After a performance in Qatar where the excellent Andrea Dovizioso played on the particular circumstances of the race to be the tree that hides the forest, the Ducati troops took up residence on the Jerez track to begin their testing days. A capital of five days allocated to the year by the regulations which had not been exploited until then. And there will be work.
At Losail, the Desmosedici did not show as good as expected while the Spanish track has always been torture for the Italian motorcycle. And then what about a new fairing which is still not approved?
It is the one who stays the course among the reds in search of certainty who responds on crash.net : " regarding the new fairing seen during testing, I am satisfied with it. It's very complicated to regain the support that was generated by the ailerons. We will use it during the season, that's for sure. But nothing is decided on where and when. We are developing it and in Qatar, the conditions were not required to use it ».
He explains : " there are positive points but also negative sides. So if you have greater stability, you lose maneuverability. It's all about balance, as always ". Will we see him again during these Jerez tests? “ I don't know » admits the man who finished second in the Qatar Grand Prix where he was also the first of the two drivers equipped with Desmosedici in the top 10. “ But we mainly go to Jerez because it's a track that the Ducati doesn't like. So it's essential that we go there before the Spanish Grand Prix ».
By that, mean that there will be other priorities, which suggests the scale of the task that still remains to be accomplished by the men of Borgo Panigale. Ducati had, however, started its development work off to a flying start by showing at the start of the off-season a strange box at the rear of its machine. Then the precursors of the fins showed an ambitious fairing. Since then, nothing.
Meanwhile, Aprilia, Suzuki and Yamaha have approved their new fairing. All that remains is Honda and therefore Ducati to do the same. The first will have been, in this respect, the last.
