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The Ducati
Marlboro Team goes into its home Grand Prix in Italy
this coming weekend in fine form, with the remarkable
Casey Stoner leading the World Championship with three
victories and a third place from the first five races
and Loris Capirossi confident of a resurgence after a
difficult French GP at rain-lashed Le Mans.
This is the first time that the Bologna-based squad
contests the Italian GP as World Championship leader, a
landmark moment that attests to the talent and
dedication of this very Italian operation. As Ducati
Motor Holding CEO Federico Minoli says: "Despite being a
very small company there is an almost magical
combination of genius, technology and all-Italian
passion within Ducati that allows us to compete at the
highest level".
Stoner and Capirossi are greatly looking forward to
riding the Desmosedici GP7 at Mugello, an epic circuit
where they have both scored success. Capirossi has put
his Ducati on the podium three times from their last
four visits and is the current lap record holder, while
Stoner scored his first-ever GP pole position for the
2003 Italian 125 GP. The entire team can count on
massive support from the Mugello crowd, including 3000
lucky Ducatisti, sponsors and factory workers who will
fill a special Ducati grandstand at the Correntaio
right-hander.
FILIPPO PREZIOSI, Ducati
Corse Director
"Mugello seems to suit our bike, and it is also one of
Loris' favourite tracks, where he has always been very
competitive. So, having listened to his feedback and
analysed his data, we have prepared a new package to
help him fight for the kind of results he's accustomed
to achieving. These changes aim to modify the GP7's
power delivery to offer rideability that's better suited
to Lori's riding style. The changes include electronics
- revised engine mapping and ride-by-wire set-up - and
mechanics - revised cam timing and fluid-dynamics. The
same package will also be available for Casey if he
wants to try it."
CASEY STONER, World
Championship leader on 102 points
"Mugello is one of my favourite tracks. We've had some
pretty good results there, including my first-ever pole
position and I've made the podium in 125s. I think the
bike is going to be really strong, the track's got a
nice main straight which helps and some nice fast and
flowing corners which the Ducati should like, so we
should be able to do all right. It would be a nice one
to win but it's going to be really tough work beating
Loris and the rest of the Italian riders.
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Casey Stoner and Loris Capirossi (above during the
French Grand Prix) are greatly looking forward to
riding the Desmosedici GP7 at Mugello, an epic
circuit where they have both scored success. |
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The Ducati Marlboro Team goes into its home Grand
Prix in Italy this coming weekend in fine form, with
the remarkable Casey Stoner (above at Le Mans a
weekend ago) leading the World Championship with
three victories and a third place from the first
five races. |
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"But I feel
we're fast enough, the Ducati and the Bridgestones are going
really well and if we can find the right settings we'll be
there. At Mugello you need a bike that changes direction
good because there's a lot of high-speed direction changes
and the faster you go, the harder it is to change direction.
You need a pinpoint accurate bike because you've got to hit
the right points at the right time, and if you don't do that
you lose a lot of time, that's what makes this track so
hard."
LORIS CAPIROSSI, 7th overall
on 38 points
"Mugello is my home race and Ducati's home race, so it's a
really big weekend for all of us. In fact it's a big event
for all the Italian riders, last year Valentino (Rossi) and
I had a great battle for the win. The Mugello crowd is very
enthusiastic, there's always an amazing atmosphere. I love
the track, it's got some fantastic corners and some really
interesting up and down sections, so it's a lot of fun to
ride and I usually have good races there. The circuit
character should suit our bike well, even if my feeling with
the machine isn't 100 per cent at the moment. Ducati are
working closely with me to refine the bike to suit my style
because I am eager to get back on the pace and race up front
again. Above all I'm convinced that we do have the potential
to come back strong, we just need to stay focused and do our
best at this race and at the following races."
THE TRACK
Mugello is one of MotoGP's greatest events - a challenging,
high-speed circuit situated in a picturesque Tuscan valley
packed with tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans. The
track features one of the world's longest straights which
gives the Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7 a chance to
really stretch its legs. The fast and flowing circuit is
also one of the most demanding, with a thrilling blend of
high-speed turns, rapid direction changes and plentiful
off-camber corners. Mugello's complexities are further
heightened by a bumpy surface, which, combined with numerous
adverse-camber corners, makes front-tyre choice particularly
crucial. Mugello hosted its first bike GP in 1976 but only
became a regular venue after total refurbishment in the
early 1990s.
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