1701 RF final

PADDOCK NEWS
Brought
to you by
CASEY STONER AS COACH
FOR ALL DUCATI RIDERS
All Ducati riders, both factory and non-factory,
will benefit from the expertise of one of the most
valuable names Borgo Panigale managed to
hire this year, Casey Stoner.
Already a test rider and brand ambassador, the Australian
MotoGP Legend will be present at the side of the track and in
the pits at the races, also take on guiding the Ducati riders to a
brighter future.
The primary goal is, naturally, putting as many Ducati riders as
possible on the podium from 2017 onwards, with the ultimate
endeavour being returning to winning races. Ducati has high
hopes from the 2015 World Champion and believes that
Lorenzo’s riding prowess will sync with the new Desmosedici
GP prototype, providing Borgo Panigale with the longexpected
upper hand necessary for the victory.
Casey Stoner says that he thinks he knows what Lorenzo is
looking for in a motorcycle and is ready to make his best to
develop the right machine for him. On the other hand, Casey
insisted that Ducati brings in Cristian Gabarini as the crew chief
for Lorenzo.
Gabarini and Stoner worked together and clawed the
World Title in 2007, so it wasn’t exactly difficult to convince
Gigi Dall’Igna to ask the Italian mechanical engineer to join
Lorenzo’s team. Gabarini is calm and utterly rational, and could
serve as the ideal buffer between the sometimes impetuous
Jorge Lorenzo and the results-focused Ducati management.
The very good relationship between the Italian and the
Australian also caused the former to move from Ducati to
Honda when the latter made the switch. With Stoner being
both a coach and a development rider and Gabarini being
Lorenzo’s crew chief, things could indeed speed up towards
delivering a far more competitive motorcycle.
Rossi can still win the 2016 title, Stoner believes
Despite the fact that Yamaha star Valentino Rossi already
recorded three DNFs, Stoner believes that the Italian can still
win the 2016 Championship. The Oz-based rider declared this
in Italy when he met with the Nolan officials and received his
one-off X-Lite carbon fiber helmet.
“Rossi is not too old to win the championship,” Stoner said.
“There are people winning marathons at 40. He has a good
team, and he is a true champion. The end of the season is still
so far, and we must wait and see what happens. I am pretty
sure that he has real chances of winning the 10th title of his
career,” the MotoGP Legend added.
PJ JACOBSEN SIGNS WITH MV
AGUSTA FOR WORLD SUPERSPORT
American Patrick “PJ” Jacobsen will get an equipment change
for his 2017 bid in the World Supersport Championship, jumping
ship from Honda to the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team.
Jacobsen tested with MV Agusta
at the recent WSBK test in
Jerez, where his results on the
MV Agusta F3 675 must have
impressed the Italian factory, as
the audition landed him the job.
The move to MV Agusta will
hopefully be a benefitical one
for Jacobsen, as he starts his
fourth full season in the World
Supersport Championship. PJ
was the 2015 runner-up in the
Championship, and finished the
2016 season fourth overall.
The MV Agusta F3 675 has
shown itself to be a titlecontending
machine, something
that perhaps could not be said
about the Honda CBR600RR that
Jacobsen is leaving behind.
The 2017 season will still be
a challenge though, with MV
Agusta’s finanical outlook always
a topic of conversation, and
while the Reparto Corse team
still chasing down electronic
gremlins, due to the fact that
the team cannot fully utilize the
Consortium Shipping Yamaha
rider Michael White has been
handed 2nd place in the overall
SuperGP standings. It was
initially reported that Michael
had only managed a 7th place
finish at the final race at RSR
but was later moved up to
6th which gave him the points
stock bike’s MVICS electronics
package under the Supersport
rules.
“I’m really looking forward to this
new adventure with MV Agusta,”
said Jacobsen, when talking to
the WorldSBK.com website. “To
join the Italian manufacturer is a
privilege. Already having a test
on the bike in Jerez, I felt really
comfortable on the bike after a
few sessions.
“I’m really looking forward to next
year with MV and seeing what
we can accomplish together. I’m
excited to get to some more tests
on the bike and then I’ll be ready
to go for Round 1. Thanks to MV
Agusta for this opportunity.”
It might be hard for American
motorcycle racing fans to fit the
World Supersport Championship
into their queue of interests, but
we think the 2017 season will
be a good one to follow, and to
throw some support behind PJ.
He’s showing great promise in
the WorldSBK paddock.
WHITE SECURES 2ND OVERALL IN
2016 SUPERGP CHAMPIONSHIP
needed to edge out Clint Seller
by 1 point for the 2nd spot in
the championship.
It was an impressive season by
the rookie racing in the 1000cc
championship for the first time.
We look forward to seeing more
of the young star in the future,
both locally and internationally.
16 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JANUARY 2017