Ducati General Director Filippo Preziosi says progress is more futuristic – MotoGP news
Ducati General Director Filippo Preziosi has said that the post-race test at Brno, Czech Republic was held to develop the bike with a futuristic point of view.
Though the 2011 model needs improvements but the test was held in order to help the Ducati engineers to get the right direction for the 2012 bike.
Preziosi said, “The changes we made during the weekend at Brno were finalised to make a faster bike for the race, and now we are working for the mid and long term in order to define the target for the designers for the new generation of bikes.”
In terms of making significant changes in the Desmosedici, the crew needs more equipment along with more time. The changes were done to record the reaction of the bike after such modifications.
After the initial test on the new 2012 prototype, Valentino Rossi suggested to use the 2012 chassis along with the 800cc power plant. The new Desmosedici was used at the Dutch TT Assen event by Rossi which he has continued to use thus far.
At Laguna Seca, Nicky Hayden tested the GP11.1 during the practice session but opted to ride GP11 in the race. Coming to Brno, Hayden used the GP11 but thoroughly tested the GP11.1.
The Kentucky rider was pleased about the new version of the Desmosedici. He also lapped quicker than his primary ride. It is most expected that Hayden will use the GP11.1 version during his second home event at Indianapolis.
Preziosi added, “I’m happy that Nicky is confirming Valentino’s ideas. We know that introducing a new bike during the Championship usually produces a worse performance in the short term for a couple of races, and you must accept that because it is normal.”
On the other side, it is helpful to get a slight advantage from the changes made in the bike during the season. The development is especially important for the 2012 prototype.
Filippo Preziosi also denied the rumour that Ducati are looking forward to replace the conventional carbon fibre chassis with aluminium frame. His opinion is that the frame is not the key to improve the bike but finding different stiffness levels was important.
Tags: