Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Tuesday 27 January 2015 – Two days of intense testing have just come to a close for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team at the Spanish circuit of Jerez, with riders Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano consolidating the positive results seen at last week’s Portimao test sessions.
Following on from last week’s tests in Portugal, this week’s Spanish test sessions, which took place at the Jerez circuit, fortunately took place in very favourable conditions that allowed the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team to work solidly without interruption over the two days. Under clear and sunny skies (air temperature 16°C, track temperature 24°C) Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano continued to work with their technicians and build confidence with their new 2015 Ducati Panigale bikes.
Over the two-day session, the squad continued to concentrate on improving bike behaviour on used tyres and identifying ideal electronic and suspension set-ups. Both factory riders were able to record some consistently fast lap times, completing a total of approximately 110 laps each. In the final stages of this afternoon’s session, and using a qualifying tyre, Davide recorded the overall fastest lap of the tests (1’39.332), which is also the new unofficial track record for the Superbike class. Davies and Giugliano are happy with the way work is progressing and are feeling confident ahead of next month’s opening races.
On 2 February, the official presentation of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team will be broadcast in live streaming on www.arubaracing.it. Ten days later the team will travel to Australia, to carry out final test sessions (16-17 February) before continuing preparations for the opening round of the 2015 Superbike World Championship, to took place over the weekend of 20-22 February at the Australian circuit of Phillip Island.
Quotes at the end of testing:
Davide Giugliano – Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7
“We’ve had two very positive days, in that we’ve been able to test a lot of small things calmly and methodically. During race weekend we never have a lot of time to be able to focus on certain areas and so we’ve made the most of the opportunity and the good conditions here. I’m really pleased that, together with the team, I’ve been able to find good feeling with the bike, something that I hope remains unchanged in the next tests that we’ll carry out at Phillip Island before the races. We’ll continue to work however, so as to be as prepared as possible for the opening races.”
Chaz Davies – Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7
“The tests haven’t been easy. Yesterday, on day one, we were able to work quite well and find good feeling with the bike. But unfortunately today some small issues limited our work and meant that we were unable to complete the programme or make the most of our time. My feeling with the bike is not yet perfect, but we’ll continue to work during testing at Phillip Island just before the races. I’m sure that we’ll be able to find what we need at the next tests so that we can begin the championship in the best possible way.”
Ernesto Marinelli – Ducati Superbike Project Director
“These first two test sessions of 2015 have been very important in terms of preparation for the opening races. Over the last two days at Jerez we have enjoyed perfect conditions which we are unlikely to see when we return here to race in September. We’ve consolidated the lines of development that we planned in November, and this is positive, but we still have certain things, such as grip and maximum lean, that will require further work. The time recorded by Davide is very important and serves to confirm both the work carried out so far and his great talent. The upcoming season will be very difficult and it’s important to start out on the right foot.”
