Ducati Marlboro Team preview 2005 MotoGP World Championship, round 2 of 17 Qatar Grand Prix, Losail, April 6/7/8 DUCATI MARLBORO MEN TURN UP THE HEAT The Ducati Marlboro Team travels to the Middle-East leading the 2006 MotoGP World Championship after a sensational start to the season in Spain, where Loris Capirossi took his Desmosedici GP06 to a brilliant win in front of 131,000 fans. The Italian squad dominated Jerez: Capirossi and Sete Gibernau qualified first and second fastest, Capirossi won the race in spectacular style, a perfect weekend only spoiled when while Gibernau bike’s encountered a technical glitch. Both riders proved that they are super-fast on qualifying tyres and race tyres, proving that the long winter’s work undertaken by the team, Ducati and Bridgestone has been abundantly fruitful. The latest version of the Desmosedici V4 has lost none of its speed but offers improved rideability and consistency, the main priorities of the winter development programme. LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “Jerez was a great weekend – Loris took pole, the win and the fastest lap and Sete was second in qualifying and fastest in warm-up – it was just a shame that he had a problem in the race. We go to Losail leading the championship but we’ve got to keep our feet on the ground. It’s a long season so we need to keep our focus to ensure we fulfil our potential. Loris is on a confidence high, hopefully he can celebrate his 33rd birthday (on April 4th) in the best possible way! Sete has proved he’s fast and I’m sure he’ll soon get the good results he deserves.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, World Championship ranking: first “I had a perfect bike and perfect tyres at Jerez and we have a simple target for Qatar – to do the same all over again. We are quite confident but we know it won’t be easy. The toughest thing in Qatar can be the weather. Two years ago it was almost 40 degrees, which made riding really tough. I hope it will be cooler this time because we’re there in early April, not early October. The most important thing for this track is to have a well-balanced bike that changes direction well. As always, tyres will be important and the Bridgestone rear has improved a lot since last year, it’s got a much better contact feeling. “We have a plan to ride streetbikes – I’ll have a Ducati 999 – around the track (with fellow riders’ safety commission members Valentino Rossi and Kenny Roberts Junior) on Thursday night, to see if it’s feasible to run future Qatar GPs in the dark, when it will be much cooler. They have erected floodlights at several corners, so it will be an interesting experience!” SETE GIBERNAU, World Championship ranking: no score “What happened at Jerez was a pity but these things sometimes happen in racing. Everyone had worked so hard over the winter and we showed in practice and qualifying that we are fast. Now we just need a result to prove it. Despite that disappointment we are ready to fight again. We are learning all the time and I have a great team behind me, so I’m looking forward to getting back on track in Qatar. “I’ve got nice memories of Qatar – I won the race in 2004. It’s a good circuit, quite particular, with a little bit of everything and some special turns like the triple right-hander which is really spectacular. Apart from that, it’s sandy and it’s hot! There are a lot of changes of direction during a lap at Qatar so you need the bike to turn good. But like I always say, MotoGP is so close now that you need a bike that does everything well, you can win or lose because of the tiniest difference in bike performance.” THE TRACK Dominated by a 1.1km straight, the remainder of the 5.4km Losail track is a sinuous high-speed switchback, with most corners leading into one another, rather than separated by straights. The circuit was designed using elements of other famous tracks. The chief issue at Losail can be sand. Windblown desert sand made the circuit treacherously slippery during the inaugural 2004 Qatar GP but the track has improved a lot since then. The heat is another major consideration at Qatar. In 2004 ambient temperatures nudged 50 degrees, asking much from riders, bikes, tyres and pit crew. This year’s race has been scheduled six months earlier, so conditions should be cooler. Lap record: Nicky Hayden (Honda), 1m 57.903s, 164.270kmh/102.073mph (2005) Pole position 2005: Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team), 1m 56.917s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 33 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 232 (62xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) GP victories: 26 (4xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) Pole positions: 40 (7xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Losail 2005 results: Grid: 1st. Race: 10th SETE GIBERNAU Age: 33 (born December 15, 1972) Lives: Switzerland Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 161 (66xMotoGP, 76×500, 19×250) GP victories: 9 (8xMotoGP, 1×500) First GP victory: Valencia, 2001 (500) First GP: Spain, 1993 (250) Pole positions: 12 (11xMotoGP, 1×500) First pole: South Africa, 2000 (500) Losail 2005 results: Grid: 2nd. Race: 5th