Ducati didn’t present their ‘90% new’ 2012 MotoGP machine at last week’s Wrooom to the disappointment of everyone, but the GP12 is currently at Jerez de la Frontera circuit for a very private and behind closed doors three day test.
Test rider Franco Battaini and reigning World Superbike champion Carlos Checa have the onerous task of giving the the GP12 a shakedown test and testing set-ups before sending the hopefully competitive Desmosedici to Sepang where Ducati riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will ride the almost completely new bikes for the first time.
As Filippo Preziosi has already stated the bike was designed and developed in less than six months and while he was reticent on revealing any aspect of the engine angle (rumors in Italy say it’s no longer 90°, but 75°) he did state that the bike has retained the twin-spar aluminium chassis and a carbon fiber swingarm and that they have modified the weight distribution and size of bike in order to allow a larger range of adjustments.
Troy Bayliss also tweeted that he too may get a chance to test the GP12 later this season.