other riders like Pasini and Espargaro?

A From Pasini, how strong he is, especially mentally. But both the rider, Espargaro and Pasini, give us good feedback from chassis point of view. They are very open-minded guys. Coming from completely different bike, their judgment are very interesting.

Q When Troy Bayliss rode the bike, what did you learn, and did it help in understanding Nicky?

A We found different setup, because Troy likes a completely different trail, and I think this could be useful when you meet riders that have similar needs.