January 18, 2007 The Dolomite mountain scenery of Madonna di Campiglio formed the spectacular backdrop for the official launch of the new Ducati Desmosedici GP7 yesterday. The wraps were pulled off the all-new Italian bike by Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner, the two Ducati Marlboro Team factory riders who will spearhead the Italian manufacturer's attack in the first year of the new 800cc category. The Desmosedici GP7 is characterized by having a new and exclusive colour scheme called "Red Racing Chrome", produced with a special paint that, like McLaren’s similar technology in Formula One, offers the bikes an innovative and technological chrome effect. The new 800cc engine is smaller and narrower than the 990 unit and acts as a load-bearing structure within the shorter chassis and the sub-frame is mounted directly on the engine.
It took place at Wroom 2007, the traditional ski meeting held on the snows of Madonna di Campiglio and reserved for the international press which offers the chance for media and journalists from all over the world to meet Ducati Marlboro Team riders and management.
Following the week’s first conference with Federico Minoli (Chairman and Managing Director of Ducati Motor Holding) and Casey Stoner, the Australian rider who has joined the team this year, today it was the turn of Claudio Domenicali (Ducati Corse Managing Director and Ducati Motor Holding Director General of Product) and Loris Capirossi to meet the press immediately after the presentation of the Desmosedici GP7.
The 800cc engine is also naturally new. Smaller and narrower than the 990 unit, the new engine is characterized by having a conventional firing-order that benefits the maximum power and helps with the fuel consumption.
The concept of the engine as a load-bearing structure, with a shorter chassis and the sub-frame mounted directly on the engine and no longer on the frame, has also been optimized, thus allowing a strengthening of the entire foot-peg area.
Major attention has also been dedicated to a lightening and further refining of all components.
"I am proud to present the new Desmosedici GP7, a project that currently represents the peak of Ducati know-how" declared Claudio Domenicali during the press conference. "The bike features a mixture of technology and evolution and has already given us excellent results on the track in the first tests. In particular we are particularly proud of the opportunity that the project offers to transfer experience accumulated in racing to our road-going products.
“I am really happy to be here today with Loris. We began this challenge together and, five years later, we are still here, ready to tackle a new season in MotoGP with a project that has grown, matured and improved over the years and which is destined to give us great satisfaction. I am just as pleased to welcome Casey: together with Loris they form a fantastic pairing.
“All this would not be possible without the aid of our sponsors. A big thanks to all those who have given us their support for many years and a warm welcome to SanDisk, a world leader in the production of flash memory cars and portable multimedia accessories, who today have officially announced their partnership agreement with us."
"They tell me I'm a MotoGP dinosaur and for this reason I have decided to play on this description by changing my classic Capirex logo to Capi-T-rex" commented Loris Capirossi at the start of the press conference at Madonna di Campiglio. "This is my eighteenth year in the world championship but you can be sure of one thing: the feeling with the bike is the same as ever and I still really enjoy my racing, so now I am in form, fired-up and ready to give my everything again in this new season.
“This is my fifth year with Ducati, which is also a major achievement; it's not the first time I have said it but once again I'd like to take the opportunity to underline that I have found a family in this company, something which makes me feel very proud and happy.
“We are ready to face up to this new season in the best possible way, so far we have worked well with the new bike and its development. Filippo Preziosi and his team, together with Vitto, have been great as always. I can't wait to get back on the bike at Sepang to start preparations for the new season and obtain the result that I have been chasing for years and which I feel I have all the right cards to achieve."
The Ducati Marlboro Team will leave Madonna di Campiglio on Friday morning for Malaysia, where it will take part in the first tests of the 2007 season at Sepang from January 22-24.