MICHAEL SCHUMACHER & MISS ITALY RIDE DUCATI TWO-SEATER
F1 racing's most successful rider Michael Schumacher
experienced a new kind of thrill today, riding round Mugello
aboard the Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici two-seater. The
seven-time World Champion rode two laps of the high-speed
circuit behind former GP winner Randy Mamola, after several
other guests had taken their turn, including the reigning
Miss Italy, Edelfa Masciotta.
"It was very impressive! Impressive is about the only
word I can find at the moment," smiled Schumi, a keen
street rider who has already piloted a Desmosedici here during
private tests, just to satisfy his own curiosity. "It
was a very special experience, obviously very different to
what I'm used to, different even to riding here on the Desmosedici
last winter. On a bike you feel the speed more, you feel the
machine moving around more, which is very different from a
car, when you're inside and feel more protected. Plus, when
you are riding with someone, you don't know what's going to
happen and that makes it very interesting! The fact that I
wasn't in control was what made it particularly impressive.
I patted Randy on the back a couple of times to remind him
that I've got the Silverstone F1 GP next week! It was a spectacular
experience but now I have ridden a MotoGP bike myself and
ridden the two-seater, I think I have done enough, I'm not
planning to become a bike racer myself!"
Masciotta, unlike Schumacher riding a racetrack
for the first time in her life, was stunned by her experience.
"Randy was fantastic, he gave me total confidence before
the ride," said Masciotta, 21, from Turin. "By the
end of the ride I had no more strength in my arms, because
riding was very physically demanding. But the ride was wonderful,
I'm still trembling. This was the first time I've ever been
on a racetrack and it's an experience I will never forget.
The biggest things for me were the speed and the corners..."
|
