Progress for Ducati at Estoril But Not Enough
A long, intense day of testing following the Portuguese Grand Prix allowed Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden to try various updates that were prepared by Ducati’s racing department. While both riders improved their times considerably over the race weekend, Valentino Rossi ended up still about 1 second off the pace of the front runners.
The two Ducati MotoGP Team riders concentrated mainly on finding a setup with updates that were made to the frame, which both of them pronounced promising when the test was concluded. After several runs spent finding a base setup, Valentino Rossi consistently lapped in the 1:37 range. Nicky Hayden also liked the new chassis, and by the end of the day, he had dropped his time under 1:38.
Valentino Rossi 5th, 1:37.382 (82 laps) “It was a positive test because the new updates were immediately better. The bike was more sensitive to changes made to the front, which makes it easier to work on a setup that works better for me. I realized that as soon as I got on the bike and then, over the course of the following hours, we constantly progressed.”
The chassis changes allowed Rossi to lap about 1 second per lap faster than he managed during qualifying and Sunday’s race but engine changes also helped with the increase in pace. Due to the constraints on the number of engines it may take some time before the new powerplant can be raced. Nevertheless it is fair to expect Rossi to utilize the new chassis at Le Mans, the next round of the championship. Despite the progress, the multiple champion’s competitors also made considerable progress with Marco Simoncelli, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner and Cal Crutchlow all lapping in the low to mid 36′s.
“We also had an engine with a slightly smoother power delivery that I liked a lot. We’ll start using it when the rotation plan allows it….Of course the other riders also made great progress, and the less positive about today is the gap to the front on my best lap.”
It was a similar story for Jerez podium finisher Nicky Hayden. He improved dramatically over his race pace but with everyone else improving he still found himself well down the order.
Nicky Hayden 9th, 1:37.463 (89 laps) “We were lucky to get a really good day with the weather. We improved, because I consistently went a lot faster than in qualifying, but it looked like everybody else improved too. I did my best time on the 2012 tyres, so Bridgestone made a nice step there. I got on the updated chassis after lunch, and it had a better feel over some of the bumps, and still good stability under braking. The updated engine made the bike a little smoother, and I liked it overall.”
So in summary, Ducati’s changes have brought the benefits they expected but in this ultra competitive season the superfast Hondas and the well balanced Yamahas continue to hold sway at the front. Nevertheless the progress is encouraging for the future as Vale pointed out.
“Anyway, everything that the Ducati technicians brought worked, and that means that we’re on the right path. We have to continue working, but today’s test gives us confidence.”
Source: Ducati Corse
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