News

Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) has expressed satisfaction with the progress made on board the new 1199 Panigale Superbike during a three-day test session at Motorland Aragon. By making a series of changes throughout the three days the team was able to better understand how the bike reacts and identify the best direction to take as a result. At this point of development it is essential that the riders begin to understand the bike and that the bike is adapted to the needs and style of each rider. Checa recorded a best time of 1'58.5 in the three days, with Giugliano almost one second slower.

On track along with several other SBK teams, Ducati's technicians were able to compare the 1199 Panigale's performance to that of its rivals for the first time and have declared themselves satisfied with the work completed thus far, although there is still a lot to do over coming months. The winter testing programme will continue next month in Jerez, Spain.

Carlos Checa declared: "My impression is positive. We're still a little way off in terms of times but we are here to work on the bike and try things out to better understand what is missing and what we need to go faster. This is all a normal part of development work. The 1199 Panigale is an extreme bike and the riding style needed is different too. We are at the start of the journey; we're still in the first phase and still have a lot of work ahead of us. The 17" tyres are working well once the track is up to temperature and conditions have allowed us to get a lot of laps in during yesterday and today - the data collected will be useful as we move forward."