Ducati Team MotoGP Misano Test
After yet another MotoGP weekend that ended sour for Ducati – the top finisher for the Italian brand at Assen was Andrea Dovizioso with 10th – the team was at Misano for further testing of its GP13 “Lab” prototype.
The three-day test concluded Thursday. Michele Pirro, who has recently substituted for the injured Ben Spies on the Pramac Racing squad, rode Tuesday through Thursday. He was joined by Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden on Wednesday and Thursday.
Under mostly clear conditions due to a brief rain shower plaguing the track Thursday morning, the riders focused on frame comparisons on the GP13. They also experimented with engine developments, searching for a key base setup ahead of San Marino Grand Prix, which will occur in September.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team GP13, 105 laps) says: “The Misano track is a bit inconsistent for our bike, but coming from Assen, we immediately felt a bit better at this circuit.
“We worked on the current bike, finding a setup for the Misano race, and then we went ahead with the development of the laboratory bike, trying some new stuff and finding some interesting things. We were able to do nearly two full days of good work, and today we tried a change with the frame. There were some positives, like an improvement with the feeling on corner entry. We must decide what to do; it’s a new part, so we have to understand whether or not we can have it in time for the Sachsenring.”
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team GP13 158 laps) says: “It’s certainly been a useful couple of days. We didn’t make any drastic improvements, but I tried something with a different anti-wheelie solution that worked quite well, and I’m happy about that for the next two tracks, which are maybe the worst two circuits for wheelies on the whole calendar.
“We lost a bit of time today with the rain, but in the end I did a low 1:34. That’s not a bad lap time, although we’ll certainly have to do better than that when we come here for the race. We did a lot of laps, mainly with the wheelie control and a different fork setting, and we got some good information.”
The Ducati Team will no prep for the upcoming round of 2013 MotoGP at Sachsenring in Germany.
