In the past MotoGP season, only V4 bikes won: Ducati Racing Director Luigi Dall’Igna is not writing off the in-line engine
The 2023 MotoGP season was the first year since 2003 in which all victories were achieved by motorcycles with V-engines. Yamaha remained winless for the first time in 20 years and thus also the concept of the in-line engine, as Yamaha is the only remaining manufacturer to rely on an in-line engine after the Suzuki withdrawal.
Ducati was by far the most successful manufacturer with 17 out of 20 possible victories. Aprilia won two Grands Prix with Aleix Espargaro and Alex Rins saved Honda’s honor with his victory in Austin. Ducati, Aprilia, Honda and KTM all rely on V4 engines, which tend to generate more power than in-line engines.
For Ducati Corse boss Luigi “Gigi” Dall’Igna, the V-engine is the right choice for MotoGP. “I think that the V4 is the best configuration for MotoGP. Otherwise I would have done something else when I joined Ducati,” the Italian is quoted as saying by GPOne.
Are in-line engines still up to date in MotoGP?
However, Dall’Igna is not prepared to accept that the era of in-line engines in MotoGP is over. “It should be noted that Quartararo won with an in-line four-cylinder engine,” he said, referring to Yamaha’s success just over two years ago.
“So I don’t think this solution is fundamentally bad. You just have to decide on a different compromise because there are other characteristics. Every concept has advantages and disadvantages,” notes the Ducati engineer.
Luigi Dall’Igna is not writing off the in-line engine
According to Dall’Igna, Yamaha has not made perfect use of its own concept. “The engineers’ job is to minimize the disadvantages and make the most of the advantages. The engineers have to find the best compromise,” he explains.
But the bottom line for Dall’Igna is that the V-engine has more advantages than disadvantages in MotoGP and is therefore the first choice. “If I had to decide again, I would choose a V4 again. But Yamaha can also win with the in-line four-cylinder,” summarizes the Ducati Corse boss.
In the 2024 MotoGP season, the two factory Yamahas will also be the only motorcycles in the field to be powered by an in-line engine. Yamaha wants to remain true to the concept, but will have four bikes in the field again from the 2025 season. It is conceivable that Valentino Rossi’s team will switch to Yamaha.
