DUCATI XEROX TEAM MAKES GOOD PROGRESS ON DAY 2 OF QATAR TESTING Losail (Qatar), Monday 5 December: The second day of World Superbike testing at the desert circuit of Losail in Qatar saw both Ducati Xerox Team riders Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi make substantial progress on their Ducati 999 machines. In this three-day test, scheduled from 4 to 6 December, the Ducati Xerox Team is concentrating exclusively on tyre testing for the championship’s one-make supplier Pirelli and suspension set-up work in collaboration with Öhlins on new front forks and rear shocks. Both riders, who set their times on race tyres, improved on yesterday, in particular Troy Bayliss, who is starting to really get to grips with his new bike. The Australian was one of just two riders who managed to get under the two-minute mark, the other being 2005 champion and fellow countryman, Troy Corser (Suzuki). Bayliss knocked almost two seconds off his lap time to end up second quickest, despite a harmless crash on the last lap of his final run of the day. Troy set a particularly good pace, considering the condition of his left wrist, and the time of 1m59.60s he recorded towards the end of the day is also significant seeing as the track was slower in the afternoon. “I’m really happy with today, the track was perfect and we made a lot of progress” declared Troy. “The 999 still feels similar to the Ducati Superbikes I rode a few years back, although the tyres are different. Pirelli have made a big step forward and I’m really getting used to them now. I tested a lot of fronts today and we’ve managed to get a lot of good information for the opening race here in February. Tomorrow I’ll continue working with the tyres and then I’ll do a long-run after lunch to finish off the test”. Lorenzo Lanzi concluded today’s session one hour before the end after suffering the effects of yesterday’s crash. Even though he was unable to get under the two-minute mark, Lanzi shaved a few tenths off his time to end up third quickest rider of the day. “Yesterday was much better than today but all things considered I’m quite pleased with my performance today” commented Lorenzo. “I’m still in a bit of pain after yesterday’s crash, in which I scraped my right arm and bruised my back and right shoulder. Today we made a major change to the bike however and I hope to improve tomorrow”. TIMES : 1. Corser (Suzuki) 1m59.17s; 2. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m59.40s; 3. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 2m00.48s; 4. Kagayama (Suzuki) 2m00.64s; 5. Muggeridge (Honda) 2m00.68s; 6. Toseland (Honda) 2m00.90s; 7. Haga (Yamaha) 2m01.50s; 8. Pitt (Yamaha) 2m01.80s; 9. Martin (Petronas) 2m03.10s. More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Mixed Fortunes for FPR on Day Two at Qatar FPR’s second day of testing alongside other factory World Superbike teams at the desert circuit in Doha, Qatar, saw its riders Steve Martin and Craig Jones have a day of mixed fortunes. Craig was unable to ride for the first half of the day due to illness with a fever and stomach bug, although following a trip to the medical centre for treatment and a good sleep in the morning, was able to return to the FP1 seat for the afternoon’s running and completed over thirty laps. Steve was also feeling a little weak after his first day back on a bike following surgery just six weeks ago. He completed almost forty laps but had a steady day of running for development purposes rather than pushing himself to his full potential. Despite both Steve’s and Craig’s day being slightly hampered by ailments, they were both able to progress positively with testing of development parts and also, both improved on their lap times from yesterday, with times of 2:03.10 and 2:02.84 respectively. Steve commented, “I’ve felt pretty weak today so have just concentrated on steadily evaluating the development parts. Despite not pushing to anywhere close to my limit I was still able to improve my lap time and so I’m looking forward to more of the same progress all round, on day three.” Craig said, “It’s annoying I was ill this morning as I wanted to have another good and full day, but I felt much better after lunch and I’m pleased to be continuing to make good progress. I was able to further evaluate tyres and found a good combination to help me put in the quickest lap of the test so far. I’m really enjoying this test and can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow to hopefully put in even more laps, test more development elements and also try for an even quicker lap time.” UNOFFICIAL TIMES 1. Corser (Suzuki) 1:59.17; 2. Bayliss (Ducati) 1:59.40; 3. Lanzi (Ducati) 2:00.48; 4. Kagayama (Suzuki) 2:00.64; 5. Muggeridge (Honda) 2:00.68; 6. Toseland (Honda) 2:00.90; 7. Haga (Yamaha) 2:01.50; 8. Pitt (Yamaha) 2:01.80; 9. Jones (PETRONAS) 2:02.84; 10. Martin (PETRONAS) 2:03.10