Official Ducati test rider, Casey Stoner took part in the first two days of these private tests in Sepang.
By immediately achieving a time of 2'01.1 in just four laps, the Australian driver reminded everyone that his level was still exceptional despite his early retirement.
As the latest photos attest, the double world champion told the camera of the official website MotoGP.com that he had driven with a serious evolution of the GP17, equipped with the 2018 engine and a modified chassis, but that he had not yet been able to try the 2018 prototype, probably the one we saw during the Valencia tests.
Casey Stoner : “We had quite a bit of trouble with the rain during the first day of testing. We couldn't get a dry enough track, so we had a two-hour window to do a few rides. And unfortunately, we weren't able to test the new prototype during it, but we were still able to do some very good laps. For the moment, we only have positive comments on the new bike which has some changes to the engine, some difference to the engine mapping and a quite different chassis. So we are rather very positive because it increases the feeling and gives us what we have been looking for for two years. Hopefully, this step forward is in the right direction to give us a package that's a little more competitive in the corners. »
From these comments, it therefore seems that Ducati continues to develop its GP17 while preparing its GP 18. Would one be intended for Andrea Dovizioso and the other for Jorge Lorenzo? It's unlikely but only time will tell...
From what we can see, the GP17 used by the Australian driver at Sepang only differs visually from those of last season by the addition of a small additional attachment to the chassis, a rear hub integrating what is believed to be a torque sensor already seen on numerous occasions in testing, and a “salad box” modified at least on the left side by the presence of a large bulge.
