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Lorenzo's dreams are coming true and the new Desmosedici is proving to be the bike he was looking for. "The Ducati is more similar to the Yamaha now”, or rather, to quote Jorge's exact words, “more similar to the bike I rode in recent years”.
The form changes but not the meaning. A sort of M1 with an engine that rips your arms off. Because the Ducati hasn't betrayed its roots, nor lost its strengths along the way.
“I'm fastest in the first and last sector - two points with long straights - in the third I'm in line with the others, in the second I'm losing 3 tenths. I need to make up time there".
As he looks ahead to the races, Jorge is looking for consistency.
“My pace was around 2’00” today, if I can get under that tomorrow it would be a great result. I've been competitive, we've tested some new parts, the bike is strong and I'm convinced it has even greater potential. We haven't taken a huge step forward, but we cannot expect massive improvement every day”.
The important thing is that he's gained confidence, a solid base from which to start.
“I prefer this bike to that of last year. Yes, the GP17 is fast, just look at Miller's times but this is better. We still need to work on braking and acceleration, but from what we've seen, there are many riders all closely packed”.
One point of interest: Lorenzo, like Miller, prefers the winged fairing, unlike Dovizioso and Petrucci.
“We lost between 6 and 7 km/h along the straight here but can gain in acceleration. In the end, it comes down to what each rider is looking for”.
DOVIZIOSO: WE'RE DOING WELL - Fairing or no fairing, Dovi also confirms the Desmosedici's progress. “If I were to consider only the riding sensations and make a comparison with our rivals, I'd say we're doing really well but we can't jump to conclusions after just two days. I'm keeping my feet on the ground”.
The Italian remains as calm and analytical as ever.
“I made further comparisons with the old bike today and have been able to understand more. Sensations were particularly good, I rode during the hottest hours and was able to get under 2 minutes even with used tyres. We're not talking massive improvements, as the GP17 is also quick here, but it confirms that we're particularly well set up here”.
It's a pity we didn't see the bike's full potential over the flying lap.
“we needed to make changes to the bike, mounting some new parts and we finished a bit late so there wasn't time."
There will be time tomorrow. Dovi would like a smoother response when opening the throttle “but it won't be easy”, but he also wants to come to some conclusions. Not easy, as Sepang, Buriram and Losail are three rather similar tracks. They could do with a real test bench like Jerez.
“It's true, we can't clear up all our doubts at these tracks. But they are three important tests anyway, as I can see improvement everywhere, but for certain issues we could do with a different type of track. You can guess with regard to certain aspects, but not fully”.
