From a press release issued by Ducati North America:

Bostrom Michelin Tire Test Day 1 – Daytona Beach, Florida

Christmas came early for Eric Bostrom and Ducati Austin Racing on this sunny Florida morning. They received new 999 racebikes from Ducati Corse in time for Michelin’s Daytona tire test. The race specification Ducati 999 motorcycles are not World Superbike leftovers, but rather brand new bikes built by Corse for Bostrom to use in his campaign for the AMA Superbike championship. Presently, the simplicity of the bike’s graphics contrast dramatically with Eric’s loud Dukes of Hazard “Boss Hog” leathers.

Other good news was the weather, which was the beginning of a successful day for the Ducati Austin team and Michelin. As Bostrom took his turn with the proven World Superbike technology he readily warmed up to the new bike. After all, this is his first time riding a Ducati. After one easy lap, the mechanics checked the bike and sent Eric back on his way. The team didn’t make any changes to the bike until after lunch, instead allowing him to get familiar with the machine.

After lunch, the temperature dropped and Eric picked up speed. He complained of spinning the rear tire out of some corners but with a few suspension adjustments, the mechanics from Corse and Ducati Austin had the problem solved. The combination of Bostrom’s feedback, the Marelli data system, and the Michelin technicians continued to lower lap times. Eric said that growing familiar with the bike was how the initial improvements were made. After that, the team made setup and tire changes with further positive results. Eric was impressed with both the bike and the Ducati personnel.

The test ended at 5:00 pm, with more improvements scheduled for tomorrow.

Bostrom Michelin Tire Test Day 2 – Daytona Beach, Florida

Despite the cooler weather, Eric Bostrom’s second day of tire testing was another success. He continued to surprise everyone at the track with his consistent, fast laps. Yesterday Bostrom was warming up and today he proved his intentions for the 2004 AMA Superbike season. He placed a best of 2nd in the Daytona 200 in 2001 and said today, “It’d feel better for me to win it for (Ducati) than to win it for me. It’d be nice if I can give them something they’ve never done. I feel like we have the right equipment to win it.”

And with the effort that Ducati Corse and Ducati Austin are putting towards the AMA series it is understandable why Eric is confident.

The bike was working well today and “feels very precise in the corners” according to Bostrom. The mechanics continued their adjustments to the bike throughout the day and did testing upwards of 20 laps on some sets of the Michelin tires. Eric also continued to work on adjusting his riding style for the Ducati. “This bike rewards you for being ginger,” Bostrom noted. The bike has lots of grip but at Daytona it is very important to conserve the tires during the actual race since the track abuses the left side of the rubber.

Although there was concern that the switch from a single to double-sided swingarm would slow the tire changes needed at Daytona, Bostrom is confident that with a quick release system it will actually be an improvement. The 999 swingarm is both lighter and stronger than that of the 998.

Saturday was a planned rain-day for the Michelin test but late decisions confirmed that Ducati Austin would continue testing tomorrow.

Bostrom Michelin Tire Test Day 3 – Daytona Beach, Florida

The Daytona track was much colder today for Eric Bostrom’s third day of Michelin tire testing. In the morning, the track temperature was only 17 C. The Ducati Austin team with support from Ducati Corse continued testing tire compounds throughout the day. As with the first two days, Bostrom was very impressed with the bike.

“The (999) has a great gearbox,” Eric commented in the morning. Eric continued to get comfortable on the bike today and the team made necessary changes to produce repeatable quick laps. During the morning session, Bostrom was clocked on radar at 183 mph crossing start/finish line. Endurance tire testing was also on today’s agenda for Michelin. Eric did a run of 20 consecutive laps without much variation in lap times. The Ducati Austin team was very pleased with these results.

Unfortunately, during the second endurance session Bostrom fell in the chicane.

Thankfully he was up quickly and jumped on the spare bike as soon as it was ready. Eric continued testing without problem through the day.

The three days of testing were full of positive results for both the Ducati Austin team and Michelin.

“We accomplished a lot during this test and are looking forward to racing here,” said Jim Rhodes, Michelin Roadracing Manager.

Terry Gregoricka of Ducati Austin Racing had similar sentiments about the three-day test, “The tire test went great and the team is working extremely well. I think we got a lot of very useful information from this test in Daytona.”

The combination of Ducati’s renewed efforts, Eric Bostrom, and the Michelins should prove to be a successful recipe for the 2004 AMA Superbike season.

Bostrom has a few days off from testing and will be at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, California on December 13th and 14th , 2004.