Ducati returns to Europe for the first race in the 'old continent'

The Ducati Marlboro Team is preparing for the first European round of the MotoGP World Championship, the highly anticipated Marlboro Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez de la Frontiera, ready to work "head down" to continue the development of the new Desmosedici GP4. Despite some difficulties, especially for Bayliss, during the two days of testing in Welkom, both Ducati Marlboro Team riders finished the first race of 2004 well, with the certainty of being able to improve and determined to make the bike a winner.

During the debut race of the Desmosedici GP4, the technicians of the Italian team collected a series of valuable data and information in view of the Jerez event. The Borgo Panigale engineers are particularly satisfied with long-distance tire wear, one of the points on which they concentrated most during the design of the GP4 and which is much improved compared to 2003.

“At Welkom we saw some of the potential of the new bike and collected a lot of data” says Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “At the end of the race both drivers were very satisfied with how the Desmosedici GP4 wears the tyres: this area, one of the main objectives of the GP4, has improved a lot. Furthermore, we achieved good results in managing the heat produced by the engine, another target for 2004. In Jerez the bike configuration will be practically identical to that of Welkom, but after the weekend we will remain on the circuit to carry out tests on Monday and Tuesday".

The technical director of the Ducati Marlboro Team believes that on the technical and very varied Jerez track, tire management is fundamental. “This track mainly wears out the right side of the tyres, but, regarding their wear, it is less demanding than Welkom, where at the end of the race the rear tire was still in perfect condition” - reveals Corrado Cecchinelli. “The new Desmosedici GP4 wears the tires more regularly over the entire race distance, which we are very satisfied with. To navigate fast corners, riders must be able to rely on tire grip and power delivery. They must also have an excellent feeling with the front to enter corners decisively. This track doesn't have long straights but has a good mix of fast corners and hairpins, so a well-balanced set-up is very important."