MotoGP: Ducati - No new bike in the pipeline

No new bike, despite poor performance, say Ducati

DUCATI TEAM chief Livio Suppo denied that Ducati will rush out a new bike before the end of the year, squelching rumours that poor results for all the Italian factory’s riders except Stoner had sparked a panic move.

“It’s bullsh*t,” he said. “We are working on our 2009 bike in the usual way, and we have already begun track testing with our factory testers Guareschi and Capella. It seems it has been well born,” he said.

The factory riders Stoner and Melandri will probably get their first chance to test next year’s bike after the summer break, at post-Brno tests, said Suppo.

“From the outside, you see no difference,” he said, of the new bike.

Meanwhile Casey Stoner was anxious to contradict any view that the 800cc Desmosedici GP7 and GP8 were tailor-made for him.

“It’s not a one-rider bike,” he said. “Loris was fast in tests and got some good results last year; Sete Gibernau was also fast in tests; and Alex Barros had some good results last year.

“You just have to work hard on the settings,” he said: his explanation of the poor results of his factory team-mate Marco Melandri and satellite team riders Sylvain Guintoli and Toni Elias, languishing at the back of the grid again at Mugello.

Factory riders Stoner and Melandri ride with different-spec engines, confirmed technical chief Filippo Preziosi. Melandri’s style was more centred on low-range and mid-range torque, he explained: while Stoner preferred quicker responses.