Superbike Engineer Ernesto Marinelli Explains Why He Left Ducati

When Ducati announced this past October that Superbike Project Manager Ernesto Marinelli was leaving the company and the team he led for 22 years, many in the sport, myself included, supposed he might have collided with top management and wondered which team he would lead in the future.

We all were wrong and by a long shot. Marinelli was very open and adamant discussing his experiences at Ducati, the reasons that led him to leave the Bologna-based manufacturer, and his plans for the future. Marinelli is a family man, who, at age 44, felt the urge to share more time with his three children and escort them through their teens and into college life.

Marinelli loves Ducati and said he wouldn’t join another team. Italian exhaust specialist Termignoni hired him to cover the double role of chief project engineer and chief production manager—big tasks in which he can pour his experience in flowmetrics, the branch of engineering Marinelli devoted most of his studies at the University of Bologna.

Following the whole project, development, and production process is the kind of challenge that Marinelli says he loves most and in which he can best invest not only his specific experience but also his enthusiasm and mental balance. Talking about his years at Ducati, he proudly underlined that he started working there during the “916 era.”

“It was 1995 and the Superbike rule book was based on 750cc fours versus 1,000cc twins, leaving a free hand to the development of almost pure racers based on production bikes. And we at Ducati could take full advantage of the lighter weight of our twins, an advantage canceled by the latest evolution of the rule book.

“When I took charge, the 916 was already there and we kept developing it to 996cc. The bike was very successful in both displacements, first with Carl Fogarty and then Troy Corser. The 999 was my ‘first bike,’ in that I was fully involved in its development, and I led it to three titles with three different champions: Neil Hodgson, James Toseland, and Troy Bayliss.

“Troy was a great fighter and he led the newly born 1098 to its first world title. It was a fantastic time. Then came more restrictive rules and times got harder for Ducati, yet the 1098 was still a contender and Carlos Checa won again. The final chapter of my story with the team was marked by the advent of the 1199 Panigale, the greatest twin ever.

“The rules set by the FIM were very much against Ducati; we had won too many titles. The 1199 Panigale got punished: 50mm inlet restrictors for all, but that slashed the breathing ability of a 1.2-liter twin to much worse than that of a 1.0-liter four, though our production bike was definitely the lighter of the lot.

“The first year with the Panigale, 2013, was very hard. Carlos Checa hurt himself in a couple of crashes at Phillip Island and MotorLand Aragón, and he decided to quit. Yet the bike needed more development. It is in hard years like that you learn more. We had to regroup as a team and work on the bike to improve its torque-delivery curve.

“We developed new inlet and exhaust manifolds and new camshafts, and the 1199 Panigale became competitive again. In 2014, the team was already in full recovery with Chaz Davies, who immediately proved himself capable of adapting his riding style to extract the very best from the chassis.

“In 2015, the World Superbike rule book became more rational and equally balanced, while Chaz kept growing with the bike. He is fantastic; he brakes so incredibly late but still makes the bike turn around corners on the proper line. Marco Melandri was another positive surprise to me.

“Marco proved to be a competent tester and developer. All the chassis adjustments he requested marked a big improvement and paid positive dividends even in the hands of Chaz. Marco is very light, and it took him time to feel confident aboard the bike and that prevented him to fully express his potential in his early times with the bike.”

Marinelli left Ducati in total harmony, working hard at his post until the final day, leading the Superbike team to the tests at Spain’s Jerez de la Frontera last November, and not allowing any interviews prior to leaving the company. He is a positive personality, optimistic and determined, passionate about his job, and his function within the new company.