Alex Barros and Alex Hofmann pushed through a difficult second day of testing at the Official IRTA test in Jerez, two weeks before the season opener in Qatar. The day began with thick fog, and it wasn’t until lunchtime that it began to burn off and under strong sunshine, the riders took to the track for the remainder of the afternoon. The PRAMAC D’ANTIN MotoGP team continued to work on the general set-up of the Ducati GP7, and by the end of the day had begun to resolve some of the bike’s issues. Alex Barros worked steadily on engine controls and suspension work, and made his fastest lap at 1’41.842, while Alex Hofmann, solved his problems with a qualifying tires, and had a great lap good enough for fourth place with a time of 1’40.748.
Alex Barros (1’41.842– 61 Laps): “The beginning of the day was difficult. I wanted to go faster so we worked on various engine mapping and tried different tires looking for the best overall balance of the bike. I didn’t have such a good feeling today with the tires, because while the front felt good, we are still looking for solutions for the rear. Tomorrow we will have a lot of time to work on the problems of today, and I’m confident that we will have the same success as in Qatar. For the last day of the test, I know I will have a good day â€.
Alex Hofmann (1’40.748 - 51 Laps): “ Today we worked well. The race pace was good, and I’m looking forward to getting it on tomorrow. I should be at 100% and I know that my team is behind me all the way. This is our last test before the first race, and I want to show everyone that we’re readyâ€.
Fabiano Sterlacchini – Track Engineer for Alex Barros: “, We concentrated our energy on finding the optimum balance for the racepace of the bike. We tested different engine settings in preparation for the first race, which is our real target â€.
Emanuele Martinelli – Track Engineer for Alex Hofmann: “Today the weather started out with really low visibility, but then it got better after we had lunch at Cerverino’s. We worked a lot to find the right solution and at the end of the day we tried a soft compound pre-qualifying tire. Hofmann was able to get a feel for the different tire right away and he got a good time as a result. We’re satified with the time, but we must push harder and continue to work on the bike if we are to find the best possible set-up for tomorrow. â€
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