SHANGHAI STORM SPOILS IT FOR DUCATI MARLBORO MEN
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa had a miserable day at rain-lashed Shanghai today, recording a 12th-place finish and a DNF. The results were an unfair reward for the tireless work put in by the entire team, which showed real promise during qualifying when Capirossi and Checa scored impressive first- and third-row starts.
Rain affected all three days of the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix at the spectacular Shanghai circuit but instead of the light rain and drizzle that dampened the track on Friday and Saturday, today's action was dominated by monsoon-like downpours, first during morning warm-up and then again during this today's race which was won by Valentino Rossi ahead of Olivier Jacque.
"Of course we can't be happy with today's result," said Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. "We were going okay in the dry but the rain didn't help us at all. We know that the Bridgestone rain tyres worked well, thanks to Jacque's amazing result, but we weren't able to put together a good race ourselves. Wet races like today's can always be a bit of a lottery."
CAPIROSSI TAKES 12th-PLACE FINISH
Loris Capirossi scored a dogged 12th-place finish after 22 waterlogged laps of the Shanghai circuit. The Ducati Marlboro Team man had been looking forward to a much better result after qualifying third fastest in yesterday's dry qualifying session.
"The track was badly flooded in warm-up, so we ended up choosing quite a soft rear tyre for the race, too soft as it turned out," said the Italian. "There was less water on the track during the race, so things got difficult for me. Overall the machine worked pretty well but I still had some problems in the lower gears."
CHECA SLIDES OFF ON LAP FIVE
After qualifying just off row two, Carlos Checa had high expectations for today, especially since his practice pace on race tyres had been impressive. But the torrential rain changed everything for the Ducati Marlboro Team rider who fell on lap five while starting to make forward progress.
"There was a lot of standing water, some areas were really bad, other areas I could catch people," explained the Spaniard. "In warm-up I didn't feel too confident, so I took my time in the race. I was beginning to build confidence when I lost the front at turn 16, maybe I used a little too much brake with a little too much angle. I guess I found the limit."
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La course d'aujoud'hui est décevante mais depuis que leur nouveau syst; de frein moteur est abandonné la Ducati est de nouveau rapide comme en 2003 .
Le résultat de Chéca au Portugal était déjà encourageant , les essais en Chine ont été positifs, ily aura pour eux de meilleurs jours.
C' est vrai que comparer à leur machine de 2003 elles sont un petit peu en dessous ésperons qu' ils arrivent à régler une fois pour toute cette machine car je pense qu' ils ont leur chance
Salut à tous !
C'est clair, Ducati n'est pas encore revenu au top, mais je penses vraiment qu'ils sont en bonne voie....
Y-a qu'a regarder les essais, de mieux en mieux...
Je penses vraiment que l'on va les revoir au premier plan.......j'en suis même sur............et certain !!!!!
Salut tout le monde,
ce qui me fait peur, c'est que l'usine s'epuise financierement. Honda vend 12 millions de deux roues par an. Ducati 40 000.... entre le programme sbk et motogp, ils sont en train de se saigner ....
J'aime bien capi et ducat mais comme ils le disait eux meme ils ont un pb récurent les pneu accroche pas et le moto consomme trop ce qui d'autant plus chian parce que quand les pneu accroche ils accélère plus fort et consomme trop et abime le pneu bah il tourne en boucle!!!!!
De plus a mon avis ils ont trop joué la carte de la puissance et oblié le chassis ce qui difficile mais en chine, au essais il etait au top mais il y a deux km de ligne droite et comparé a hopkins qui n'a pas toute la cavalerie a loris bah a mon avis suz a plus de chance de faire de meilleur place enqualif mais bon ils vont pas se laissé faire chez ducat!!!!!
Résultat décevant pour Ducati -
01/05/2005, 11h57
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