Capirossi settles in as Vermeulen and Aoki get a taste of the future Loris Capirossi took the first steps of his fledgling Suzuki career today as he conducted his initial shakedown test onboard a carbon-fibre dressed Suzuki GSV-R at Valencia in Spain. The experienced Italian joined Suzuki shortly after Sunday’s final round of the season here in Spain, and has immediately settled in with his new crew and environment. Capirossi made numerous changes to the bike during the half-day session and posted competitive times throughout his 35 laps. Chris Vermeulen got his first taste of 2008 as he tested an early prototype version of the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R at the 4,005m Ricardo Tormo Circuit. He was impressed with the new machine and is looking forward to a full day’s testing tomorrow to thoroughly evaluate the bike. Joining Vermeulen and Capirossi at the one-and-a-half day test is Team Test Rider Nobuatsu Aoki. He became the first person to ride the 2008 bike in a competitive arena last month, when he raced at round 17 of the MotoGP World Championship in Malaysia. His input during the test, allied to Vermeulen’s feedback, will enable the Factory engineers present at Valencia to make the necessary developments to the new machine. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will have a further full day at Valencia on Wednesday to continue with its test schedule as it builds up to an attack on the 2008 world title. Loris Capirossi: “The first couple of hours that I have ridden the Suzuki have been very good. The feeling in the bike is excellent and I already have a good relationship with the team, and I think for me this is the best condition that it could be. We have one more day to work, but I am very happy for the start we have had today. We need to keep our concentration for the rest of the test, but so far I am really pleased with the way things are going!” Chris Vermeulen: “It’s been a good first day’s test for the 2008 season. We did a lot of stuff with brakes today and some compound tyre testing for Bridgestone, and we got a lot of information from those. Then at the end of the day I got to ride the 2008 prototype bike which Nobu has been testing and raced on in Malaysia. The track temperature was going down at that time, but the bike felt very good for a first run out. There were a lot of positive points and definitely something to work on. We’ve got a lot of work tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to it. “It’s also been great having Loris here today, he’s got a lot of enthusiasm and I could see he really enjoyed riding the bike. For a first day he has been great to work with and I’m excited to have him on board. I hope we have a good season and we all work well together!” Nobuatsu Aoki: “We have the same bike as finished the race in Sepang, and we need to fine tune the suspension because the surface character is so much different here. So we are working on the settings and some engine control management and we have made sure all the new things from Japan are working correctly. I will be doing more testing tomorrow to try out new things. I am really happy to hear Chris likes the new bike that’s really good news for me!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Sunday was a great end to the 2007 season for the whole team and today’s been a really interesting and positive start to the 2008 campaign. It was a very proud and exciting moment when Loris stepped onto the bike and headed down pit-lane, and after only one lap to get used to the feeling, he produced a 1’33.8 lap-time that put a smile on everyone’s face most notably his! Hopefully this is the start of a very rewarding partnership for him and Suzuki. “Chris did his normal hard-working and intelligent testing today on the 2007 bike, and once he had completed that he was able to get on an early version of the 2008 bike at the end of the day. The track had cooled off a bit, but his very first run put more smiles on more faces and he was able to find some characteristics in the prototype that will help us take some significant steps in the next season. “It has been a good afternoon’s work by everybody, let’s hope it continues tomorrow!” Valencia Test Day One Unofficial Classification 1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1’32.348: 2. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +0.828: 3. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.838: 4. LORIS CAPIROSSI (SUZUKI) +0.918: 5. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +1.039: 15. NOBUATSU AOKI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +3.216: More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER & MELANDRI START WINTER TESTING PROGRAMME The Ducati Marlboro Team went back to work at Valencia today, just two days after the last race of the 2007 MotoGP season, World Champion Casey Stoner riding for the first time alongside new team-mate Marco Melandri. Casey Stoner, fastest, 1m 32.348s (26 laps) “We didn’t change so much from the race, we just worked on a new front fork to get a bit more feeling, something we had learned from the race. We were running exactly the same race tyres as Sunday and everything seemed to be working very well. We had a very good feeling and were able to do some very fast lap times – if we had had these setting at the weekend I believe we could have fought for the win. Anyway, we’re looking towards next year now, so it’s very important to try all these things and to get everything ready for the future.” Marco Melandri, 12th fastest, 1m 34.433s (44 laps) “I’m very pleased with my first day at Ducati. I’ve had my first ride on the bike with the aim of understanding it as much as possible. The thing that has impressed me most is the way the team works. I’m not used to so many people asking so many questions and listening to me every time I ride into the pit. It has been a new and very pleasant experience, they make me feel appreciated and I’m very happy to be here. We have a lot of work to do but I’m very motivated and ready to do what is necessary to exploit this bike’s great potential. I’m really looking forward to getting back onboard tomorrow.” Today lap times 1. Stoner 1’32.348 2. Hayden 1’33.176 3. Vermeulen 1’33.186 4. Capirossi 1’33.266 5. Pedrosa 1’33.387 6. Elias 1’33.508 7. De Puniet 1’33.563 8. Nakano 1’33.901 9. Hopkins 1’34.277 10. Lorenzo 1’34.330 11. Guintoli 1’34.367 12. Melandri 1’34.433 13. De Angelis 1’34.471 14. Dovizioso 1’34.760 15. Aoki 1’35.564 16. Jacque 1’35.727 17. Guareschi 1’36.117 More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: POSITIVE DEBUT FOR NAKANO AND DE ANGELIS Positive start for the Gresini Honda riders. Shinya Nakano, at his second year with Honda, tested focused on Bridgestone tyres, while for his team mate Ales de Angelis, 23 years old, was the debut on a motogp bike. Both registered positive feeling and look forward to continue testing tomorrow. SHINYA NAKANO (8TH , 46 laps, 1’33″901, 46 ): “I’m very satisfied of today’s testing, it’s only the first day but I got positive impressions. We focused on testing and I’m impressed by the feeling with the rear tyre, the grip is excellent. We suffered a bit from chattering on the front end. We changed tyre and the feeling improved. Tomorrow we will test another tyre and we will see the difference. At the moment we haven’t worked with the set up so we don’t know if this chattering depends from the tyre or the setting. I’m still not confident so I lapped trying to understand the bike and the tyres without pushing too much. I’m very happy with the team, I feel supported”. ALEX DE ANGELIS (13 TH , 47 laps, 1’34″471): “I’m very happy. I confess that I was excited and a bit nervous before going on track. It was my first time on a motogp bike. Once I went on track, the tension went way and I felt much more comfortable. I appreciated a lot the power and the electronic of the RC212V, in particular I like the feeling when I get on the gas. I still have a lot to learn, in particular I need to charge more the front, otherwise the bike wheelies and I have to get used with the feeling with carbon brake. Everything is new for me but today it seemed more easy that what I expected. I’m very happy of my new team, I feel at ease”. More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Fiat Yamaha Team Press Release Tuesday 6th November, 2007 Valencia, Spain YAMAHA BEGINS A NEW CHAPTER WITH JORGE LORENZO IN JEREZ Reigning 250cc World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, who will ride for the Fiat Yamaha Team in 2008, got his first taste of the YZR-M1 today as he tested with Yamaha for the first time in Valencia this afternoon. Valentino Rossi, who will partner Lorenzo next season, has returned home for further treatment on his right hand, which he broke during qualifying last Saturday. 20-year old Lorenzo, who hails from the Balearic Island of Mallorca, completed 52 laps throughout the afternoon as he took the time to get acquainted with his new machine. He finished a creditable tenth in the unofficial lap times with a best lap of 1’34.320, and will complete another full day of testing tomorrow. Jorge Lorenzo (10th, 1’34.32, 52 laps) “I’m very proud to be here in this garage and it’s been quite an emotional day for me. I’m very happy to have the chance to try my new bike and I enjoyed myself a lot today. My first aim has just been to get comfortable on the bike and to try to understand as much as I can about it. I went very gently because the difference in power from my 250 bike is very big! I am definitely a long way from the limit but I think I made a good start. We need a lot of time and a lot of kilometres in order to learn about the bike, but I am looking forward to improving at each test.” Daniele Romagnoli Jorge Lorenzo’s Team Manager “This afternoon the aim was to get Jorge comfortable on the bike this is the most important thing at this stage. We adapted the handlebars and ride height to suit him and changed around a few other things to get him into the right position. We also worked a bit on the engine braking system because for him this is one of the biggest changes between a two-stroke bike, which is what he is used to, and a four-stroke MotoGP bike. He put in a lot of laps and it’s been an interesting and exciting day for everyone. We’re looking forward to having another whole day tomorrow.” Masahiko Nakajima Fiat Yamaha Team Director “Today has been a sort of ‘team launch’ because we had new staff members joining the team and, above all, our new rider Jorge Lorenzo. I think that today we did a good job and it felt like there was a good atmosphere in our garage. We only had three hours of testing but Jorge completed 56 laps; more than any other rider today. Each run was more or less ten laps and this means that he was able to keep a high level of concentration. His attitude towards the development of the bike was very good. Jorge learnt a lot today and I am sure he will learn even more tomorrow.” Unofficial Lap Times 1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1’32.348 2. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1’33.176 3. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) 1’33.186 4. Loris Capirossi (Suzuki) 1’33.266 5. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1’33.387 6. Toni Elias (Ducati) 1’33.508 7. Randy de Puniet (Honda) 1’33.563 8. Shinya Nakano (Honda) 1’33.901 9. John Hopkins (Kawasaki) 1’34.277 10. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1’34,320 11. Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati) 1’34.367 12. Marco Melandri (Ducati) 1’34.433 13. Alex de Angelis (Honda) 1’34.471 14. Andrea Dovizio (Honda) 1.34.760 15. Nobuatsu Aoki (Suzuki) 1’35.564 16. Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki) 1’35.727 17. Vittoriano Guareschi (Ducati) 1.36.115 More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: PEDROSA AND HAYDEN DEBUT 2008 RC212V The Repsol Honda Team today revealed the new racing prototype it will use to contest the 2008 MotoGP World Championship as a day and a half of MotoGP testing began at Valencia, Spain. Riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa got their first taste of the all-new Honda RC212V with which they intend to regain the world title for the factory Honda squad. Today’s test, which ran from 2pm to 5pm at the 4.005km (2.487-mile) Ricardo Tormo circuit, gave Pedrosa and Hayden the chance to complete the first installation laps on the new machine ahead of a full day’s testing tomorrow. After completing some familiarisation laps on the 2007 machine, Nicky Hayden rode 19 laps on the new version while Pedrosa chose to only ride the new machine, completing 34 laps. The all-new RC212V has been designed as an evolution of the 2007 machine the bike which on Sunday won the final race of the 2007 season at the Grand Prix of Valencia in the hands of Pedrosa. The 2008 RC212V features a new V4 engine with pneumatic valve springs making use of technical knowledge from Honda’s Formula 1 programme along with an all-new chassis designed to further enhance the handling characteristics. The Repsol Honda Team will complete one more day of testing with the new RC212V at Valencia tomorrow. Nicky Hayden Best lap time: 1m 33.176s 26 laps “This afternoon we got to do a few laps on the new machine and the general feeling was pretty good. We only had half a day so I’m excited about getting some more time on the new bike tomorrow so I can give the team a lot more information. We did the first run of the day on the standard bike with a normal 16.5-inch rear tyre instead of the 16-inch one we used on Sunday and that was pretty frustrating because immediately I went a lot faster than I did all weekend on race tyres, so we’ll have to work out with Michelin what happened there. Then I got a crack on the new bike. There’s not so much I can say after just a few laps but the seating position is different, yet the actual riding position feels about the same. The tendency to wheelie was a lot less and the pitch of the weight, front to rear, was more controlled and not so aggressive on the brakes. We had a few technical issues with the machine so I didn’t get a whole lot of track time today so we’ll come back tomorrow and hopefully get a full day’s testing.” Dani Pedrosa Fastest lap time: 1m 33.387s 34 laps “The aim of today was to get a general feel for the bike and put in the first few laps so that myself and the team can become familiar with the machine. We achieved that target so it was a successful afternoon, but at the moment I can’t say too much about the performance or lap times because it’s early days. The speed was OK and there is a difference in how the new engine feels through the revs but again it’s too early to draw any real conclusions. If we get a full day of testing tomorrow we should get a better idea of how the bike compares to the 2007 machine and where we need to focus the development. After the race win on Sunday the whole team is excited about working with the new machine and hopefully turning it into a winner in time for the 2008 season.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: Honda MotoGP riders begin quest for 2008 world title at Valencia Testing for the 2008 MotoGP season began today at the Valencia circuit in Spain, venue for the final GP of the 2007 season last Sunday. The Repsol Honda factory team of Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa ran with the latest version of the RC212V V4 four-stroke while the three RC212V equipped satellite teams all paraded their new riders. Team Gresini Honda will contest the18-round championship series with Japanese star Shinya Nakano, who moved to the team from the Japan Italia Racing Honda team (JiR), and young Italian Alex de Angelis who moved up to the senior class fresh from securing third place in the 250cc World Championship here on Sunday. LCR Honda have contracted Frenchman Randy de Puniet for the new season while the JiR team have joined forces with Scot Honda to field former 125cc World Champion Andrea Dovizioso who finished second in the 250cc championship for the last two seasons. The teams were able to get in three hours of practice in dry and sunny conditions at the 4.005 km Valencia track. With all new equipment the Repsol Honda team spent the day in a shake-down test, while the satellite team riders spent their time getting acquainted with their new machines and establishing working relationships and practices with their new technicians. All teams will begin serious work on the second and final day of testing tomorrow. Honda rider quotes and lap times: Nicky Hayden Best lap time: 1m 33.176s – 26 laps “This afternoon we got to do a few laps on the new machine and the general feeling was pretty good. We only had half a day so I’m excited about getting some more time on the new bike tomorrow so I can give the team a lot more information. We did the first run of the day on the standard bike with a normal 16.5-inch rear tyre instead of the 16-inch one we used on Sunday and that was pretty frustrating because immediately I went a lot faster than I did all weekend on race tyres, so we’ll have to work out with Michelin what happened there. Then I got a crack on the new bike. There’s not so much I can say after just a few laps but the seating position is different, yet the actual riding position feels about the same. The tendency to wheelie was a lot less and the pitch of the weight, front to rear, was more controlled and not so aggressive on the brakes. We had a few technical issues with the machine so I didn’t get a whole lot of track time today so we’ll come back tomorrow and hopefully get a full day’s testing.” Dani Pedrosa Fastest lap time: 1m 33.387s – 34 laps “The aim of today was to get a general feel for the bike and put in the first few laps so that myself and the team can become familiar with the machine. We achieved that target so it was a successful afternoon, but at the moment I can’t say too much about the performance or lap times because it’s early days. The speed was OK and there is a difference in how the new engine feels through the revs but again it’s too early to draw any real conclusions. If we get a full day of testing tomorrow we should get a better idea of how the bike compares to the 2007 machine and where we need to focus the development. After the race win on Sunday the whole team is excited about working with the new machine and hopefully turning it into a winner in time for the 2008 season.” Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 1m 33.563s 59 laps.”It has been a good day, I’m happy. After 20 laps I started to have a good feeling with the Honda and to be just 0.4s slower than my race time on Sunday is very encouraging. I started with Carlos Checa’s race set-up and only made some small changes, although I was 5 kph faster in top speed compared to Carlos. I’m impressed with the switch to Michelin, the difference in tyres is not as big as I anticipated it would be. It was positive day, no problems, although there is still a lot to understand about the Honda, and my first impression is that the motor feels much easier to ride from lower rpm.” Shinya Nakano, Gresini Honda: 1m 33.901s 46 laps. “I’m very satisfied of today’s testing, it’s only the first day but I got positive impressions. We focused on testing and I’m impressed by the feeling with the rear tyre the grip is excellent. We suffered a bit from chattering with the front. We changed tyre and the feeling improved. Tomorrow we will test another tyre and we will see the difference. At the moment we haven’t worked with the set up so we don’t know if this chattering depends from the tyre or the setting. I’m still not confident so I lapped trying to understand the bike and the tyres without pushing too much. I’m very happy with the team, I feel supported”. Alex de Angelis, Gresini Honda: 1m 34.471s 47 laps. “I’m very happy. I confess that I was excited and a bit nervous before going on track. It was my first time on a MotoGP bike. Once I went on track, the tension went way and I felt much more comfortable. I appreciated a lot the power and the electronic of the RC212V, in particular I like the feeling when I get on the gas. I still have a lot to learn, in particular I need to charge more the front, otherwise the bike wheelies and I have to get used with the feeling with carbon brake. Everything is new for me but today it seemed more easy that what I expected. I’m very happy of my new team, I feel at ease”. Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Honda: 1m 34.760s 48 laps.”I found the RC212V easier to ride than my 250, the electronics control things very well. Today I concentrated on getting a good feeling with the bike and testing tyres. I tried only two different types but tomorrow we will try several more, including the same tyres Dani (Pedrosa) used in the race here on Sunday. The only difficulty I had today was coping with the engine braking system, the feeling is so much different to my 250cc 2-stroke but I really like the machine. Tomorrow we will have a lot of track time to learn more about the RCV” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Media Service: PEDROSA AND HAYDEN DEBUT 2008 RC212V The Repsol Honda Team today revealed the new racing prototype it will use to contest the 2008 MotoGP World Championship as a day and a half of MotoGP testing began at Valencia, Spain. Riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa got their first taste of the all-new Honda RC212V with which they intend to regain the world title for the factory Honda squad. Today’s test, which ran from 2pm to 5pm at the 4.005km (2.487-mile) Ricardo Tormo circuit, gave Pedrosa and Hayden the chance to complete the first installation laps on the new machine ahead of a full day’s testing tomorrow. After completing some familiarisation laps on the 2007 machine, Nicky Hayden rode 19 laps on the new version while Pedrosa chose to only ride the new machine, completing 34 laps. The all-new RC212V has been designed as an evolution of the 2007 machine the bike which on Sunday won the final race of the 2007 season at the Grand Prix of Valencia in the hands of Pedrosa. The 2008 RC212V features a new V4 engine with pneumatic valve springs making use of technical knowledge from Honda’s Formula 1 programme along with an all-new chassis designed to further enhance the handling characteristics. The Repsol Honda Team will complete one more day of testing with the new RC212V at Valencia tomorrow. Quotes MotoGP Nicky Hayden. >> Best lap time: 1m 33.176s 26 laps “This afternoon we got to do a few laps on the new machine and the general feeling was pretty good. We only had half a day so I’m excited about getting some more time on the new bike tomorrow so I can give the team a lot more information. We did the first run of the day on the standard bike with a normal 16.5-inch rear tyre instead of the 16-inch one we used on Sunday and that was pretty frustrating because immediately I went a lot faster than I did all weekend on race tyres, so we’ll have to work out with Michelin what happened there. Then I got a crack on the new bike. There’s not so much I can say after just a few laps but the seating position is different, yet the actual riding position feels about the same. The tendency to wheelie was a lot less and the pitch of the weight, front to rear, was more controlled and not so aggressive on the brakes. We had a few technical issues with the machine so I didn’t get a whole lot of track time today so we’ll come back tomorrow and hopefully get a full day’s testing.” Dani Pedrosa . >> Fastest lap time: 1m 33.387s 34 laps “The aim of today was to get a general feel for the bike and put in the first few laps so that myself and the team can become familiar with the machine. We achieved that target so it was a successful afternoon, but at the moment I can’t say too much about the performance or lap times because it’s early days. The speed was OK and there is a difference in how the new engine feels through the revs but again it’s too early to draw any real conclusions. If we get a full day of testing tomorrow we should get a better idea of how the bike compares to the 2007 machine and where we need to focus the development. After the race win on Sunday the whole team is excited about working with the new machine and hopefully turning it into a winner in time for the 2008 season.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Team Scot: JiR Team Scot debuts in exciting Valencia test session JiR Team Scot made their debut in the MotoGP class today during the first closed-season test session, which marks the build-up for their 2008 MotoGP campaign. JiR Team Scot rider and 2004 125cc championship runner-up Andrea Dovizioso spent the day acquainting himself with the 2007 Honda RC212V four-stroke and Michelin tyres a completely different package from the 250cc two-stroke Dunlop-shod machine that he took to second-place in this year’s 250cc championship. Tomorrow the 21-year-old Italian will complete the second and final day of his first test on a four-stroke 800cc MotoGP machine. Gianluca Montiron Director, JiR Team Scot “Today is the first day with a new machine for Andrea and it was quite positive I think. If we compare the times Shinya Nakano was doing on this bike on Friday 1′ 34.5″ Andrea was doing a 1′ 34.7″ after just half a day on the bike, which is very impressive. What was also very positive today were his clear comments and feedback about the machine and how he felt on it. This is of vital importance to our team and to our partners such as Michelin and HRC. This is his first impression of the new 800cc MotoGP machine and now he needs to get as much testing in as possible before the season starts next March! This will not be easy, as he will naturally need to adapt to the four-stroke machine after so many years on the 250cc two-stroke. He may also need to adapt his riding style from the 250 to suit the bigger four-stroke machine, but we have every confidence in him.” Cirano Mularoni Team Manager, JiR Team Scot “Today was a new beginning for many of us and we are all very excited. I think our first day today was very good. We took things carefully in the morning as this was Andrea’s first time on the 800cc and he needed to adjust to the sophisticated electronics after riding the 250 for so long. Andrea began to know the bike a little better in the afternoon and you could see him improve. We’re looking forward to making some more progress with Andrea and the bike tomorrow.” Andrea Dovizioso Rider, JiR Team Scot MotoGP “Riding the 800 today was really good fun for me. The power is good but there’s not too much like the older 990cc bike, which I tried back in 2004. People ask about the difference between the 250 and the 800. The biggest thing is the completely different the way the power comes in: with the 250 the power is high in the rev-range, with the 800 there is power everywhere. Also electronics make a big difference. On every corner I can open fully the throttle and traction control handles it even on a bike with more than 100bhp more than my 250! If I did that on a 250 I would go flying in the air and it would hurt! I think that the electronics can be both good and bad, as sometimes I would like a bike that I could powerslide and perhaps one that would be a little more difficult to ride. Today the important thing was to feel comfortable on the bike so we didn’t make any changes to the standard bike. Maybe tomorrow we will see if we start to change things. This is the start of a new adventure for me and I’m looking forward to the challenge of taking on the World’s best riders in MotoGP next year.” Pietro Caprara Chief mechanic, JiR Team Scot “This has been a new beginning for all of us. The team know Andrea very well, but things are different now we have the MotoGP bike to work on. This first test is about getting used to the four-stroke and checking riding position and coming up with a plan for testing which we can work together on with our partners at HRC. We used Michelin tyres like those used in the race a few days ago and didn’t change any settings to give us some reference point. My reaction to today is very positive. We communicate well together and we’re happy about the information that Andrea has given to us HRC and Honda. This is a very important point it makes all of our jobs easier if we communicate well and this is how you improve the bike to be in a position to win.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac d’Antin Ducati: THE PRAMAC-D’ANTIN TEAM STARTS THE 2008 SEASON AT THE CIRCUIT OF VALENCIA WITH TONI ELIAS AND SYLVAIN GUINTOLI. One day after the 2007 MotoGP World Championship has ended, the Ricardo Tormo circuit welcomed back the MotoGP teams for a first look at the new pilots who will race the 2008 season. The Pramac-d’Antin Team, made up of the Spaniard, Toni Elias, and the Frenchman, Sylvain Guintoli, started the Ducati’s of the Italo-Spanish Team for the first time today, though they were GP7’s Sat as the definitive version of next season’s bike, the Ducati GP8 Sat, will not be ready until the Winter Tests. The day was very productive, as Elias logged the sixth fastest time and Guintoli eleventh, demonstrating their rapid acclimation to their new steeds. Tomorrow the MotoGP teams will continue to test throughout the entire day. Toni Elias (42 laps. 1:33.43) “I’m very happy with my first contact with the Ducati, because I adapted quickly in the few laps that I made with the bike. The feeling has been very good, and I like the Team. Everything is new for me, and little by little I’m going to work to understand all the new impressions the bike gives me. Tomorrow we will work on the set-up a little more to continue improving and continue to adapt parts of the bike to my style of riding. In summary, today has been very positive for me.” Sylvain Guintoli (45 laps. 1:34.36) “My first impressions are very good, with the bike and with the Team. The atmosphere is laid-back in general, and this makes me feel at ease.The Ducati is a great package, with a very fast engine, and a chassis and suspension combination that allow me to ride with total confidence. Tomorrow, I hope to continue adapting to the bike and lowering my times, and little by little start adjusting things to my preference.”