The Dolomite
mountain scenery of Madonna di Campiglio formed the
spectacular backdrop for the official launch of the new
Ducati Desmosedici GP7 on Wednesday. The wraps were pulled off the all-new Italian bike by
Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner, the two Ducati Marlboro
Team factory riders who will spearhead the Italian
manufacturer's attack in the first year of the new 800cc
category. It took place at
Wroom 2007, the traditional ski meeting held on the snows of
Madonna di Campiglio and reserved for the international
press which offers the chance for media and journalists from
all over the world to meet Ducati Marlboro Team riders and
management.
Following
Tuesday's first conference with Federico Minoli (Chairman
and Managing Director of Ducati Motor Holding) and Casey
Stoner, the Australian rider who has joined the team this
year, on Wednesday it was the turn of Claudio Domenicali (Ducati
Corse Managing Director and Ducati Motor Holding Director
General of Product) and Loris Capirossi to meet the press
immediately after the presentation of the Desmosedici GP7.
The Desmosedici
GP7 is characterised by having a new and exclusive colour
scheme called "Red Racing Chrome", produced with a special
paint that is destined to highlight the lines and the design
of the new machine as well as guaranteeing an extremely
technological and innovative chrome effect. Naturally the
new livery is not the only innovation surrounding the 2007
MotoGP bike.
The 800cc engine is also completely new. Smaller and
narrower than the 990 unit, the new engine is characterized
by having a conventional firing-order that benefits the
maximum power and helps with the fuel consumption.
The concept of the engine as a load-bearing structure, with
a shorter chassis and the sub-frame mounted directly on the
engine and no longer on the frame, has also been optimized,
thus allowing a strengthening of the entire foot-peg area.
Major attention has also been dedicated to a lightening and
further refining of all components.
"I am proud to
present the new Desmosedici GP7, a project that currently
represents the peak of Ducati know-how," declared Claudio Domenicali
during the press conference.
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The wraps were pulled off the all-new Italian bike
by Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner, the two Ducati
Marlboro Team factory riders who will spearhead the
Italian manufacturer's attack in the first year of
the new 800cc category. |
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The Dolomite
mountain scenery of Madonna di Campiglio in the Italian Alps formed the
spectacular backdrop for the official launch of the new
Ducati Desmosedici GP7 on Wednesday. |
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"The bike features a mixture of
technology and evolution and has already given us excellent
results on the track in the first tests. In particular we
are particularly proud of the opportunity that the project
offers to transfer experience accumulated in racing to our
road-going products.
I am really happy to be here today with Loris. We began this
challenge together and, five years later, we are still here,
ready to tackle a new season in MotoGP with a project that
has grown, matured and improved over the years and which is
destined to give us great satisfaction. I am just as pleased
to welcome Casey: together with Loris they form a fantastic
pairing.
All this would not be possible without the aid of our
sponsors. A big thanks to all those who have given us their
support for many years and a warm welcome to SanDisk, a
world leader in the production of flash memory cards and
portable multimedia accessories, who today have officially
announced their partnership agreement with us."
"They tell me
I'm a MotoGP dinosaur and for this reason I have decided to
play on this description by changing my classic Capirex logo
to Capi-T-rex" commented
Loris Capirossi at the start of the press conference
at Madonna di Campiglio. "This is my eighteenth year in the
world championship but you can be sure of one thing: the
feeling with the bike is the same as ever and I still really
enjoy my racing, so now I am in form, fired-up and ready to
give my everything again in this new season.
This is my fifth year with Ducati, which is also a major
achievement; it's not the first time I have said it but once
again I'd like to take the opportunity to underline that I
have found a family in this company, something which makes
me feel very proud and happy.
We are ready to face up to this new season in the best
possible way, so far we have worked well with the new bike
and its development. Filippo Preziosi and his team, together
with Vitto, have been great as always. I can't wait to get
back on the bike at Sepang to start preparations for the new
season and obtain the result that I have been chasing for
years and which I feel I have all the right cards to
achieve."
Wrooom 2007 at
Madonna di Campiglio came to a close yesterday with a giant
slalom race involving the Ducati Marlboro riders, with the
exception of Casey Stoner, who is not as adapt as his
colleagues on the snow, team personnel and members of the
press. The traditional
challenge that has been held over the last three years
between director Livio Suppo and his rider saw the win, for
the first time ever, go to the former who can now boast that
he finished ahead of none other than...Loris Capirossi! This
morning
the Ducati Marlboro Team will leave for Malaysia where it
will be taking part in the first tests of the 2007 season at Sepang from January 22nd to 24th.
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