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Ducati Alstare Hampered By Weather

Discussion in 'Front Page Articles' started by Ducati News, Jan 24, 2013.

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    It wasn't just the Ducati MotoGP team that was severely disrupted by the rain at Jerez in the south of Spain, Ducati Alstare, the World Superbike team, also found themselves having a severely limited testing and practice time with the 1199R Panigale.

    The plan had been for the riders, Carlos Checa and Ayrton Badovini, to get to grips with the 1199R Panigale bikes in the Superbike configuration in preparation for the 2013 season however the horrific weather conditions that beset the area mean't that it was only possible to get a few hours on the track. Team manager Francis Batta and Ducati SBK project manager Ernesto Marinelli had hoped to get around 3 days worth of testing and supervision of the new bikes however this was cut down severely and is a major setback for the Italian team before the official testing that is due to begin at Phillip Island next month.

    Saturday and Sunday were a complete washout with torrential rain and strong winds which mean't that no testing could be put into place however somewhat improved conditions on the Monday meant that the riders and Ducati Alstare could get a few hours of practice in testing in although they did manage to complete around 40 laps. While it was not written off as a total disaster the fact is that it leaves the team with less preparation that they would have hoped ahead of the 2013 season.

    In addition to this, Ducati Alstare team manager Francis Batta has been speaking his mind on the issue of Dorna and the WSBK. Batta has been a team manager on the circuit since 1992 so he has more experience than most in the sport however he has questioned the direction that Dorna is taking the WSBK. Dorna who had solely operated the MotoGP circuit will now essentially bring the WSBK and MotoGP under the one umbrella organization without going as far to actually merge the two.While Batta admits that Dorna will allow the WSBK to reach out to a far bigger and diverse television audience he has issues over the cost. Dorna chief Carmelo Ezpeleta is looking to significantly reduce the cost of the sport in 2014 by limiting the expenditure of each superbike to 250,000 euros per season not including damages and repairs.

    Batta explained that, while a current superbike, costs less than the 250,000 that was mentioned the budget rises due to the likes of salaries, hospitality in addition to travel expenses. Whether or not the plans will go through is still up for debate but with veteran and respected players like Batta openly against the proposals then it might be difficult to get everyone onside when the time comes to implement them.

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