Marlboro Spanish Grand Prix - Preview
DUCATI MARLBORO MEN RARING TO GO RACING
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa
are raring to go racing next weekend after a long winter of
testing and development work. The pair has covered thousands
of kilometres at tracks in Europe, the Middle East, South
East Asia and Australia, working to make sure their Ducati
Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5s performs at their best throughout
the 2005 MotoGP World Championship, from Sunday's season-opening
Marlboro Spanish GP, all the way through to the 17th and final
race in November.
Capirossi and Checa have enjoyed some success during winter
testing. Capirossi topped the time charts twice - at Valencia
last November and at Sepang in January - proving that he is
full of fight. Checa meanwhile set the pace at Jerez last
November but had to miss last month's final Jerez tests after
sustaining a shoulder injury at Catalunya.
Both men are confident in the performance of the 2005 Ducati
Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5, the latest version of the immensely
powerful V4 which roared onto the World Championship scene
in 2003, taking its first pole position at Jerez and its first
victory at Catalunya. The 2004 bike took longer to get up
to speed but was a real force by the end of last season, scoring
podium finishes at the final two races and taking a new lap
record at the Australian GP.
During the winter Ducati Marlboro Team engineers have worked
closely with their technical partners, including Bridgestone
and Shell Advance, to build on that progress and create a
totally balanced machine for 2005. The big red Duke is already
one of the most awesome machines in MotoGP, producing more
than 230 horsepower and capable of exceeding 330kmh.
"Our off-season testing has gone very well, we're in
much better shape than we were at the start of last season,"
says Ducati Marlboro Team MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo.
"The factory and the team have worked hard this winter
and I think we've done a good job. The bike has improved in
many areas, but while the most difficult thing to achieve
at this level of performance is overall balance, I think this
year's machine is a very balanced package.
"Both our riders have done many thousands of kilometres
of testing, now they finally get to do what they love doing
- racing! Loris has shown his speed throughout the winter,
he is definitely ready to race. Carlos has also been very
fast during testing. It was a real shame he missed our most
recent Jerez session but he went very well when we tested
there last November, so I don't think missing the tests should
be a problem for him".
Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli
has been working with Capirossi and Checa throughout the winter
and knows exactly what is required for this vital season-opening
GP. "There are some fast corners at Jerez and riders
need a lot of confidence to attack these turns," he says.
"Plus they need good power delivery because you use a
lot of gas through these corners. Riders also need big confidence
in the front end so they can attack the turns. The track is
a good mix - it's got no long straights but plenty of fast
turns and some hairpins, so you need a well balanced bike."
CAPIROSSI UP FOR FIRST JEREZ MotoGP PODIUM
Hard to believe, but Loris Capirossi commences his 16th World
Championship season at Jerez this weekend, which means the
32-year old has spent exactly half his life on the GP circuit!
And, maybe even harder to believe, the evergreen Italian will
be going for his first premier-class podium at the track.
Although Capirossi has been racing at Jerez since 1990 he
has only scored three podiums at the track (in 125s and 250s,
including a 250 win in 1998).
"I like the track a lot, but there have been times
when I've not had so much luck at Jerez," says Capirossi,
the second most experienced rider on the MotoGP grid, after
Alex Barros. "Jerez is a very interesting track for the
rider - there are a lot of fast corners and the circuit is
very up and down, so you have to deal with changing camber.
But the best thing about Jerez is the fans - they are really
into the racing and they make a lot of noise! Most of all
I'm just really happy to be racing again this weekend. We
have worked hard all through the winter, working towards the
racing season. The bike is much better than the first part
of last year, much more balanced, and I'm impressed with the
work Bridgestone is doing. The qualifying tyres I tested at
Jerez a few days ago were excellent, the rear race tyres were
also good and even the fronts worked well."
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