After two consecutive rounds with the WorldSBK Championship, at Aragon (Spain) and Assen (Netherlands) respectively, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team paid a visit to the Brno Circuit (Czech Republic) for a two-day private test. With some chassis and electronics upgrades, Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri took advantage of the time on track, interrupted by some rain showers, to prepare the June race on the Czech track (which returns to the WorldSBK calendar after a five-year absence) as well as the upcoming “home round” of Imola.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi also had a first chance to get acquainted with the Brno track on the Panigale R of the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team and the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team will resume action at Imola for the fifth round of the WorldSBK Championship, scheduled for May 11-13.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7)
“It’s been a steady test. We leave Brno with some room for improvement but, then again, racing is always a different game compared to testing. It’s always nice to ride there, even though it’s been windy and with a lot of pollen in the air so the track wasn’t in fantastic conditions. We worked hard for two days, gathering solid answers even though we still need to clear a few question marks. Now it’s time to recharge ahead of Imola.”
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33)
“It was a really important test. The goal, more even than to prepare the race here, was to improve stability on the straight. We took a decisive turn and the situation has improved significantly. We ran several back-to-back checks to better understand the nature of the problem, and I think we achieved our goal. Perhaps not 100 percent, but we took a big step forward. Now we head to Imola: I’m confident and sure I’ll be able to fight, with even more determination.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team #21)
“We’re pretty satisfied in general with the outcome of this test. In terms of performance, I’ve been quite close to the factory riders and we found a good base both in terms of pure speed and consistency. The track is fascinating and not too demanding physically. It’s really fun to ride it with a Superbike”.
