Rossi took to the track on day one of the Valencia MotoGP Test aboard a test version of the Desmosedici GP12.

Ducati's Valentino Rossi rode an experimental version of next season’s GP12, equipped with an aluminium perimeter frame, at the Test in Valencia on Tuesday.

Ducati Technical Director, Filippo Preziosi, described the Desmosedici test version, but stressed that it is a starting point for developing next year’s bike.

“Now we have designed a bike that has different technology for the frame, we would like to make the weight distribution, and everything else, the same as the standard bike in order to do a comparison. Then based on the results of our rider’s comments and data acquisition, we will define the final targets for the design of the next bike for the future.”

Preziosi continued, citing the main advantage of such a frame. “This chassis allows us to put the engine in a different position and change the pivot of the swingarm without producing other engines, which is a problem for the current rule, which says the maximum numbers of engines you can use is just six.”

The Technical Director then acknowledged the sacrifices the riders have made during the season in the name of development. "This is the worst thing you can ask of a rider - They are riders and they want to perform their best during the Sunday race, so asking them to act as a test rider during the entire weekend is something difficult. But Valentino did it and Nicky too, in order to have a better bike for the future.”



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