Ducati MotoGP Completes First Day Of MotoGP Testing In Sepang
From a Ducati Corse press release:
After a winter break of more than two months, the Ducati Team’s 2015 season got underway today with the first IRTA test session at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The Borgo Panigale-based team, which this year lines up in the MotoGP World Championship with the all-Italian rider pairing of Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, are tackling these first tests in Malaysia with an updated version of the Desmosedici, the GP14.3, in view of the arrival of the new GP15 which is scheduled to make its debut, again at Sepang, in the second IRTA test session from 23 to 25 February.
Today Dovizioso and Iannone worked methodically through their testing schedule, concentrating above all on the chassis and the electronics set-up of their GP14.3 bikes, as well as gathering useful information that will be transferred to the new bike.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2’00.617 (4th), 41 laps
“I’m really happy about today because the track was luckily in a good condition and we were able to start in the right way to test what we wanted. We tried some set-ups for the chassis and the electronics, and from the beginning my feeling was very good today. I like Sepang a lot: I always manage to go well here and our speed is really good compared to that of our rivals. I am still using last year’s bike, with several important updates, but I’m really curious to try the new bike at the end of the month. The GP15 will be quite different from this one, but all the work we are doing is useful feedback for the new bike, and so the work in these three days is very important.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 2’01.424 (7th), 59 laps
“These tests are for sure very important for our future, and here we have brought the Desmosedici GP14.3 evolution, which has been updated with several new parts and this allows us to adjust the chassis more. I am happy because finally I’m back on the bike again after last year’s test, I can shake the rust off, and it’s always a big emotion every time I get back on my Ducati. Today was a positive day because we managed to try some things that will also be useful in the future. Everyone lapped really fast on the first day: we only used our hard tyre and I am quite happy with my time. For sure there is room for improvement, but it wasn’t bad for the first day.”
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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