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 <strong>final</strong> 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
Pic by GP-Fever.de DEVELOPED BY THE BEST. Official MotoGP tyre supplier MICHELIN Power SuperSport MICHELIN Power Slick Evo Available at your nearest dealer
Change language