The Ducati Marlboro Team got straight back to work at Mugello this week following Loris Capirossi's superb second-place finish in last Sunday's thrilling Italian Grand Prix. After celebrating the stirring rides of Capirossi and team-mate Sete Gibernau on Sunday night, the team, its engineers and riders continued development work with the Desmosedici GP6.

Capirossi and Gibernau started testing at noon on Monday, after the track had been thoroughly cleaned following Sunday afternoon's massive post-race crowd invasion. They were forced to stop work earlier than expected, when rain began falling at 4pm. The pair focused primarily on testing Bridgestone tyres, splitting the workload between them, Capirossi focusing on evaluating different compounds while Gibernau concentrated on trying different constructions. The Italian and Spaniard also continued detail work on set-up, the development and evolution of the GP6 a non-stop process.

The Gatorade Sports Science Institute joined the Ducati Corse test at Mugello circuit to carry out sweat tests to verify the ideal hydration for official team rider Loris Capirossi. These tests are the result of the agreement between PepsiCo Beverages Italia and Ducati Italian team, that establishes that Gatorade is the official sport drink of Ducati Corse. After Samuele Papi's sweat tests in Chicago and also the tests on the Benetton Basket team and Sisley Volley, the GSSI's tests - conducted by Luis Fernando Aragón-Vargas, the scientist responsible of the GSSI for Latin America and Europe and Nicola Sponsiello, the GSSI scientist responsible for Italy - was carried out on the Borgo Panigale team during the Italian Grand Prix, directly on the Mugello circuit.

During the MotoGP race of June the 4th, only a few parameters were checked. This was to not interfere or change any of the pilot and team's usual habits in such a critical moment such as the Grand Prix. The GSSI doctors verified Capirossi's weight before and after the race and they will control the amount of liquid drunk between the first and second check. These parameters allowed them to establish the weight loss, the eventual dehydration and the level of reintegration of liquids. Sunday's steps stuck to this protocol to get the most truthful information as possible in order supply useful suggestions and indications regarding the right hydration to Ducati's pilot and staff.

The regular sweat test was last Monday, 5th of June. Approximately 15 minutes before the start of the training session, Dr Aragón-Vargas applied on several specific points of Capirossi's body special band-aids to collect sweat in order to obtain a panoramic of sodium and potassium concentrations in the organism. The body weight was measured before and after the physical activity to determine the amount of liquids lost during training. For the entire session, the pilot drank exclusively from a personal bottle that contains a certain amount of liquid, so what is ingested can be determined.
 

This will enable the Institute to establish if the pilot drinks the necessary quantity, or if the regime of hydration should be improved. The samples collected will be examined by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Barrington, Illinois. The Biochemistry Laboratory is provided with the equipment to analyze various parameters in relation with sport performance, hydration and hormonal responses. These parameters, with the other collected data - for example the amount of liquids lost and ingested, body weight measured before and after the effort, etc - will help judge the effectiveness of the athlete's nutritional regime and give them recommendations on how to maintain the ideal electrolytic level, prevent dehydration and optimize performance.

Nicola Sponsiello stated that "Ducati's sweat test is a very important opportunity for GSSI since it is the first time that we can get a precise survey of the needs of this sport that has not been studied under this aspect before. Motorbike pilots are a category of athletes that is particularly subject to dehydration due to their special sportswear. Understanding how many liquids and minerals they lose is important to supply the Ducati pilots and staff suggestions to improve performance and preventing loss of attention".

Ducati MotoGP project leader Livio Suppo said: "We are proud to be taking part in this test with Gatorade. We are always looking for excellence and to improve our performance, so it is very important for us to be able to cooperate with Gatorade, who have their own institute that undertakes scientific studies on the performance of athletes. The level of competition in MotoGP is so high that we need to give maximum attention to every single aspect of performance."

Headquartered in Barrington, Ill., the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) is a research and educational facility established in 1988 to share current information and expand knowledge on sports nutrition and exercise science that enhance the performance and well-being of athletes. GSSI scientists study the effects of exercise, the environment and nutrition on the human body using the latest scientific technology and equipment. The Institute is advised by several boards which provide advice and information on research topics relevant to the GSSI's mission and offer direction on future educational offerings. The Institute has become a truly international organization in recent years and is currently serving nearly 110,000 members in over 145 countries worldwide.

The Ducati Marlboro Team returns to action next week at the Catalan GP outside Barcelona, where the seventh race of the 17-event MotoGP World Championship will take place on June 18.