2011 MotoGP
At last week’s first official test of the 2011 MotoGP season at Sepang, Loris Capirossi was 13th fastest aboard the Pramac Racing Ducati.
And although much work needs to be completed, the Italian says the GP11 has much potential for the 2011 MotoGP season.
Capirossi, who spent three years racing the Suzuki GSV-R before moving to Pramac Ducati, had to adjust his riding style to better fit to Ducati at the MotoGP tests in Sepang. He will continue adapting to the GP11 at Sepang for the second of three pre-season MotoGP tests Feb. 22-24.
Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing Ducati) says: "I really like the team and I’m happy to be working with the Ducati bike once again. I have to change my riding style a little bit because I rode the Suzuki for three years, and that is completely different.
"Whenever you make a big change (of bike) it’s not so easy overall, and of course this bike is very different to the one I rode in the past. The bike has its own style and we just have to understand that."
"The potential of the GP11 is very high, it’s just that at the moment I’m not using its full potential. I have time to improve and work on my style though, and we have enough days of Testing remaining to prepare for the first race. I think we’ll be ready for it!"
This will be Capirossi’s first return to riding a Ducati since 2007 when he finished seventh in the championship competing on the Ducati Corse GP7. The following year Capirossi joined Suzuki, and remained there until the news of him joining Pramac in 2011; in his Suzuki years, he finished 10th in 2008, ninth in 2009 and 16th in 2010.
Pramac, who is starting its 10th year in MotoGP, says Capirossi is considered one of the icon of the MotoGP World Championship in which he has regularly taken part from more than 20 years.
In his long career, the Italian rider won 29 Grand Prixs and conquered 99 podiums and three World Championship, two in the 125 cc class, in which he holds the record of youngest rider to conquer a World Championship, and one in the 250cc category.
