Ducati To Test New Engine At Mugello Next Week

Ducati is to test the latest version of their Desmosedici GP12 engine next week at Mugello. Speaking to MotoMatters.com, Ducati team manager Vitto Guareschi said that Franco Battaini is to start testing the bike, complete with the new engine, next week, in preparation for handing the machine over to Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi for a final test on the Monday after the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. If that test is successful, then both factory Ducati riders will have the new engine available as part of their allocation from Laguna Seca, the race directly after Mugello.

Much rides on the new engine: Valentino Rossi has repeatedly expressed his hopes that the improvements the new engine should offer will allow him to make a big step towards closing the gap with the front runners. That improvement should come from improved driveability, the main focus of development for Filippo Preziosi and the Ducati Corse department. "The aim is to improve the first touch of the throttle," Guareschi said, the area in which the Ducati has suffered the most. "Driveability is very important for the 1000s, even more so than the 800s," Guareschi added. "The 1000s have much more torque than the 800s, which makes it harder for the rider to use the power."

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