Ducati have finally shown off the new Desmosedici GP11 at the Wroom Event at Madonna di Campiglio in the Dolomites ,Italy. The unveiling of the 2011 MotoGP contender was also the first chance for the public to get a first view of Valentino Rossi in Ducati colors. The Italian has even had his machine customised with flashes of his famous yellow.
Aside from a new luminous red colour scheme that might take some getting used to, the main changes to this years bike are mainly the engine, which has been retuned to give a “more favourable, flatter torque” according to team boss Filippo Preziosi. “The aerodynamics are completely different, and the features are those we tested at Valencia (in Rossi’s first outing on the bike) upon which we will base the evolution of the bike,”
So far the team have only tested different chassis setups for different circuits, and have developed a set of front forks specifically for the Malaysian Grand Prix. “In terms of electronics we are mainly working on anti-wheelie and traction control. We will be at Jerez from January 17th-19th with Franco Battaini and Vittoriano Guareschi, who will be on track.” contined Preziosi.
The team were joined by Ducati General Manager Claudio Domenicali who added “2011 will be a year of great change. It will be the start of the third phase of our presence in MotoGP, a historic moment. To have Valentino in the team is a new aspect. Everybody knows what Valentino is capable of in terms of giving feedback for improving the bike and furthering the capacity of our project.”
As for the riders, Nicky Hayden undertook in all the events at Wroom, which included Snowboarding, and was also joined by Ferrari Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Rossi had to sit out some of the more extreme events due to his continuing recovery after a shoulder operation, but was able to participate in the ice racing, which included ice go karting.
