Canepa optimistic after Red Devils testing
With just a couple of weeks to go before the opening round in Australia, the Red Devils Roma team has been at Vallelunga for two days of testing. Andrea Petricca's squad brought along their Ducati 1198 Superbike rider Niccolò Canepa, as well as Polish rider Andrzej Chmielewski who will race a Ducati Superstock 1000 machine in the FIM Cup.
Despite low temperatures and rain on Saturday night, Canepa completed almost 100 laps in the two days, verifying the potential of his 1198 equipped with Bitubo suspension. The Italian's best time was 1'36"5, an encouraging performance given the difficult climate and track conditions. The official Vallelunga Superbike track record is currently held by Troy Bayliss with a 1'35"890.
"We had a very good couple of days testing, which represent a good starting point for the 2012 season", declared Niccolò Canepa. "In just a couple of days we tested a lot of new things and did more than 90 laps. On Sunday afternoon I tried to do a few quick laps and got my times down a lot. With the softest tyre I lapped in 1'36"5 and this made me particularly satisfied not only for my form, but also because I'm convinced we can do a lot better when we are further along with the work. I know there's a lot more to do and I don't feel that the bike is completely mine yet, but we'll have another couple of days in Australia to work on improving. At Phillip Island I'll also have a chance to shape up to my rivals so we'll know where we are. I'm optimistic about leaving for Australia. It's going to be a tough world championship, but for me this will be stimulate me to always give my best."
Red Devils team manager Andrea Petricca, who presented the team's new sponsor mens fashion brand Boggi Milano, was also satisfied: "We are very pleased not only with the exceptional times set by Niccolò, but also for the excellent work we managed to do in the couple of days spent at Vallelunga. We tried some new things including brakes and also worked a lot on the suspension in collaboration with Bitubo engineers. For sure we're just at the start of the season, but the results obtained make us optimistic and confirm that we're working in the right direction. We're also proud to present our new sponsor, a prestigious menswear brand, Boggi Milano, and we'll both be doing our best to take Made in Italy and Italy throughout the world."
