Phillip Island Winter Test
Day 1, Wednesday January 30th 2008
PHILLIP ISLAND WINTER TEST BEGAN
After the three hard days of work in the Sepang heat, the
Alice Team has moved to Australia, where today it has continued
to work on the development of its Ducati Desmosedici GP8 Sat.
The weather conditions have allowed the riders to work in
the best way possible, even if a strong wind has picked up
in the final part of the day limiting their performances.
At one point there was an unexpected break, when the Phillip
Island marshals waved the red flag, as a big bird decided
to step onto the circuit, luckily, without causing any accidents.
Two more days of work are in program for the Alice Team tomorrow
and Friday.
Sergio Verbena – Track Engineer
“Today’s temperature gave us perfect working
conditions. We have tried different settings and in the end
we found a better one, even if we are still too far from the
firsts positions. Throughout the morning we have encountered
some problems with the front part of the bike, but after some
modifications we have found the solution to the problem. We
have also concentrated on testing various front tyre solutions,
to see which one would suit our riders better.”
Toni Elias – Alice Team Rider (15th best lap
time in 1’32.573 – Total laps 90)
“Phillip Island is surely one of the most difficult
tracks, but at the same time really fascinating. Today it
has been a hard day, we managed to complete many laps which
is really positive for us. We concentrated on working on the
chassis and suspensions, trying different solutions to find
the best approach to follow. I am sure that in the next two
days we will improve.”
Sylvain Guintoli – Alice Team Rider (14th best
lap time in 1’32.484 – Total laps 68)
“Today was pretty good, also thanks to the weather
conditions. As the days go on, I feel more comfortable on
the bike, maintaining a good rhythm. Throughout the morning
we have worked on the front part of the bike trying different
tyre solutions. Physically I feel really good, I am happy
and ready for the next two days of work.”
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