NetApp goes full throttle to help Ducati take home a major MotoGP victory

See that? No? Oh, right…at 200+ mph, blink and you might miss NetApp’s logo on the side of Ducati’s Desmosedici GPs. What can’t be missed though is Ducati’s recent return to dominance on the MotoGP circuit. Ducati finished last year’s MotoGP season as the Constructors’ World Champion—a title it hadn’t held since 2007. We’re proud to say that NetApp played a role in helping Ducati reach the top.

Like everything else in 2020, last year’s MotoGP season was a bit out of the ordinary. Despite the unique challenges, five Ducati riders earned points that would help land Ducati its coveted Constructors’ World Championship. In addition to wins from Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia, and Johann Zarco also reached the podium in 2020.

At yesterday’s global virtual event, Ducati Corse presented their 2021 rider team and unveiled the bikes they will ride to victory in the 2021 MotoGP World Championship. Riding high on the success of 2020, the race team also announced that its NetApp sponsorship would continue for a fourth straight year NetApp is thrilled to continue playing a critical role in helping the Ducati Corse division fully exploit data’s potential in the racing world.

“Thanks to NetApp, in 2020 we were able to collect and work with new data in totally new race conditions and setup an even higher performing and more innovative bike. We are now ready to provide our new official riders Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia a highly competitive weapon for the new challenge of the MotoGP World Championship,” said Luigi Dall’Igna, General Manager of Ducati Corse. “Through data we were able to understand many key points that helped us compete and win the Constructor Championship and explore many interesting solutions during our development and tests”.

Ducati, with the help of NetApp, has been busy delivering innovation and carrying out numerous digital projects, ranging from the data management on the HPC simulations for motorcycle aerodynamics to the collaboration of development of connected motorcycles, including development of the distributed data storage for the backend of the Ducati Link app.

“It gives us great pleasure to continue the partnership with NetApp, as we consider innovation as a core component of our strategy for the future and for our success,” commented Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding.

NetApp’s President, Cesar Cernuda, said, "We have seen a tremendous evolution though digitalization in the entire automotive industry. We are happy to be part of this journey, supporting Ducati to bring its customers and riders a more safe, fun, and high performing experience, while contributing to the company’s overall success".

Keep your eyes wide open as NetApp and Ducati hit the 2021 MotoGP World Championship, which gets underway March 26–28 in Qatar.

Additional resources To find out more, visit www.netapp.com/ducati.