MotoGP: Sylvain Guintoli eyes style change to suit Ducati

By Matthew Birt
MotoGP
30 December 2007 07:30
French rider Sylvain Guintoli believes he will have to make changes to his riding style to suit Ducati’s GP8 machine when he returns to action in Sepang on January 22, 2007.
Sylvain Guintoli has made only one winter testing appearance so far when he rode a 2007 Ducati machine in Valencia at the beginning of November 2007.
The new d’Antin Ducati rider, who campaigned a Yamaha YZR-M1 in his rookie premier class campaign in 2007, told MCN: “I think I will have to change my style.
“The bike needs a different style and I’m starting to understand why Casey (Stoner) went so fast this year because he has got the natural riding style for this bike.
“You have to ride it like a 250 and learn to pick the bike up quickly on the exit of the corner and accelerate. That’s exactly what he does.
“I liked the handling and the engine of the bike I rode in Valencia. It is very different but the general feeling was very good.
“The engine is very different to Yamaha. It has a lot of power and the revs are quite impressive so the feeling on the bike is quite impressive.
“I felt more than the difference in speed that the engine character is completely different on the Ducati. On the straight when you open the throttle just the noise gives you the impression the engine is very fast.”

Ducati launches title defender.

Tuesday, 8th January 2008

The Ducati Desmosedici GP8 may have made its track debut during testing at the end of 2007, but the bike with which Casey Stoner will defend his MotoGP crown had its official unveiling on the snowy slopes of Madonna di Campiglio in Italy on Tuesday.

Stoner and new team-mate Marco Melandri ceremoniously broke an ice sculpture to reveal the new bike in its 2008 livery, before both took part in a press conference with the assembled media.

The conference began with former Gresini Honda rider Melandri revealing how it feels to wear official Ducati Marlboro Team colours for the first time.

"I feel great in red!" he smiled. "I'm so happy to have become part of the Ducati family. I'd dreamt of riding a Ducati ever since I first saw one. When I tried on my new leathers yesterday, I felt quite emotional. I'm aware of the big opportunity I have been given this year. It's not going to be easy, but it will be exciting and I'm ready to commit entirely to reward all those who wanted me to be here.

"I'm really impressed with how people work at Ducati. Although they've already achieved the greatest goal, winning the world championship, they have continued to work relentlessly.

"After my first tests, I gave feed-back to the engineers so that my bike could be adjusted to match my requirements and now, I can't wait to hit the track again to train for this season. As soon as we manage to fine-tune the bike we'll be very competitive," he insisted.

"This is such a wonderful event," added Stoner, after taking over from Melandri at the press conference table. "I'm happy to be here although it meant celebrating my first wedding anniversary on a flight from Australia! I hope to be able to have fun and do some skiing too, maybe cross-country skiing. I don't want to run any risks snowboarding.

"This holiday break after our latest test was just what I needed to unwind after a fantastic, although extremely challenging season. I also needed to recover after my shoulder injury from the Jerez tests. I feel much better now, although I'll only know if I'm completely recovered when I get back in the saddle.

"I'm happy to begin a new season with the same bike and the same team, it's a first for me since I started to race. The feeling is just perfect with everyone at Ducati: Claudio, Filippo, Livio and all of my team, I wouldn't change a thing. As for my bike, I haven't suggested any big changes either, because we already had such a competitive package. We are only going to work on a few details.

"Winning a world championship has taken a big weight off my shoulders: all my parents' sacrifices, all the hard times in the past, it's all behind me now. This year, I'll continue to work in order to try and repeat my performance of last year and be even stronger and faster, but I'll be able to do that in a very different spirit," concluded Casey, who won ten races during his spectacular debut season with Ducati.

Wednesday will see Ducati Corse CEO and general director of Ducati Motor Holding, Claudio Domenicali, talk to the press about the GP8's technical innovations.



more pics: MOTOGP: Ducati launches title defender., motorsport news, results, features, teams, drivers, updates

Gi

The look of 2008 ducati

Hey! The new Duke looks kinda strange to me! I didn't like it !

I am not talking about the #1 ( I'm happy that Casey chose it... ), its front is weird!

Oops, I almost forgot: that Dukes will stay in ICE the whole season! Sorry Marco, you're a good guy.

Gi

It's got a very high bubble! I guess so KC can sit more upright so at least it looks like someone is riding it! (Short A$$) But it looks cool, not as cool as the M1

The Ducati's are freezing their bikes fuel ready for the Qatar race early aren't they?

Ducati stop work on 'fuel saving' clutch


Ducati have put their 'fuel saving' clutch to one side for the time being as they are now happy with the fuel consumption they are achieving for the amount of power they are producing.
Tests with the clutch date back to when Carlos Checa was in the team in 2005, but in recent times it has been test rider Vittoriano Gaureschi who has worked on - and sometimes crashed while using - the system, which lets the engine idle when the rider is hard on the brakes into a corner.
The clutch then re-engages once the right speed has been found for the bike to tip into the corner, driving the wheel again and so giving the rider stability.
Advances in fuel and reduction in friction losses through oil have assisted power output, but figures are a closely guarded secret. The team's relationship with Shell is treasured by Ducati, with real gains being found through oil alone in recent years.
A Shell spokesman said, "Two new fuel candidates have just been sent to Bologna for testing. If improvements are recorded over the present Shell V-Power fuel, track testing is envisaged. One new Shell Advance oil candidate is in the formulation study phase and may be ready for testing at Ducati in January."
Ducati riders Casey Stoner and Marco Melandri both said last week in Italy that they are working on more mid-range power as they feel that the existing top-end power, although increased a little, will be sufficient for the 2008 season.

Hmm... I liked 2007 Ducati's design more, though... Well, is it only me or a bike looks flattened out a bit?

I think it does! And M1's lines are less agressive too

Gi

Just show you this here:

Melandri says Ducati a 'big hurdle'




Marco Melandri has admitted that adapting to the Ducati Desmosedici has proven a "bigger hurdle" than he had expected.

The Italian rider has joined Ducati from the Gresini Honda team to ride alongside world champion Casey Stoner during the 2008 season.

Melandri has endured a difficult debut with his new team, however, failing to adapt to the bike and struggling to match the pace of his teammate.

"The Desmosedici represents a bigger hurdle than I had expected," Melandri was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I'm not looking at the laptimes, I'm just trying to adapt to the bike in the best possible way. Besides, winter testing has never been great for me.

"I'm very sensitive and I'm used to make just small changes at the time, while here every step is bigger. I'm riding stiff, I'm having trouble feeling the front: with the Honda I was used to have more weight at the front.
"I've tried to work on the weight distribution, now I'll have to work on the suspensions: the Ohlins fitted on the Ducati are very different from the Showa, and the feeling is strange.

"I'd like to change something (in the engine) but I don't know to what extent I'll be able to do it. It's tough to manage all this power.

"The truth is that, after having tried to adapt the bike to my style, maybe it's time for me to adapt to it, by looking at what Casey does, by learning to use the throttle in a different way, by studying the telemetry. The engineers seem to have understood what I need, thank goodness we'll be back on the bike immediately at Phillip Island."

Ducati team boss Livio Suppo believes it is just a matter of time before Melandri gets to grips with the bike, and he said the problems are not similar to those suffered by Loris Capirossi during last season.

"It's pointless to pretend there are no problems, but I absolutely don't think the situation is comparable (to Capirossi's). I'm ready to bet that it's just a matter of time, that Marco will reach the level of the best."

Stoner admitted there is not much he can do to help Melandri, as both riders have very different styles.
"Marco and I have talked, he has his problems, but we work in different directions and we both need to find our ways," said Stoner. "I'm concentrating on developing the bike and I don't think I'm able to give him advice: Loris in 2007 helped me but I had a different style so his advice was useless.(what?)
"It's the same with Marco, but he has the talent to understand and improve. Maybe he just needs some time, let's wait until the start of the season to pass judgement."