Davide Tardozzi leaves Ducati
Davide Tardozzi, SBK project manager, leaves the historic Bologna-based company to seek new professional challenges.
Ducati, at the end of the 2009 Superbike season, and thanks to this year’s World Manufacturers Championship win, has amassed 16 such titles in this category.
An important and significant accomplishment, in which Tardozzi’s role has been fundamental. In Ducati since 1999, first as Team Manager and more recently, since 2007, as the SBK project manager, Tardozzi leaves the company having grown professionally and having contributing greatly to the success of the Italian firm.
“Davide has been part of Ducati’s recent history”, commented Claudio Domenicali, General Director of Ducati, “a friend and, at the same time, an important presence that has allowed Ducati to achieve significant successes, particularly in the World Superbike Championship where, in recent years, he has project managed with passion, competence and professionalism. We are sorry to announce that Davide will not be part of the 2010 team but, at the same time, we wish him our very best wishes for the new challenges that await him, and thank him for the many years of service during which we have won and lost together.
In the Ducati Xerox Team, Ernesto Marinelli, currently technical director of the squad, will take over Davide’s role as SBK project manager. Tardozzi copped a lot of flak late this season over his decision to allow Fabrizio to take away important point from Haga in the race for the title. A decision that effectively cost Haga the championship as he was overhauled in the final round by Yamaha’s Ben Spies.
The news of Superbike manager Tardozzi’s departure comes only a week after Ducati also announced a changing of the reigns in MotoGP with Livio Suppo heading to HRC. That earlier news included below.
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Ducati MotoGP Manager Livio Suppo moving to HRC
The last race of the 2009 MotoGP season will also be the last race in Ducati Marlboro Team colours for Livio Suppo, Ducati’s MotoGP project manager. The Italian manager will leave Ducati to embark on a new professional adventure.
In Ducati since 1999, Suppo was involved in this challenging and ambitious project from the very beginning, contributing with his intuition, perseverance and enthusiasm to the world title victory of 2007 and to the many podiums and successes that have characterised the life of the Ducati Desmosedici from its debut in 2003 up until today.
“Livio has meant a great deal to Ducati and also to me personally; he has been a loyal and valuable colleague but above all a great friend,” commented Claudio Domenicali, General Director of Ducati. “We are very sorry that he has decided to leave the company but, in light of his correctness, professionalism and the great contribution he has made to the growth and success of the MotoGP project and the Ducati brand, we can only offer him our very best wishes as he takes on a new professional challenge.
“This is, however, also one of those moments in which we can rethink our organization in order to further improve, and this is what we have done in defining the 2010 team’s direction. The management of the Ducati Marlboro Team will be entrusted to, and reinforced by, two new managerial figures. Alessandro Cicognani, currently marketing manager for the Ducati Corse Division, will be responsible for the MotoGP project and alongside him, Vittoriano Guareschi, already the test rider for Ducati, will undertake the role of Team Manager, bringing to the squad a wealth of knowledge and experience that he has gained through being a professional rider and, most recently, a test rider.”
