Ducati had a topsy-turvy MotoGP season last year
despite having all the ingredients to challenge for the constructors’ title
with Yamaha and Honda. This year Ducati is fully focused
on clinching that elusive championship with a world champion at the helm.
Hot on the heels of factory Yamaha team’s 2017 race
bike launch yesterday, with Rossi and his new teammate Vinales, Ducati has
introduced its revised livery for the Desmosedici GP17 machine. It will be
ridden by three-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo who elected to jump ship from
Yamaha for 2017.
The launch event was hosted at Ducati’s headquarters
in Bologna and instead of showing the GP17 race bike, the famed Italian
manufacturer decided to showcase the new livery on a last year’s bike. Due to
the regulation changes, the GP17 will be devoid of aerodynamic winglets
pioneered by Ducati a couple of season ago.
At Ducati, Jorge Lorenzo replaces Andrea Iannone
after culminating his long-term association with Yamaha for nine years. After
announcing his team switch midway through last season, the Spaniard had his
first run on a Ducati back in November at the Valencia test venue. He completed
the two day test third and eighth respectively while clocking enough miles to
get accustomed to the new machine.
In a recent interview, Lorenzo stated that he
doesn’t have to change his riding style in order to suit the GP17. Due to
Lorenzo’s Yamaha contract that ran till the end of 2016, he was disallowed from
making a presence on a private test at the Jerez circuit late last year.
Lorenzo will be joined by home rider Andrea Dovizioso who tasted champagne for
the team at the 2016 Malaysian GP. Both riders will be in action soon as the
pre-season testing will resume on 30th January in Sepang.
