One thing became clear after the completion of the IRTA Catalunya test earlier today, Ducati has built a fantastic MotoGP motorcycle. That motorcycle is also being ridden superbly by Loris Capirossi, who devastated all of the other MotoGP riders during a special one-hour timed session with a lap of 1:43.63 seconds — nearly two seconds under the track record! In the process, Capirossi was clocked at 203.9 miles per hour on the main straight at Catalunya — more than four miles per hour faster than the fastest Honda (ridden by Valentino Rossi). As was the case yesterday, teammate Troy Bayliss recorded the second fastest top speed.
Yamaha’s Alex Barros had the second quickest lap time during the one-hour session at 1:44.15, to push Honda’s Valentino Rossi down to third place on the charts. Although Honda had five of the top ten lap times, both Yamaha and Ducati are clearly competitive this year.
Take a look at the official MotoGP site for full details and times. The first race of the 2003 MotoGP series is at Suzuka on April 6, 2003.
