After debuting on track in 2017 with a two-day test in Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team resumed action in Portimão (Portugal) with Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri for two more days on track ahead of the season opener in Phillip Island (Australia), scheduled in a month’s time.

Both riders moved forward with their respective programs, which were partially completed in Spain, to evaluate various engine, electronics and chassis upgrades developed for the Panigale R and make several setup comparisons. These tests, moreover, helped the riders and their crews to get reacquainted with the track, which is back in the calendar this year.

After two days, Davies and Melandri respectively posted a personal best of 1:41.813 and 1:43.344. The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team will resume action on February 20-21 in Phillip Island for the traditional pre-season tests before the opening round.


Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #7) 1:41.813

“We did a lot of work in the past two days, as well as in Jerez, and overall we can be happy with the results. We completed a detailed program to evaluate all the technical upgrades, with good feedback. We were also lucky with the weather, because the rain only kept us in the pits during the first few hours on Saturday. Despite the fact that some areas were repaved, the track has gotten a bit bumpier since we last raced here and, consequently, it wasn’t easy to find the best possible setup. These tests, after a two-month break, were also crucial to allow me to get back the feeling I had on the bike towards the end of last year. Only in Portugal, we clocked more than 700 kilometers. The team has done a great job, and we’re optimistic ahead of the season opener in Australia, where we’ll take advantage of the final tests to fine-tune the details.”

Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #33) 1:43.344

“In these tests, we focused our work on race distance, but we’ve encountered a bit more difficulties compared with Jerez, partially due to some setup experiments that didn’t yield the expected benefits, but also because of the track’s conditions, as there are a bit too many bumps. We also did a race simulation, which was split in two because of red flags. We lacked a bit of stability and rear grip in order for me to ride with as much ease as I would have liked, but it was important nonetheless as we verified, with encouraging results, my fitness. At any rate, the overall feedback is positive. Until now everything worked perfectly, but it’s also important to confront ourselves with some obstacles, as there will be a few awaiting also during the championship. Now we’ll sit down with the whole crew to define the base ahead of Phillip Island.”