Ducati MotoGP Court of Appeal hearing set for before Argentina round

The FIM has confirmed the Ducati protest appeal will be taken to the MotoGP Court of Appeal with a hearing set to take place this month before the next round in Argentina.

Four MotoGP manufacturers – Aprilia, KTM, Honda and Suzuki – instantly lodged a protest to race organisers over the legality of Ducati’s aerodynamic device mounted underneath the swingarm.

Suzuki chief Davide Brivio issued a statement to explaining to protest was triggered as it believed the new part was being used for aerodynamic gains which is against current technical regulations.

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Both factory Ducati riders used the device during the 2019 MotoGP opener in Qatar, with Andrea Dovizioso winning the race and team-mate Danilo Petrucci finishing in sixth place, while Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller also used the part but retired in the race.

The post-race protest was rejected by the FIM MotoGP Stewards which led to the four manufacturers appealing against the decision meaning the issue has been sent to the MotoGP Court of Appeal.

In a new FIM statement, it has been confirmed the MotoGP Court of Appeal will consist of three judges from the FIM International Commission of Judges with a hearing held between now and the second round in Argentina (March 29-31).

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The judges have not been confirmed yet but all manufacturers involved in the appeal will be present at the hearing.

Consequently, the result of the Qatar MotoGP remains subject to the decision from the MotoGP Court of Appeal.

Ducati’s sporting director Paolo Ciabatti has insisted the device under question is in place to cool the rear tyre rather than for aerodynamic gains and was made aware of its rivals’ intention to protest before the race if it ran the device.

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It is believed the hearing has been pushed for in order to clarify the regulations and understand what manufacturers are permitted to develop in this area.

While the date for the MotoGP Court of Appeal hearing remains unconfirmed, it is scheduled for a day over the next two weeks in time for the Argentinian round which gets underway with Friday practice on March 29 at Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo.

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