After the first tests of 2016 in Portimão last week, the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team carried on with its program with two days on track in Jerez de la Frontera, the last ones before flying to Australia for the season opener.
 
Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies clocked 110 and 126 laps respectively on the Panigale R, moving forward with the development in its 2016 specifications. Once again, the team focused its work on chassis and electronics. In particular, it evaluated different weight distributions and software configurations to optimize consistency in race setups, with positive feedback from both riders. Giugliano and Davies then performed a time-attack towards the end of the session to regain confidence with qualifying tyres.
 
The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team will be back on track on February 22-23 in Phillip Island (Australia) for the traditional tests on the eve of the season opener.

Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #34), 1’40.047

“I’m definitely happy. Since yesterday, my team managed to gradually tailor the bike to my needs and allowed me to make a step forward compared with Portimão. We worked a lot with used tyres to solve some issues I had in the past. It was important to adopt this approach. To be able to get back to the level I was used to, after such a long break and only four days of testing, gives me confidence.”
 
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #7), 1’40.110

“In these past couple of days, we were able to focus on fine-tuning the chassis and electronics. My feeling with the 2016 bike is already quite good and, compared with the tests we did here in Jerez last November, we’ve made a big step forward. I managed to stay close to the top riders with qualifying tyres, which has never been my strongest suit, while we were the fastest on race tyres. I go home tired but very happy.”
 
Ernesto Marinelli – Superbike Project Director

“After last week’s tests in Portimão, it was important to confirm our progress on a different track such as Jerez. We focused on consistency with a race setup, working on both the chassis and the new electronic controls to maximize our performance with used tyres. Also, we evaluated several new front and rear solutions brought by Pirelli, with positive results. Now we are only a few weeks away from debuting in Phillip Island but, given the good work we’ve put in, we confidently await the start of the season.”