The stars of last season’s STK Championship, MV Agusta, have been back to the track in Valencia for some tests. There are some new faces this season including: Danilo Dell’Omo, Denis Sacchetti, Frank Millet and Loic Napoleone but Leonardo Biliotti who competed in the STK World Cup 2005 with his MV will also be in the line-up. The role given to Ayrton Badovini is that of developing the SBK version of the F4 1000 R with which he will compete in the Italian Championship. Over three days of tests, the riders clocked up huge mileage, obtained some significant times but, above all, gained confidence in both the machines and their new team mates. Ayrton Badovini: “For once I didn’t ride my Stock 1000, but spent my time working on the SBK in preparation for the Italian Championship. Considering that this was the first time I have had the F4 1000 SBK on the track, we did a good job. The bike is fantastic, but we are just at the start and still have a lot of work in front of us. The potential is there!” Denis Sacchetti: “I’m very satisfied with the work we did over the three days of testing. I needed to do a few laps to get rid of the “rust” as this was my first time back on the track since my accident a few months ago. The laps I did helped me get back into shape a bit and get some experience with an MV that I’ve never ridden before. I was immediately comfortable with the bike and it didn’t trouble me much to put up times similar to last year. The bike is amazing and I am more than happy with my new team and the engineers I’ll be working with. I can’t wait to get back on the bike!” Danilo Dell’Omo: “I’d say that my first outing with the Team UnionBike Gimotorsports was more than positive. I have a great relationship with the guys and the bike really is something else. We managed to lap with no problems and get a few miles up on the clock without losing sight of the fact the main aim of these tests was to get to know the bike a bit better. I am also very happy with the times we got as I didn’t even have to take any particular risks to set them. I’m really looking forward to the next tests because every mile in the saddle teaches me something more about my F4.” Frank Millets: “This was my first test with MV and with a 1000 bike. I am more than satisfied because I managed to constantly improve my times by increasing my rhythm on every lap. I am developing a good feeling with the bike. It is really a fantastic machine and I am sure I will do well. There is still a lot to learn but I’m really optimistic.” Leonardo Biliotti: “I concentrated mainly on testing. I am happy with the preparation work I did during the winter and I feel good on the bike. I can’t wait to get started!” Loic Napoleone: “I used these tests to get rid of some of the “rust”. I haven’t been on a bike for three months so I tried not to overdo things. I am very happy with the bike and the team and now we have to continue in this way.”