Sepang test preview
DUCATI TYRE TEST TEAM AND CARLOS CHECA ON TRACK TOMORROW
AT SEPANG
Shinichi Itoh to make his debut with the Ducati-Bridgestone
Tyre Test Team Desmosedici. Sidelined with flu at the first
Sepang tests, Carlos Checa also out on track.
 Bologna,
9 February 2005 – After a fortnight’s break, the
MotoGP teams are back at Sepang for a second successive test
session at the Malaysian circuit.
Tomorrow is important for Ducati in that it will see the
debut of the Tyre Test Team, the result of a joint collaboration
between Ducati and Bridgestone with tester Shinichi Itoh.
The aim of the totally new team is to specifically develop
tyres for the Ducati Desmosedici and it will see Luca Gasbarro
(Troy Bayliss’s former race engineer) in the role of
track technical director and in charge of the Bridgestone/Ducati
MotoGP project.
For this first test Itoh will be using a GP4, while from
his next appearance onwards, scheduled for the IRTA tests
in Barcelona, he will have a new GP5 at his disposal.
This structure will flank the Ducati Corse Development Team
with Vittoriano Guareschi, which will be testing at Jerez
on February 24-25.
Carlos Checa, sidelined by flu and still recovering from
his minor incident at Madonna di Campiglio, was only able
to test on the first day of a scheduled three-day session
at Sepang at the end of January. The Spanish rider decided
to make up for lost ground by opting to bring forward the
start of his test session by one day.
Carlos will begin testing tomorrow in the torrid heat of
the Malaysian track, where he will be joined by team-mate
Loris Capirossi on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The positive results of the first tests carried out at Sepang
in January, when Loris and Carlos had a GP4 and a GP5 at their
disposal for eventual back-to-back tests, have convinced Ducati
Marlboro Team engineers to give two GP5 machines to both riders.
The performance of the 2005 Desmosedici is currently more
than satisfactory and demonstrates that the bike is the result
of a valid project and has a sound basis for future development.
The Ducati Marlboro Team will take part in the following
test sessions:
February 10-13 at Sepang (Malaysia)
February 17-19 at Phillip Island (Australia)
March 1-3 at Doha (Qatar)
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