The Ducati Superbike Team hard at work at Portimao
Many laps and new settings for both Giugliano and Davies
Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano were at the Misano World Circuit for the first two days of World Ducati Week last weekend, before traveling to Portimao on Sunday, in order to participate in official testing sessions held at the Portuguese Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on Monday and Tuesday.
The work schedule involved the testing of new Pirelli front and rear tyres, with the team able to identify some interesting solutions. In addition, the riders tried some new suspension settings and a new anti-wheelie setting, something that both Davies and Giugliano were pleased with. Conditions were very hot with track temperatures that reached 59°C, so the Ducati Superbike Team therefore also worked to improve grip in these extreme conditions, which have caused some difficulties up until now, during the hottest races. The factory riders then worked on practicing their starts, testing different solutions in terms of the clutch and hydraulic ratio. At the end of the two days, the team was satisfied with the work it has been able to complete.
Chaz Davies: “This testing session has been useful, although I am still not quite feeling 100% after the crash at Laguna. Anyway, we’ve got a lot of work done, especially in the afternoon of the last day when conditions were difficult due to the heat. We have definitely collected a lot of useful data that will help us as we prepare for the last part of the season. We can now head into the summer break and have chance to recharge our batteries so that we are able to come back in September with the determination to finish the 2014 season in the best possible way.”
Davide Giugliano: “The test was very positive. I wanted to complete as many laps as possible as well as optimise performance and improve our work method, concentrating on riding with used tyres, and we were able to do all of that. We have found many positives and have more of an idea as to where we need to work in preparation for the final races, identifying a few things that we’d been missing. I’m also pleased with the long-run that we made, as we were faster than in the race and so, considering the more extreme conditions, we should be pleased about that.”
