From a press release issued by Ducati Corse and referring to the MotoGP 2004 season opener scheduled for April 16-18:

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM ALL SET FOR WELKOM START TO 2004

The 2004 MotoGP World Championship roars into action at Welkom this weekend after one of the most intensive off-seasons in memory. Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss have been busy since the end of the 2003 World Championship developing the team’s new Desmosedici GP4 which races in anger for the first time this Sunday.

The 2004 machine is a brand-new version of the bike that took last year’s MotoGP series by storm, winning Ducati’s first MotoGP race and taking second overall in the Constructors’ World Championship.

NEW GP4 IS GOOD AND GETTING BETTER
The Ducati Marlboro Team comes to Welkom to race its Desmosedici GP4 for the first time. The machine has already impressed with its pace during tests in Australia, Asia and Europe.

“It seems like the winter has lasted a long, long time, so we can’t wait to start racing again!” smiles Ducati Marlboro Team Director Livio Suppo. “Overall we are happy because the bike has been on track since January and since then we’ve been progressing in a good direction. We have been faster than last year at Philip Island, Sepang and Valencia. Unfortunately last month’s tests at Barcelona and Jerez were mostly spoiled by poor weather, although at Barcelona Loris was faster than last year on race tyres. I would say the bike is at 70 per cent of its ultimate potential at the moment. We knew that it would take time to develop a new machine, but we believe that this bike was necessary to improve our performance throughout the World Championship.”

Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli reckons the new Desmosedici GP4 promises great things ahead. “This machine has much more potential than our 2003 bike,” he says. “We are still developing it, and there’s a lot more to come. Our aim with the GP4 is to be faster everywhere. We have worked on every aspect of performance, particularly engine power and rideability, handling and rider comfort. This last factor is particularly important at Welkom. It can be the hottest race of the year, and we have to help the riders to be in the best shape throughout the race.”

CAPIROSSI READY FOR FIRST GP
Loris Capirossi knows that the first race of the season is always crucial. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider made a stunning start to the 2003 MotoGP series, scoring a podium finish in his first race on the Desmosedici at Suzuka. “The first race is always very important to demonstrate that you are going in the right direction,” says Capirossi. “I’m ready for the first GP and, as always, I’ll give 100 per cent for a good result. Our winter testing went quite well – the bike is better and faster than last year’s – it’s just a shame that bad weather prevented us from testing effectively in Spain last month.
“I really like Welkom. It’s unusual because it’s a long way above sea level, which makes the engines ‘sweeter’ than usual. It’s a bumpy and technical circuit, for which you need a really good engine and chassis.”

BAYLISS BEGINS SECOND MotoGP SEASON
Former World Superbike champ Troy Bayliss was a MotoGP rookie at Welkom last year, although that didn’t stop him having a great race to fourth place. Despite starting from row 3, Troy led the race for 10 laps and had an extraordinary battle with Valentino Rossi. This season the Ducati Marlboro Team man expects to benefit from his 2003 experiences. “I now know the people I’m racing against and I know all the tracks, apart from the Qatar circuit, which is new for everybody,” says the Aussie. “Second years have been good to me in the past (Bayliss won the British and World Superbike titles at his second attempts), so I can’t wait to start racing. We’re making progress with the new bike. I really believe that it’s better than what we had last year. The motor is a bit smoother, the bike is cooler and I think it’s going to handle better once we’ve sorted a few things out. “I don’t mind Welkom as a racetrack – I got a pretty good result there last year. It’s quite bumpy, with plenty of sharp little bumps, but I like to ride it.”

THE TRACK
The Phakisa Freeway circuit returned South Africa to the GP calendar in October 1999 after a seven-year absence, the Free State venue replacing Kyalami which had hosted the nation’s four previous GPs in 1983, ’84, ’85 and ’92. Constructed outside the gold-mining town of Welkom, the circuit is a real challenge, especially for tyres, which run at a higher temperature than at any other GP track.
Although Welkom was resurfaced for last year’s MotoGP event, the circuit is still bumpy and can be slippery if dust from the surrounding area is blown onto its surface. Situated on a plateau 1350 metres above sea level, the venue’s high altitude has a huge effect on performance, robbing engines of up to 20 per cent of their horsepower.

Phakisa Freeway, Welkom 4.242km/2.636 miles
Pole position 2003: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 1m 33.174s
Lap record: Valentino Rossi (Honda) 1m 33.851s, 162.717kmh/101.108mph

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM DATA LOGS
LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 31 (April 4, 1973)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
GP starts: 200 (30xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125)
Pole positions: 36 (3xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Welkom 2003 results. Grid: 4th Race: DNF

TROY BAYLISS
Age: 35 (March 30, 1969)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
First GP: Australia, 1997 (250)
GP starts: 17 (16xMotoGP, 1×250)
World Superbike victories: 22
World Championships: 1 (Superbike: 2001)
Welkom 2003 results. Grid: 9th. Race: 4th.