Rossi tests new aluminium swingarm at Mugello

Ducati gave Valentino Rossi a new aluminum swingarm to evaluate during the two-day MotoGP test at Mugello which wrapped up this evening.

Ducati gave Valentino Rossi a new aluminum swingarm to evaluate during the two-day MotoGP test at Mugello which wrapped up this evening.

It is thought the new part, which was tested alongside a newer engine spec and different electronics, is the team's first foray into giving The Doctor, and team-mate Nicky Hayden, the corner exit grip they need to be competitive in the dry.

Rossi has said in the past the GP12's power delivery is too aggressive and they were having to use the electronics to get control of it, so a new engine and electronics map will go some way to curing this.

“I'd say it was a very useful test because we were able to gather interesting information on the different areas of the bike for which we had planned a robust test program. We worked on different configurations of the electronics, engine and chassis, including an aluminum swingarm," said technical director Filippo Preziosi.

Now we want to go to other tracks, which is exactly what we'll do in Barcelona and Aragon, to test the validity of the solutions we've found, in order to understand if we've effectively taken a small step in the right direction." 

By MotoGP desk

Image by Ducati Corse