From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Ducati Marlboro Team GP preview
MARLBORO SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Jerez, April 30/May 1/2 2004

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN ENTER EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN

The Ducati Marlboro Team comes to Spain looking forward to making more progress with its new-for-2004 Desmosedici GP4. Riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss gave the bike a promising race debut in South Africa two weeks ago, with plenty more to come from the 230-plus horsepower machine.

A new bike’s debut race is always a learning exercise, and Ducati Marlboro Team engineers learned plenty at Welkom, knowledge that they aim to use to good effect at Jerez, traditionally the first European GP of the season. The team was particularly pleased with how the GP4 used its tyres over full-race distance, one of the major aims of the 2004 redesign.

“At this stage of the season we are just learning how to work with the new bike in a race scenario,” says Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “The first race showed some of the bike’s potential and gave us a lot of data. Both our guys were happy with the way the bike worked with the tyres at the end of the race. We’ve made a big improvement in this area, and that was one of the main goals of the GP4. The bike’s heat management is also much better, which was another of the big ideas for 2004. This weekend the machine will be basically the same as it was at Welkom, then we stay on at the track to continue development on Monday and Tuesday.”

Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli believes that Jerez is a well-balanced circuit, where tyre management is crucial.

“It’s not an easy track for the right side of the tyres, but it’s less demanding than Welkom, and our rear tyres finished that race in perfect condition,” he reveals. “It seems that the new bike uses its tyres more consistently over race distance, and we’re pleased about that. Jerez is difficult because it’s full of fast corners. Riders need a lot of confidence to go through these turns quickly, plus they need good power delivery because you use a lot of gas through these corners. Riders also need big confidence in the front end so they can attack the turns. The track is a good mix – it’s got no long straights but plenty of fast turns and some hairpins, so you need a well balanced bike.”

CAPIROSSI IS READY TO UP THE ANTE
Loris Capirossi goes into round two with some confidence after his promising ride to sixth at Welkom. The Italian Ducati Marlboro Team man came back from a sluggish start to set the fifth fastest lap of the race and finish just 0.28 seconds behind fifth-placed Nicky Hayden (Honda).
“We are working hard,” he says. “I would say the new bike is at 85 to 90 per cent of its potential, but we need to be at 110 per cent to battle with the guys at the front. Jerez was great for our team last year, even though I fell in the race. We were first and second on the grid and Troy made the podium. I like the track a lot, it’s got a lot of fast corners and it rises and falls. But what I really like about Jerez is the people – the fans are fantastic! And it’s always the first race in Europe, so it’s the first time the paddock really gets together.”

BAYLISS RETURNS TO HAPPY HUNTING GROUND
Third at Jerez last year, Troy Bayliss had a tough start to his second MotoGP season at Welkom, but still came away with two crucial points for 14th. The Aussie had decided to make major changes to his Desmosedici GP4 before heading to South Africa, so he spent much of the Welkom weekend sorting out a new set-up.
“It’s like my year started when we began practice on the Friday,” says the Ducati Marlboro Team rider. “But the bike got better every day at Welkom, so I’m looking forward to getting to Jerez. We did well last time – I was second to Loris in qualifying, finished third in the race and came away with a real good feeling. I like the track because it’s really flowing, especially the section from turn two to turn five, you’ve got some really fast lefts that lead into a fast right, where you use all the ripple strip on the exit.”

THE TRACK
Constructed in 1986, Jerez hosted its first Grand Prix the following year and has remained on the World Championship calendar ever since. Through the nineties the event grew to become the most popular GP of all. Last year it attracted a crowd of 203,324 fans.

Riders love the Andalucian venue because it’s a track that rewards rider talent over machine performance. Many of the circuit’s 13 corners flow into one another, placing the emphasis on smooth, neat riding and stable, all-round machine performance. The circuit character places particular emphasis on front-tyre grip, though the many slow-speed turns also require MotoGP riders to control wheelspin as they power out of the corners. Two years ago the track underwent resurfacing and total reconstruction of its infrastructure.

JEREZ: 4.423km/2.748 miles
Lap record: Valentino Rossi (Honda) 1m 42.788s, 154.909kmh/96.256mph
Pole position 2003: Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team), 1m 41.983s

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM DATA LOGS
LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 31 (April 4, 1973)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
GP starts: 201 (31xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125)
Pole positions: 36 (3xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Jerez 2003 results. Grid: pole. Race: DNF

TROY BAYLISS
Age: 35 (March 30, 1969)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
First GP: Australia, 1997 (250)
GP starts: 18 (17xMotoGP, 1×250)
World Superbike victories: 22
World Championships: 1 (Superbike: 2001)
Jerez 2003 results. Grid: 2nd. Race: 3rd.