Under ideal weather conditions at the Jerez circuit in Spain, Alex Barros
had a positive debut on his brand new Ducati GP7 800cc, equipped with
Bridgesatone tyres. The Pramac D'antin Brazilian rider, who didn't ride the
first day of the test due to rain and poor track conditions, got his first
taste of the new machine and began working diligently on the testing program
that the Team had prepared. Barros ultimately clocked 63 laps, with the
best time of 1'43.187, and was feeling very good about the initial
sensations of the bike.
Tomorrow will be the last test day of 2006, and after the winter test ban
from December 1st to January 22nd 2007, the Pramac D'Antin Team will fly to
Malaysia for the first pre-season test at the Sepang circuit on January
22nd.
Alex Barros #4 (1'43.187, 63 laps): "I am very satisfied with the positive
impressions I had on the new Ducati 800cc. Our first real test day was
useful to discover the potential of the Ducati-Bridgestone binomial, and I
am very happy about the Bridgestone performance. We worked on the machine
balance and we can definitely improve our times with chassis and suspension
changes. Basically, this was my first full day of testing with the new
generation 800cc, and I just need more laps on the machine to understand
it's nuances, but its definitely easier to ride than the 990cc. It has
higher corner speed, and you can get on the gas very hard and really early
with this bike. It was an intense day, as I predicted, but there were a lot
of interesting discoveries we made. I need to get as many practice laps on
the bike as possible to help unlock the secrets of the GP7, and to see the
direction we need to take in order to find the best possible set-up for the
machine. Both the team and I are very motivated, as this a completely new
start for us. We want to be competitive in the next season".
Fabiano Sterlacchini - Alex Barros Track Engineer: "We are satisfied with
our first day of testing. Barros started to discover the new machine's
potential, and his confidence in the package at his disposal is high. We
initially worked to set the bike up for his physique and his riding style.
In the morning we worked on the engine map definition, then on the rear
suspension setting, and finished the day focusing on the front. Today's
gathered data is a good base for us to start tomorrow's work".
Unofficial Times - Day 2:
- 1. Valentino Rossi - 1'40.688 (82 laps)
- 2. Dani Pedrosa - 1'40.799 (61 laps)
- 3. Colin Edwards - 1'41.186 (48 laps)
- 4. John Hopkins - 1'41.205 (60 laps)
- 5. Chris Vermulen - 1'41.619 (56 laps)
- 10. Alex Barros - 1'43.187 (63 laps)
