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MotoGP, Ducati shows off its new rear end

The GP17 of Michele Pirro in on track at Sepang with a brand new rear end; Casey Stoner to take to the track tomorrow

Ducati shows off its new rear end

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The starter is served. During the night the curtain has lifted on the first tests of 2017, taking place at Sepang. Though we'll have to wait until Monday to see the factory riders on track on Monday, the test riders are already hard at work in Malaysia, showing off the new bikes.

The new Ducati is highly anticipated, considering the manufacturer has had to deal with the new regulation, which sees a ban on winglets, one of the red bike's strengths. The Borgo Panigale team has worked hard on aerodynamics in recent months, but as Gigi Dall'Igna has said on several occasions, there is no full solution to the problem.

One thing is certain however, because at Sepang, the Ducati is boasting a new rear end. The rear exhaust of the GP17, with respect to the previous version, is in a lateral position on the right and not in the centre. A new feature that has not gone unnoticed.

As well as Pirro, Hiroshi Aoyama is also on track with the Honda RC213V, while Yamaha is represented by Katsuyuki Nakasuga, winner of the last Suzuka 8 Hours. Riding for Suzuki is Takuya Tsuda, while Mika Kallio is on the debuting KTM and Mike Di Meglio rides the Aprilia.  Sylvain Guintoli also makes a surprise appearance with the new Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Tomorrow everyone's waiting to see Casey Stoner. The Australian is ready to climb aboard the GP17 at Sepang, to continue the development work before passing the baton to Lorenzo and Dovizioso on Monday. We at GPOne are also on-site, in the form of Paolo Scalera and Matteo Aglio.  

Translated by Heather Watson
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