Editor's Note: This continues a series counting down the top 15 stories in MotoGP in 2012, as determined by the Soup staff.

Filippo Preziosi was more than just an engineer and leading brain at Ducati's racing efforts for nearly 20 years—he almost became the face of the team.

Preziosi joined Ducati in 1994 and rode a red rocket to the top of the company's technical chain of command. He became technical director of Ducati Corse in 1999, responsible for development of the company's entries in World Superbike....