Ducati in motoGP season 2012,"90 percent of the bike is new"

The annual Wrooom event in Madonna di Campiglio held its traditional press conference on Ducati’s new MotoGP bike on Wednesday, wherein Ducati Corse boss Filippo Preziosi previewed the technical details of the 2012 Ducati Desmosecici that Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will ride this season.


Preziosi announced that the GP12 is a complete redesign of bike tested by Rossi in Valencia, but warned that it will look deceivingly similar. It will still sport an aluminum perimetric frame and carbon swingarm, but they are new editions and the only components that actually remain the same are parts of the front (forks and steering components). He assured that the rest of the bike is completely redesigned, stating: "Ninety percent of the parts are brand new."


He continued: "We significantly changed the distribution of weight and the bike dimensions to be in the middle of the adjustment range." This suggests that a greater range of adjustments will be able to be made according to rider preference and track condition.

He also offered that with new chassis, the engine position will be able to be adjusted more, though declined to provide details regarding changes to the V angle (the angle between the two banks of the four cylinders) of the GP12 engine, which Ducati has traditionally run at a larger angle than their competitors using a V-four configuration.


Preziosi explained that it usually takes two years—from the initial design to the first race—to have a completely refined race machine "but we are accelerating the process with forced steps. It’s a courageous decision, but not impossible." He went on to say that the design process is complete and that Hayden and Rossi’s mechanics are currently at the factory in Bologna assembling the new bikes.


"The rider makes a difference," said Preziosi on the subject of how much of bike development depends on the rider. "Though we didn't contract Valentino as a rider thinking that he'd solve our problems, but to give us information, as he has won on several different bikes."


Preziosi confirmed that Franco Battani and Carlos Checa will ride the GP12 in a private test at Jerez next week, and concluded the press event stating that Rossi and Hayden will have both the bike tested in Valencia and the brand new GP12 at the Sepang Test in three weeks.